Youve heard the adage that says the size of the dog in a fight doesnt matter. What matters is the size of the fight in the dog!

A similar thing can be said of ranking martial arts students by belt level. It doesnt matter what color of belt a warrior wears, what matters is how much warrior is wearing that belt.

For example, Ive known intermediate students, people with blue and green belts who were tougher adversaries than advanced brown belts.

In fact, Ive seen people LOSE confidence and fighting abilities as theyve progressed through the ranks. In some cases, they changed their focus from combat to politics, seeking to please their dojo superiors in the interest of obtaining faster promotions.

Then, theyve become victims of their own success.

They rose faster, like balloons filled with hot air, but they burst all too easily under pressure, while their peers, who took longer to rise in the ranks own every achievement and promotion, becoming stronger for the journey.

Have you ever wondered how people earn those stripes on their black belts? In many cases its based on perceived service to their dojos. If they volunteer to teach or to co-manage the business, especially without pay, they are rewarded with stripes.

So, is a 5th Dan Black Belt more meritorious than a 2nd or a 1st? Are they better warriors?

Thats doubtful, though they could be fine teachers, administrators and gofers.

The key to martial arts achievement is optimizing, and not maximizing. When you optimize, you get as much as you can with a reasonable expenditure of effort and resources.

This means you choose to achieve a blue belt or a green, or even a brown, and then take a break or retire from the training after that. Youve learned to defend yourself and to launch a devastating counterattack, if necessary.

But going on to black belt would be maximizing and sub-optimizing for you. Given the added effort and commitment required, you might determine that the law of diminishing returns is setting in; that the more you put out, the less you get back, proportionally.

It takes wisdom to make the right determination for you.

Just remember, that the belt color doesnt make you a warrior. Long before there were belts, there were warriors, and perhaps long after this relatively modern system is retired, there will also be warriors.

And their distinctions will be worn in their hearts and minds and not around their waists.