When I was a preschooler, Id hang out at home without much to do, so sometimes, Id just imitate what my brother or sister were up to.

Sis was the artist in the family, and everybody encouraged her.

On weekends, shed draw pictures with crayons, and upon completion shed receive praise and a few pennies, or even a nickel, if her works were especially meritorious.

I noticed, and I wanted in on the action.

So, without any talent to speak of I started drawing, too, and yes, I received a penny here and there, but not as much as Sis.

But unlike her, I was a budding businessman, and I sniffed opportunity.

I decided to streamline the process, laying off the thick use of color, sticking increasingly to monochromes, and leaning heavily toward the abstract.

In other words, my stuff was simple and completely unrecognizable, but it was FAST.

I became a one-boy assembly line, churning out pictures galore in record numbers and short order. My cash flow increased, much to the consternation of Sis, the true artist.

Anyway, this is quite a long way to go to make a point about the martial arts, isnt it?

As you know, there are some dojos and purported gurus out there who teach the way I drew. Theyre banging out huge numbers of students, transforming them into Black Belts in record time, because they too see a commercial advantage in it.

Who wouldnt? Im sure nearly every new student asks the key question: How long does it take to reach Black Belt?

If you can abbreviate the time it takes, you can satisfy more customers, right?

So, enter a dojo, or better yet, enter ten of them and ask this question, and you might hear this, uttered at one Tae Kwon Do studio, in Southern California:

We have a two-year Black Belt program.

So, if Junior joins, hell get his Black Belt in two years?

Yes.

Wow. What if Junior is a non-talent, as I, the artist, was?

Will he still achieve this top honor?

You bet.

A genuine dojo will not make this kind of guarantee for several reasons:

(1) Talent varies, and some folks dont have agile enough bodies or enough stamina to make it.

(2) Commitment varies, and some simply wont get into the dojo 3-4 times a week, or more.

(3) Character varies, and many dont have the right type to be knighted.

(4) A dojo is a place of enlightenment first, and a place of business, second, and only reluctantly.

(5) The belt system is subjective. There is no universal standard for achieving a given level, despite the fact that you must master a certain number of techniques and learn kata. In the West, we love objective criteria; they suggest fairness to us. But most martial arts are from the East, where the rapport between student and master determines progress, in addition to verifiable physical ability.

My Black Belt took eight years to earn, and on average I was training EVERY day, in and out of the dojo.

No one guaranteed me a Black Belt, or any other color, for that matter.

Sis knew the difference between being a true artist and something else, like a mere businessman.

You should too.