Each school and organization that offers a black belt places their own value on it.
Not all students will make it to black belt at this school, and this is OK. Each school and organization that offers a black belt places their own value on it. Some award a black belt to children, and others only to adults. Each child who trains at this school will leave or continue with exactly what they came to find, but they will not be eligible for black belt until 18 years old.
Though black belt is a great goal, it is not the only reason to train, nor is it the only benefit. A well-earned green belt holds far more value than a premature black belt. After all, a black belt is just a strip of cotton. Each student who graduates to black belt will have demonstrated a solid physical, mental, and spiritual depth unique to the obstacles inherent to their disposition, and will have met the standards set forth in the curriculum of this school and that of the governing parent organization of the art. For adults, a black belt generally takes 4 years of consistent training.