“What does a Black Belt really mean?” I am sure I have asked the question many-many times.
 
To a person who's never trained in the martial arts, they see the Black Belt as a pinnacle reached by very few. They view it as some profound level of accomplishment that the person who holds it exists within a realm of vast self-defense knowledge. And, in fact, in some ways that is the truth. Very few people ever reach the level of Black Belt.
 
For those of us who have walked the path of martial arts, on a formal basis, we understand that the Black Belt is basically just the beginning. It's the point when you've mastered the basic techniques and then you move on to the more refined elements of whatever system of self-defense you're practicing. At least, so it is proclaimed.
 
In some ways, I've always felt this is the wrong format, however. I always questioned that once you reach a Black Belt shouldn’t that be the culmination of wherever it is you wish go. Black Belt, and that's that.
 
I've also always questioned the entire theory of the Degrees of Black Belt within the martial arts. Why? Because ever since I was a young boy, this entire practice of advancing degree has been very convoluted. Though every system claims they have a formal structure for who should gain what degree and why, that's really never been the case. At least not from my experience.
 
Enter the modern era and forget about it. Rank has been bought and sold so many times, given out as a gesture of friendship or financial contribution, that it's hard to even understand what it truly means.
 
Whenever I speak or write about martial art rank, I often quote the statement that Bill, “Superfoot,” Wallace, made to me when I was asked to write an article about him for a magazine.  Superfoot profoundly stated, “Back in the day if a person was a 1st degree black belt, they were impossible to touch. If they were a 2nd degree black belt, forget about it, they would tear you apart. Now, everyone is an 8th, 9th, or 10th degree black belt and they are terrible.”
 
I had an interesting experience today. I had gone to my storage unit and I noticed this tubular circular holder thing that I had put the 7th Degree Black Belt Certificate that I had received from Taekwondo Moo Duk Kwan back in the 1980s. This was before they changed their name to Moo Duk Hae to remove any confusion with Tang Doo Do Moo Duk Kwan. I hadn't looked at that certificate in forever. So, I decided to take it out and take a look.
 
When I removed it, I was very surprised to see that there had developed two tears in it. Now, this certificate has been in that tube forever. As I've stated a million times, particularly in conversations with martial artists, I'm really not about martial art rank. The only reason I list that kind of stuff in my bio and elsewhere is because if I don't, everybody comes at me wanting to know what my background is and who I’ve trained with. But, on a personal level, I really believe the true martial arts is far beyond what it says on a certificate. For the record, as previously stated in times gone past, I’ve turned down the 9th Degree Black Belt more than once.
 
In any case, I noticed that there were two tears in the certificate. How they got there, I have no idea? I'm guessing it's just due to the passing of time.
 
This being said, it truly did send me to thinking. It truly made me question, what does martial art rank actually mean?
 
Basically, the only thing that defines martial art rank is the name and a number that's on a certificate. But, as I discovered today, certificates disintegrate. That's just the nature of reality and the definition of paper, where certificates are printed.
 
Truly, what does martial art rank really mean?
 
I know in this modern era, so many people, within the martial arts, are so motivated by rank that it's really unbelievable. I mean, many of the professional martial artists are all out there chasing rank and holding rank and claiming rank and doing all of that kind of stuff. Many, have even started their own martial art organizations solely for the reason that they can rise to the top of the food chain, and be the master of their system, most likely claiming a 10th Degree Black Belt.
 
Now, don’t get me wrong, that's all good if that's what you want to do. Who am I to judge? But, is that what the martial arts is truly about? Is it only about what rank you hold and who has to bow to you?
 
I know there's been so many times in the not-too-distant past where people have issued certificates simply to make money. They have sold, for a profit, degree ranking from their parent organization. They've issued false certificates from organizations and charged their students a lot of money for them, only for their students to later find out that the certificates were not issued by the governing body at all. Hell, there's even this street in Seoul, South Korea where you can go and pretty much buy any certificate you want, giving you any degree you want. The street is not too far from Kukkiwon, The World Taekwondo Federation Headquarters.
 
So, again, what does martial art rank really mean?
 
My 7th Dan TKD certificate is now torn. Someday, it will probably completely disintegrate. Then what? Does that mean that I no longer hold that rank? If you lose your Black Belt Certificate or it gets destroyed, does that mean that you are no longer a Black Belt holding that number degree of whatever? And, if someone asks, how can you prove it?
 
If all a person is defined by is what's written on a piece of paper, the source code for that is pretty obvious. Sooner or later, that definition will then be gone. Then what?
 
Is a Black Belt defined only by what name and number are written on a piece of paper? Or, is a Black Belt, a true Black Belt, something much more metaphysically profound than all of that?

Shouldn't a true Black Belt be absolutely humble and claim no rank at all? Like I have said forever, "If you are referring to yourself as a master, that probably means that you are not."
 
Ultimately, if all you're doing is chasing a number written on a piece of paper… If all you are doing is defining yourself by that number written on that piece of paper… If all you are doing is riding your ego based upon whatever number is written on a piece of paper, be assured, someday, that paper will be no more. If that’s how you defining yourself, when that day comes, then who and what will you be?