Of all the World's many martial arts which one offers the best black belt training? I believe this is a very personal question and there is no single answer.
The black belt in martial arts has become the symbol of the expert - but is this really the case? For me the black belt shows that the student has a level of dedication and has at least achieved foundation level and learned the basics of their chosen art.
How long will it take me to achieve my black belt is another thing people ask me and this tells me about the student. Think of anything you want to study or learn in life. In general, the longer you are required to study or practise to achieve a recognised level the more valuable and thorough that learning has been.
If you are looking to achieve a black belt quickly it may actually be quite worthless - unless you are training for hours every day which isn't usually practical. I personally believe it should take at least three years to achieve and I base that on three or four sessions a week in the training hall. Practise at home and studying martial arts DVDs and books in your chosen art will also support your training.
To look at some arts specifically -
Aikido is one of my favourite martial arts and I would expect a student to study for five to seven years to achieve black belt depending on the chosen style and amount of time for practise. In Japan it is possible to become a resident student in aikido and achieve the desired belt in a year but this takes huge dedication. The technicality of aikido self defense techniques takes a high level of training.
Choi Kwang Do is another excellent art and black belt status should take around three to four years on average. There is a clearly defined colour grading system for Choi Kwang Do and this is very motivational for students. Tags and stripes are used in between belt colours to shoe further achievement of progress.
Krav Maga. This is an interesting one as patches are generally awarded rather than coloured belts. Krav maga is an excellent self defense system and is very 'real world' with street fighting techniques . There are many questionable krav maga schools which have opened in recent years and I advise caution in selecting one. You must also be prepared for a very 'raw' approach to self defense techniques and many consider them dirty fighting moves.
Judo is seen by some as a softer art and being developed into an olympic sport has had some impact on its image. However, achieving black belt status in judo is very difficult and requires competition level fighting demanding high fitness and technical ability.
Karate has evolved into many different styles and training methods and getting a black belt usually takes some three to six years. As with judo, karate often requires actual competition style fights in a grading.
In choosing the best martial art for you look beyond achieving black belt and look for an art you are interested in and want to enjoy for years to come. Visit classes and talk to students and teachers and ensure you are willing to commit time and effort to progress and improve your ability.
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