Fraying brown belts

I've noticed in my dojo that we have a few fraying brown belts. While a fraying black belt is a mark of someone who has passed the 'first' degree of judo, a fraying brown belt is tantamount to what college kids refer to as a 'super senior'. Granted, in our local belt system a brown belt is worn for three Kyu or levels, it still shouldn't hopefully take longer for someone to pass these three levels for their belts to start fraying. I am sure that there are many reasons why these people never reached shodan - maybe because of lack of desire or willingness to take the test. Maybe the didn't feel the need to get to the next level?

I am not here to question their progress, nor do I mean disrespect for my colleagues. All I know is that I have the desire and ambition to improve so that I get my black belt before the brown one begins to fray.

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The Road to Nidan

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