How to Get a Black Belt in Karate

Co-authored by Yvonne Mo

Last Updated: January 2, 2024 Approved

If you do karate, one of the first questions people will ask you when they find out is "are you a black belt?" The black belt is the international symbol of an advanced martial artist and a very exciting point in your karate journey. On average it takes athletes 4-5 years to obtain a black belt. Will you be next?

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. Make sure you find a club with instructors that you like and find inspirational. Pick a time and day that suits you.
It is almost impossible to make it to black belt while training only once per week. Muscle memory does not last 7 days, so people who train once a week have to relearn a lot from each training session. Twice a week should be the minimum for people who want to achieve a black belt and three times a week is ideal. ^{[1]
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3 times a week training is ideal. If you are training 4-7 times a week regularly in most cases you will burn out well before you ever reach black belt. Also if you train too often it can be detrimental to your development as you don't have appropriate recovery time for your muscles. ^{[2]
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Practice your Kata, stretch, do some strength training, try out that combination you did in class. Work on the techniques that your sensei corrected you on that day. ^{[3]
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Some people get upset when they get corrected but those who take the corrections on board and try to fix them are the ones who make it to black belt. Remember every time your instructor corrects you they are giving you one of the keys to becoming a black belt.
Listen to all corrections your instructor makes to others in the class and to the class in general and see if they apply to you as well.
Every tournament is a chance for you to grow and improve in your karate. Students who compete tend to develop faster.
It takes many years to achieve a black belt, so if you just focus on black belt then this goal may be so far off that it is overwhelming. Focus on one step at a time, like getting your next grade. ^{[4]
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It takes an average of 4-5 years to gain a black belt in karate. Some times longer depending on your age, your natural abilities, body type, coordination levels, fitness levels, the type of sports you have done before, how much you train, how much you listen to your instructor and so on. ^{[5]
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Anything that comes up, do it.
Your body is your tool in karate, if it is in great shape then your karate will be great too. Don't smoke or do drugs, instead eat healthy foods and drink lots of water.
The biggest problem with injuries in sports is that people get them and then decide its no big deal and continue to train with them until they get far worse and its too late. Injuries dealt with straight away can almost always be cured.
To make you a black belt your sensei needs to know what they are doing as well. Your sensei should be at least a black belt level themselves, they should also have taken many other students to the level before.
All martial artists go through ups and downs in your training. There will be times when you feel like you aren't progressing or even that you are going backwards. Even so, push through and you will always make it.
The key to becoming a black belt is to stick with karate for the long term. If you have good friendships at the dojo you will be more likely to continue.
Don't let karate be your only activity. It's a good idea to take another sport as well like swimming, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, dance class, athletics, visit the gym and so on. Train your muscles in a different way.

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Is karate good as a self-defense mechanism?

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Definitely! Karate is also a way of finding inner peace and discipline -- don't only focus on attacking and defending.

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Can I learn martial arts at the age of 17?

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You can learn at any age.

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If someone gets injured, should they keep on practicing or give up karate?

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Wait until the injury heals, and then continue training. Getting injured is a part of life and competing in sports, and an injury can often be a valuable learning experience.

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In karate there are two types of grades they are called "kyu" grades and "dan" grades. Kyu means student and refers to a student who is not yet a black belt, ie a colored belt. The kyu number refers to how many grades away from black belt you are. For example 6th kyu means you are 6 grades away from black belt. Most styles have 10 kyu grades but some may have more or less. ^{[6]
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Early on, you may grade more frequently perhaps every few months but as you move up the ranks it will take 6-12 months on each grade. As a black belt there will be years between grades. ^{[7]
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Dan refers to a grade above black belt and works the opposite to kyu grades. For example a 6th dan would be 6 grades past black belt.

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You may of heard of double grading. This can only be done if all twenty sessions are completed and you get every move perfect. Grading is every 3 months and 1 month is 4 weeks. So if you train once a week you will have to grade every six months. 3 reasons why not to focus on double grading: 1.) you will put pressure under yourself and fail completely 2.) if you do double grade, you will find it hard to keep up with other belts your stage 3.) you will put pressure under yourself on the next grade because there's more techniques you don't really know. You cannot double grade past yellow belt in shotokan karate any ways. Also, you should go to a club that is a member of the KUGB because it's easier to learn because they no proper karate because some senseis don't understand moves and get mixed up with katas.
The key to becoming a black belt is perseverance. Just when you think that you can't do it anymore, keep going. You WILL sweat. You WILL doubt yourself. BUT DON'T EVER GIVE UP.
Always have fun and enjoy yourself. Even if you lose, everyone knows you tried your best. Never give up!

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Warnings

Black belt is not the end of your journey but merely the beginning. Once you get to black belt that is when the really serious learning can begin.

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Many clubs have a minimum age limit on black belts. Other clubs will have kids grade to a junior black belt and then retest for a senior black belt when they reach a certain age.

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Once you get to black belt many people face a new set of problems. A lot of people lose focus and interest in their training because black belt was such a big goal for them for such a long time. It is important to have other goals in your karate as well as black belt.

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