Perhaps the most frequently asked question about karate is: How long will it take me to earn a black belt? Unfortunately, there is no "one size fits all" answer to this question. I say this because it depends on how much effort and how much time you are willing to put into your own training and practice to become comfortable in your use of the techniques of this particular martial art. Too, progress in karate is influenced by age, physical condition, attitude and whatever athletic ability you possess. Assuming that you pass every grading examination you take and wait the minimum amount of time between gradings, you can earn a first degree (Shodan) black belt in Shotokan Karate-Do in as little as three years. The average amount of time for most people, however, is somewhere between four and five years.

What is a grading examination and how often are they given? Shotokan Karate-Do, like many other martial arts systems, utilizes a kyu and dan rating system. When you first enter training as a beginner you start as a white belt with a rank of ninth (9th) kyu. Three months later, if you have been diligent in your training and practice, you are eligible to test for yellow belt or (8th) kyu. This test will be comprised of kata (forms), kihon (basics), and kumite (controlled sparring). If you pass this test then you will learn additional materials in preparation for your next test three months hence until you have advanced to (1st) kyu meaning that you have received your third brown belt. After the passage of the requisite amount of time and with consistent practice your instructor will tell you whether you are ready to test for black belt, something that occurs at specified times of the year and in specified places. This examination is much more rigorous than your colored belt or brown belt examinations because once secured it signals that you are now a serious student of karate ready to learn more advanced skills and the responsibilities that come with their acquisition. While it is true that you are not required to test, another aspect of training, testing can sometimes be useful as it offers you an opportunity to assess your progress.

I have visited several dojos and in the course of my observations I have noticed that some students are doing different things than other students. What I want to know as a beginner is who will teach me the things I need to know and how I will be taught these things if the chief instructor does not begin at the beginning every time a new student enters the dojo? This question addresses the uncertainty that many people feel when they begin training in the martial arts. How it is answered depends on the teaching style and educational philosophy of the instructor. Some instructors may invite the new students to just jump in and do what they see other people doing. Other instructors might assign one of the more senior people to shadow the beginner helping him/her to learn how the techniques are made and used along with gentle correction to fix the performance thereof or as time permits answer questions that arise in the course of a particular class session. The important thing to remember here is that whenever you have questions make sure you raise them. If you don’t ask them they might not get answered. Asking questions is one sure way of learning what you do not know. And in karate it is wise to remember that sometimes the best way to learn is not to panic when you make a mistake. Rather look at your mistakes as an opportunity to learn something you did not know—an opportunity to improve the performance of your skills, and the reality that perfection is a state of being that occurs only momentarily before it, too, passes on to be replaced by something else.

I have seen a number of demonstrations by karate folk at community celebrations. Sometimes these demonstrations have included breaking all manner of objects and fights between practitioners. Is this something that I will be expected to learn? No, not really. The emphasis in Shotokan Karate-Do is on character development and, quite frankly, on training so that you will not have to fight unless it is clearly your last resort. Karate is a defensive art. Part of a successful defense is the realization that you can walk away from a tense situation without any loss of face as the first level of endeavor. Yes, you will learn how to fight. But the full-contact sparring that you see in the movies and elsewhere is not our objective. Simply put what we aim for is to ensure correct course of the technique so that if it becomes necessary to use what we have learned we have confidence in our ability to do what needs doing efficaciously with the minimum amount of effort required to complete the task successfully. We refer to this objective as making kime (focus) such that we bring the maximum amount of force to the chosen target at the correct moment.