tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377354642754058446.post593494822127043862..comments2023-09-10T00:54:55.369-07:00Comments on Fear an Iarthair: Just Swimming in Utter, uh, StuffMan of the Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03691063580228409415noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377354642754058446.post-75154138199465787892010-06-02T13:56:34.583-07:002010-06-02T13:56:34.583-07:00For whatever reason, some choose to continue with ...For whatever reason, some choose to continue with these myths. As far as I know, all systems that use a color belt system can trace the practice back to Judo, and you are quite right, they were and still are just a method of standardization of the system. However, the standardization does not transfer from one art to another or even one system to another. A red belt in TKD is equilivent to a brown belt in other systems. A black belt in one art may be considered a full instructor while others reserve that for 3rd degree. And to paraphrase your buddy I have no idea what a camouflage belt means. <br /><br />The color belt system is a fairly new portion of the Filipino Martial Arts, and any instructor worth their salt will tell you that we borrowed the system from the Japanese. In the old system you were a beginner (level 1), an intermediate (level 2), an advanced (level 3) or a teacher (Guro). Now our system has 10 levels to black belt, the curriculum has been standardized, and for the most part, a blue belt in one part of the country is comparable in “techniques known” to a blue belt in any other part of the country. <br /><br />Personally I still base the time for promotion on movement rather than techniques covered. Regardless of the drills or curriculum you can perform, if you don’t move like a brown belt, you won’t pass.<br /><br />The black belt origin stories are as varied as the argument of the use of the word “Kali” in FMA circles. Some will tell you that “Kali” is the mother art that evolved into the current systems. Some will tell you that “Kali” is an Americanized version of the word “Kalis” which is a type of sword in the Philippines. Regardless of the real truth (and with such a varied island nation we may never know) the term was almost never used until Dan Inosanto printed his first book in the 1980’s. Now the word is common place, and people repeat the story of the “mother art” without any knowledge of academia or history. I equate it to reading an article in Black Belt magazine, often unfact-checked, and unreferenced, to an article in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts with citations quotes and history all documented. <br /><br />As long as there is someone who will believe it unquestioned, the myths will remain.Guro Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17882043486122609242noreply@blogger.com