One of the most influential martial artists of all time is widely considered as Bruce Lee. Lee, a 1940 San Francisco native who later created his own martial art form called Jeet Kune Do, started learning martial arts at a young age. He had lightning quick strikes, amazing agility, and unmatched physical prowess. What level was Bruce Lee, though?
The typical belt system that is frequently applied in martial arts was not something that Bruce Lee supported. He thought that one’s ability to use techniques effectively should be used to gauge one’s skill level. He is credited with saying, “Boards don’t hit back.” In other words, just because someone can break boards or achieve a higher belt rank doesn’t necessarily indicate they can use those same talents in a real-world conflict.
Nevertheless, the Japan Karate Association awarded Lee a third-degree black belt in the martial art. He was also reported to have studied a number of other martial arts and to have trained in the traditional Chinese martial art known as Wing Chun. In spite of this, it is challenging to categorize Bruce Lee into a single “level” because he was always creating his own distinct style.
What exactly is a black belt in dan? A dan black belt is a rating system used in the martial arts to describe a person’s level of proficiency. The dan system was developed in Japan and is now utilized by many different martial arts, such as aikido, judo, and karate. First dan to tenth dan are typically the levels in the dan ranking system, with higher numbers denoting higher skill levels.
It’s important to remember that not every martial art employs the dan system. Some sports, like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, have a ranking system based on the color of the belt, from white to black. Others don’t even employ belts or ranking systems, like Krav Maga.
Bruce Lee, who felt that competence should be based on practical efficacy rather than the ability to perform certain techniques or achieve a certain belt rank, may therefore not be easily classified by a conventional ranking system. He did, however, earn a third-degree black belt in karate, and he was known to have studied a number of other disciplines during the course of his lifetime. Although many martial arts use the dan black belt system to rank practitioners according to their level of proficiency, it’s crucial to keep in mind that not all of them do.