Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

If you are into karate, the first question people will ask you when meeting you is "Do you have a black belt?" The black belt is the international symbol of the martial arts expert and one of the goals in a karate career.

Steps

1. 1 Join a karate club. Find a club with instructors to help you find inspiration. Choose the training time and days that work for you.
2. 2 Make sure that your sensei can help you reach a level worthy of a black belt, as he himself must know what to learn and what difficulties to overcome. Sensei must have a black belt and experience working with students.
3. 3 Train twice a week. By training once a week, reaching black belt level is nearly impossible. Muscle memory weakens in 7 days, which is why students have to learn the movements anew at each workout. Training twice a week is the minimum required to reach black belt level, and three times is the ideal schedule.
4. 4 Do not overexert yourself. Exercising 4-7 times a week will drain you before you master the necessary skills. Muscles need rest, and lack of it can cause injury and increased fatigue.
5. 5 Study at home. Practice kata, stretching, do some strength exercises, try repeating the combinations learned during the workout. Work on the mistakes that sensei pointed out to you.
6. 6 Listen to whatever the instructor tells you. Some students get upset when their mistakes are pointed out, but only those who listen to the comments and work on themselves can reach black belt level.
7. 7 Pay attention to the comments the instructor makes to other students and use them to improve your technique.
8. 8 Take part in competitions. Each tournament is a chance to improve your level. Students who compete develop their skills faster.
9. 9 Approach your black belt in stages. This process takes many years, and the end goal may seem unattainable at the beginning of the training. Concentrate on immediate goals, such as learning a particular movement or preparing for the next competition.
10. 10 Be patient. On average, it takes 4-5 years of training to reach the black belt level of karate. The time it takes you to master all the necessary skills depends on many factors: your age, physical ability, physique, coordination, amount of training, attentiveness in class, as well as the sports you have previously played.
11. 11 Attend all events, seminars and sections that will be held in your or other clubs. Attend all meetings.
12. 12 Watch your body. Your body is an instrument and must be kept in good condition. Don't smoke, don't use drugs. Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water instead.
13. 13 In case of injury, see a doctor immediately. A minor injury without proper treatment can develop into a serious problem. Injuries can almost always be healed with timely help.
14. 14 You won't always be successful. All athletes go through periods when their training seems useless and progress stalls.
15. 15 Make friends at the dojo. The key to karate success is not to quit training for many years. Friends will help you stay interested.
16. 16 Do several sports. You can develop your muscles even better if you play sports outside of karate. Try signing up for soccer, swimming, gymnastics, dance, athletics, or the gym.
17. 17 Never give up!

Tips

• At first, you will progress through the ranks every few months, but each time reaching the next rank will take more and more time, up to 6-12 months. It will take many years to reach the black belt.
• There are 2 types of grades in karate: "kyu" and "dan". Kyu means student. The number in Kyu means how many categories the student has left until the black belt. For example, a student with the 6th kyu grade needs to gain 6 categories to the black belt. Most styles have 10 kyu levels, but some have more or less.
• Dan - these are the categories above the black belt, their numbers have the opposite meaning to the kyu numbers. 6th dan is 6th grade above the black belt.
• Most styles have 10 dan digits, but 5th digit is considered the maximum. To reach 5th dan grade, you need to train for more than 20 years. Grades dan above 5th are awarded for special merit in sports.
• Each style has its own belt system. Common is the white belt - the first belt of the student. The rest of the belts can be of different colors and in a different order. They can be yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple and brown. In some styles, the red belt is immediately in front of the black belt, while in others it may be immediately after the white.
• It is very important to follow the directions.
• Many styles have grades, upon achievement of which a striped belt is awarded. This is often used in children's sections to praise students.

Warnings

• After obtaining the black belt, other problems appear. Many people lose interest and concentration. It is important to have goals in karate after reaching black belt level.
• The black belt is not the end of your journey, but the beginning. After earning a black belt, the really serious training can begin.
• Many clubs have a minimum age requirement for a black belt. Others give children a "junior" black belt and later retest the student.