[Brainpole]

Just as an example of the extreme end of the spectrum, a friend of mine earned his shodan in one month. However, he trained crazy hard for that month. Plus, being 25, fit, 2-dan in judo and the local high school's crew coach didn't hurt. He didn't have to 'get in shape' for grueling kendo training.

[Kthzltje]

2,5-3 years if you train hard

[xsexymasterix]

I was just wondering how long does it usually take for a person to acheive there black belt/dan, in kendo. Just wondering how long is the average, maybe you can also just tell me how long it took you. Thank you.

Ahmed

[Mappaindy]

Buying belt is cheap but earning belt, I am sure, need more dedication. Getting fist dan, can also take about 1.5 years... Again, it is all depending how hard you practice and which school you go to... You will need your sensei's approval for testing..

Depends. You usually can get a black belt in around 5 minutes, but if the line at the store is long, it might take you longer. It took me about 6 minutes just to look at the selection of black belts available in my size and pick the one I wanted. Then, I got in line and bought it. That took maybe another 4 minutes because someone was ahead of me.

[Dkavtbek]

I started this thread for a couple of reasons, but i didnt want to tell till i saw your answers. I have been training in Kumdo for 7 months now and i am a 5th keup. Well, if you understand kumdo gradings, you start at 10th keup and must go down to 1st keup then to shodan. Well, we have gradings every two months. I train 3 to 5 times a week, and i have grasped concepts very quickly so i was skipped twice in the gradings. So even though ive only been to 3 gradings, i am a 5th keup when i should be a 7th keup (hope i havent lost anyone). Well, what im getting to is, i should be shodan within the next 2 years, and i didnt know if this was too fast or not. It seems to me that its actullay a little slower than most of you guys. Since it would take me an accumalative of 2 1/2 years years to become shodan with very frequent training.

[nd90t3sf]

I suppose you mean shodan (1st dan)? If so I'd guess, maybe, 2-3 years is quite common.

[Peterli]

I have been practicing for five years and I just presented exam for first kiu last april 2005.

I practice 2-3 times a week for over an hr. each time.

but we just have exams when a high ranking sensei visits our dojo.

I really want to make it to shodan, but for that I will have to travel to Mexico city.

I'll do so when I feel really confident about it, maybe in six months or so.

Any way, Grading is not everything but I feel its important as well.

[bmwservis]

Depends. You usually can get a black belt in around 5 minutes, but if the line at the store is long, it might take you longer. It took me about 6 minutes just to look at the selection of black belts available in my size and pick the one I wanted. Then, I got in line and bought it. That took maybe another 4 minutes because someone was ahead of me.

really? i had to go down to the DOS (department of shodan) and i was number 12 so it took me almost an hour to get up to the counter because the guy in front of me was buying belts for all of his kids. luckily they were having a sale so it was only 25$

[gogona]

I have been attending kumdo class 3 nights per week for a little over two years now. I am testing for shodan in October.

[crestosssa]

FWIW I got my shodan after 12 months practising twice a week. Really depends on the person doing it dude!

gibbo is right, its down to the person. i got my shodan after a 1.5 ~ 2yrs of doing kendo around 4 times a month ahahahaha I don't know how

[MeverikcNils]

It's common people think in some other Martial Arts, that after getting the black belt they dominate the art pretty well.
Unfortunatelly in Kendo being black belt just means we are just starting the long journey that probably we'll never finsh, and still we don't know almost anything about of what we're doing...!

so? shodan means that this people knows the basic and start to learn kendo. thats after 2-3 years of hard (6 hour a week) training as i say. if you are in japan and train 12 hours a week its 1 - 1,5 years. where i am wrong?

[VardyCodarexyz]

I believe age plays a huge part in this, especially being a martial art. There are a lot of technical concepts that are more easily grasped by older minds than by younger, 'give it all you got' types. On the flip side, younger people (kids, in general) tend to be less scared of injury and failure and basically 'give it all they got' while surpassing some of the finer points like 'exactly where should my kamae be?'

That said, I have seen the average age of getting shodan in my area of Japan to be from 3 to 4 years, usually testing the 3rd year of junior high school or 1st of high school. Older people tend to be promoted faster for reasons I said before (I believe).

All said, this really doesn't matter because rank doesn't make you a better shiai player. You may have cleaner cuts but that high school 2-dan guy will be so much faster.

My 2 cents (change available).

[GogaMegaPiska]

Well, im taking my first grading at the Lidstone in october and its for ikkyu. I've been training a year now, and will probably go for shodan (if recommended by my sensei) this time next year. So, all being well, it will be 2 years of twice a week for me.

[Irravepem]

Any way, Grading is not everything but I feel its important as well.

Exactly!Its a small part of a big whole. But its a good way of testing how far your own kendo has come against a standard idea of a particular level, if thats your cup o cha.

[feseEscaple]

FWIW I got my shodan after 12 months practising twice a week. Really depends on the person doing it dude!

[petrarkaponye]

I think its different for different places/people too. For example, I've been training quite lazy for two years and most of my sensei say I'm way overdue for shodan.

[xanaxist]

I've been doing Kendo for 2 years and I still remain unranked. I hope to go for my ikkyu later this year though.

[RLRWai4B]

I was just wondering how long does it usually take for a person to acheive there black belt/dan, in kendo. Just wondering how long is the average, maybe you can also just tell me how long it took you. Thank you.

Ahmed

Depends. You usually can get a black belt in around 5 minutes, but if the line at the store is long, it might take you longer. It took me about 6 minutes just to look at the selection of black belts available in my size and pick the one I wanted. Then, I got in line and bought it. That took maybe another 4 minutes because someone was ahead of me.

[beckercpa]

Just as an example of the extreme end of the spectrum, a friend of mine earned his shodan in one month. However, he trained crazy hard for that month. Plus, being 25, fit, 2-dan in judo and the local high school's crew coach didn't hurt. He didn't have to 'get in shape' for grueling kendo training.

thats sad. nobody can't learn how to do jogey suburi in one month

[hansen384cbh]

Just as an example of the extreme end of the spectrum, a friend of mine earned his shodan in one month. However, he trained crazy hard for that month...

Where this happened? At Brazil it is not possible to do that. You have to wait 6 months after grading ikkyu to test for shodan... So, even if you can learn all a shodan needs to know in 1 hour, you will have to wait 6 months...

Just as curiosity... for nidan you have to wait a year after grading shodan, for sandan: two years after grading nidan, for yondan: three years, and so on...

Is there time of training requirements at your country people?