286-Should 10-Year-Olds Be Getting Black Belts?
In this episode, we tackle a question that always pisses off somebody in the martial arts world: should kids be getting black belts? We also get into the idea of karate schools rebranding themselves as MMA programs, what an “MMA black belt” is even supposed to mean, and where the line is between evolving a martial art and just marketing bullshit. Then we get into the other side of it: when does legitimate criticism turn into the martial arts community bullying parents who are simply proud of their kids? Black belts, McDojos, MMA marketing, kids’ ranks, and internet outrage. We cover all of it.