But bottom line, like most people have said, it depends upon the individual. It may have more to do with how long someone has been doing it, along with rank, than JUST rank. But then again, one of the best martial artists I have ever met is in his 40's and has a 7th degree, which some people consider to be young for that rank. Another one is in his 30's with a 7th degree. BUT---they are both VERY GOOD and extremely knowledgeable.
I don't lieterally agree with the old idea that "A first degree Black Belt only means you just started to really learn and understand that martial art.". That's ridiculous, because even Sankyu/3rd Gup students are at that level. What I think is a better way of saying it is at 1st degree is when you REALIZE just how vast the martial arts are. It's when you lose the ego and get that no matter how much you know, how many titles or degrees you get, you're still don't know it all. Other crafts have conventions and continued education, so why shouldn't the martial arts?
There are no set standards to what a black belt is and it varies widely. Usually a first degree means that you have an understanding and know (not mastered) the basics of your style.
A seventh degree black belt is not necessarily an expert. I have seen high ranking black belts who did not know what they should have known. I have also seen lower ranking black belts with quite a bit of knowledge. Just because someone can hit hard it is by no means an indicator that they know a lot about martial arts either. Hitting hard can be done with strength too rather than technique but that is the wrong way. In some martial arts styles, anything over 4th degree is purely political and depends on how much you contribute to the school in volunteering and financial contributions and not what you know.
I generally make up my own mind and don't go by what rank. If someone knows more than I do and can teach it, it's worth it for me to go check it out.
This can vary.
The average time to earn a 1st Dan is anywhere from 4 to 5 yrs with 2 to 3 training days out of the week. If you go to a moderately good school and are trained well then yes. A 1st Dan can be a very good fighter.
But a 1st Dan is really someone who is just beginning to learn advanced technique. One can call them glorified beginners.
Also one has to worry about mcdojos. A teacher of a mcdojo may be a "5th Dan" but a real "1st Dan" who actually worked for their belt would beat the mc dojo teacher.
And some schools put the black belt on a higher pedestal. If you go overseas and want to learn Tae Kwon Do or Karate, it can take 10 to 15 years to earn a 1st Dan. This is a big deal bc the teacher wants you to know the material to the letter and prove your worthiness. Naturally they are more than the average joe and are usually better fighters.
In short it just all depends. I've seen 1st Dans who were surprisingly good fighters and I've seen 1st Dans that were so awful in a spar one can throw spinning heel kicks at their head without setting it up.
JoKyoNim answered well. I would agree with Tom except for one thing he said I do not agree with at all. A new black belt has not mastered the basics. He has only memorized them and can demonstrate them. It does not mean he is a good fighter.
A 7th degree black belt does not mean that a person is a master. In Japanese tradition a person can be as high as 7th degree black belt and yet not be a master. Titles and degrees of black belt are not the same thing. A person can hold any degree of black belt and still not have a title. The organization that governs the style decides who they will issue a title to.
A first degree Black Belt only means you just started to really learn and understand that martial art. And no matter what degree you are doesn't mean your good or not. That it just means level of education. I have in the past seen lousy 4th degree blackbelts and i have seen very good and well rounded under or non blackbelts. As with anything you get out of it what you put into it. And it also depends on how you trained. I seen colored belts train harder, understand what is taught and do very well than some blackbelts. And i seen some blackbelts train half hearted and not understand anything. Than again i seen some blackbelts low ranking and high ranking train hard and have vast knowledge and understanding.
There are those without a belt who have extraordinary talent.
There are those who've somehow earned 7th degree and are jokes.
As a result, the dan/degree means absolutely nothing, except that the person was able to meet a certain set of criteria to be awarded or promoted to that level.
Being very good is subjective to a person's opinion. What I consider very good and what you would consider very good will vary. The same thing for expert. We will not all agree on what is or isn't an expert.
A 1st Dan is a begnners belt basically. it is like having an 8th grade education. There is much more to learn an improve.
JoKyoNim nailed it. Rank doesn't indicate how good you are but rather is an indicator of how much of a style you have learned. Usually it means you've mastered the basics and are now a beginner and ready to start learning how to make the art "your own".
Dang it... I was gonna answer with a good long answer then I saw that LIONDANCER and Tom nailed it.
This question is for martial arts students, is a first degree black belt considered very good at martial arts or does it take many higher degrees to get very good? Martial arts experts must be at least a seventh degree, right?
