Belt Auction - What should I do with my karate belts?

What should I do with my karate belts?

Since the ATA is nothing but a Mcdojo, and you dont really learn anything from them. Now that im a black belt what should I do with the belts i have? Keep them or pitch them? The ATA teachs watered-down martial arts. They just want your money so to speak

Public Comments

I would keep the black-belt personally and get rid of the rest. Even if it's a McDojo you don't wanna throw out a black belt you worked a few years for and spent a lot of $$ on.
Belts, rank, certificates, even from legitimate schools and styles are all basically meaningless. Each day is a new day and each day everyone basically starts out anew as a beginner. I have not kept any of my old belts nor ranking certificates (nor my diplomas from various colleges and universities) and I always wear a white belt (albeit a bit dirty and worn,,,) when I am studying or practicing or teaching. Morihei Ueshiba O Sesei said we always beginners. namaste
That's up to you. Some people throw them away, sell them in yard sales, donate them to Goodwill, etc. I kept mine and they are in a box together with my certificates. Some have good memories and some have down right ugly memories but each represent a step forward in the martial arts and hardships I overcame to get there. A few I felt I did not deserve at the time but since I did continue to practice in time I got there and now it really doesn't matter if I deserved them when I got them or not. People give belts too much meaning when all it really only represents is your progress. Mcdojo or not, you stuck it out till black belt. What really makes you a black belt now is are you going to continue your training and get to where you think you should be as a black belt or are you going to accept the watered down version and leave it there.
What do you want us to say? burn them, hang them on a wall. It doesn't matter what you do with the belts. What matters is what you do with the knowledge. I'm sure you have learned something. If you aren't happy with what you were taught in the ATA go find a better instructor and learn all you can. I don't know enough about the ATA to call them a mcdojang. The reports that I have heard weren't good, but I can't speak about this for myself. I'd rather have 1st hand knowledge before casting my judgment. Even if it was watered down I'm sure you learned some very good techniques. Now you just need to add to it.
Personally I'd get rid of them. But this is for you to decide. The question is, are you training in another style? If not are you planning to? If so, I'd recommend that you not talk about the ATA to much to others.... jwbulldogs, I have a ton of info on the ATA plus, I have visited several of them. I can fill you in on anything you want to know about the ATA. I also know a guy who has a friend that used to work for the ATA, but has nothing to do with them anymore.
I have mine stuffed in a belt rack. I should toss them yet I'm well a hoarder and I am sort of fond of the memories they invoke when I look at them. ATA HAHHAHAHHHAHAHHAHHHAHH! One reason Takwando my beloved art has such a bad wrap. I have been to visit a few and have yet to figure out what art they teach. I think it is some sort of Korean dance. At least the several I have visited in this area. They are the type of school that grantees a certain rank in a fixed time for a set contract price. They start off telling your kid how much raw talent they have and they are a natural. However an someone above said you learned something and stuck it out. Don't waste it find another school and build on what you have learned and become a good Martial Artiest. Never quit training. It is a lifetime avocation. Hay Possum I love Your answer. A fellow pack rat. Yes great advice yes use them to motivate himself to do better. This time put sweat pain and tears into each one. Great Idea. If he comes to our school we can have a burning ceremony as he replaces each one with one earned the old fasiond way with sweat and grit.
If it were me, I would keep them. But then, I'm a packrat, and I have kept a homework assignment from 25 years ago. :-( If you were happy with your training, then, they would provide good memories later on, or, maybe your kids would get a kick out of them (ooohh... no pun intended). If you were unhappy with your training, then, hang them up in your garage or basement or wherever you workout at home. Place them so you can see them, and then remind yourself never to do that again - sort of a motivational thing. Remember a packrat's motto: once you get rid of it, you can never get it back again. (though, in your case, you might be able to earn it back again?) @Sifu Frank... burning ceremony is a good idea, but we gotta tweak it a little. remember, that's like throwing something away, and that breaks the no-throw-away rules because the end result is a subtraction from the stockpile. better to buy a new one and use THAT one for the burning ceremony. because that one won't have any emotional ties. LOL
put them on your wall, look at the black belt everyday. use that as Inspiration to go to a real class. put your knew belts beside your old belts until you reach a true black belt, then i'd take the other ones down. but that's my opinion