Belt Testing Costs

[BrokenTitanium]

Has any of you folks ever heard or paid $250 for Black Belt Testing? The local TKD school is charging that amount for testing, I think that this is a crazy amount of money to pay for the testing. Just my 2 cents.

[OldandUsed]

Ha! You should see the fees for "testing" in Shaolin Do.

[Tensei85]

Actually I trained with 3 different TKD organizations and each charged differing amounts:

$100
$200
$500 (was supposed to provide you with rank from the WTF council in Korea so you could hold your rank worldwide or something like that)

I would have to say there's really no set rate, but on a side note I would compare it with tuition costs, membership costs, etc... to figure out the deficit as a whole unit.
And then compare it with a few others org's and measure it with what your being charged.

That's really the best way to tell if your getting ripped off or not...

[OldandUsed]

Valid point.

Personally, I have a hard time accepting that so many fees are charged to register a rank with a national/international organization. Then again, I have encountered various organizations that have charged me for registerring my ranks (USJA, for example). I guess it depends on if that floats your boat.

[mawali]

Despite that, I still enjoy TKD (my first art) but I stay away from the sharks.

My attitutude is 'Do I want to be great im my art for personal and professional skill, or do I want to be recognized and lauded by the powers that want to be so I pay for fame and acknowledgement? Float you own boat for free and gain recognition based on what you represent. If you can afford it, then praise god!

[OldandUsed]

I have to agree with that.

[peace&love]

In the past, my kung fu teachers have simply asked me to pay for the cost of the sash if they used that method of ranking and nothing more. Now, when I studied TKD, it was a completely different story. They wanted $$$ for everything and that led me to head towards traditional CMA where often times a belt system was not even present.

[GLW]

Man...how long have you been around the martial arts business.

Belt testing is a major way to raise revenue. In fact, it is so lucrative that in many TKD schools, they added belts and stripes to increase the number of times a person tests.

Way back in the day, for Moo Duk Kwan (what I started with), there was white, blue, green, red, black. The blue had two levels and you COULD test and go from white to blue...and then blue to green - 2 tests...or if you were not quite there..white to blue 1, blue 1 to blue 2, blue 2 to green...then there were 3 levels of green, 2 of red. but then, the levels were more to signify that you were above the previous belt but nowhere close to average or the advanced level for your belt.

Now, you have white, green, blue, purple...etc... I have heard of up to 12 belts.

The tests back then started at $25. The test went blue = $25, green = $30, red = $50, and black = $150...the big jump was never explained.

That was back in 1974. They have gone up since then.

Average is around $50 for lower belts...and then anywhere from $100 to $500 for first degree black in many TKD schools.

Belt testing fees - translates as hidden revenue.

They get them in with offers of $50 per month. Then by the time you add in the tests and other things, the real cost is at least $75 a month and often more.

This is part of the BUSINESS of Martial Arts Schools in the US...sucks, don't it.

[TenTigers]

Ji Do Kwan TKD BB test in 1975 was 500.00. nothing new.

[Wood Dragon]

My Shodan (1st Dan Black Belt) in Shotokan cost me $35.

My Shodan in Kodokan Judo was free.

I've never paid a dime for a belt in Kyokushin or Daido Juku (club dues only).

[AdrianK]

If I had to pay $500 for my black belt I'd promptly write them a check, do my test, get my certificate, cancel the check and never look back.

$500 for a belt is ****ing highway robbery. It may be the standard in a lot of organizations, but its just wrong.

[OldandUsed]

You got it. I've seen where you paid a fee to cover your belt and certificate and then I've seen it where the test fee was outrageous. While I can see a little fee being charged to register your new rank with a national/international governing body, I can't see it if you do not get something back. If having attained the rank/skill level is not enough for a person, that they need that extra recognition....it is just sad. Some competitors say they need it. I don't see it, but then I did not compete past the age of 28 and stayed within the USA. To me, a test fee should cover the costs of the belt and certificates, period. After all, it is your student and you have their monthly fees, anyway. Just my opinion.

[AdrianK]

Perhaps if you are a doctor of lawyer. How much is med school again? How much is it to take the associated exams?

Many instructors rationalize it as such.

The fact of the matter is, it is so expensive because of the massive amount of time, money and hardwork that is spent making these schools available in the first place.

It does not cost even one one hundredths the amount of money it takes to run a med or law school program, to run a martial arts school.



As for professional fees, try registering with any board in any profession and you'll find that 500 dollars is pretty low.

Again, the price and amount of work an organization like the ones who register doctors or lawyers, is massively more than a martial arts organization.

Lets see, thousands of people who need to work in various states for hundreds of thousands of doctors and lawyers, constantly needing to update files, keep track of suspensions, work with states and governments, work with hospitals, courts or law firms....

Or a martial arts organization that needs to keep track of a few hundred black belts to make sure they paid their dues.

:|
Its called greed.


Martial Arts is as its name states, an art. You do not need to pay $500 to be certified by your teacher to teach painting, piano, guitar, etc. etc. etc.

There are organizations to get certificates of merit and the like, but they are not requirements for your teacher to tell you, you can teach.