No, you can't wear your black belt here....probably.

As a martial arts school owner, I am periodically faced with the following situation....(oversimplified dialogue follows below...go with it.)

Prospective Student:  "I'm an Nth degree black belt from a different style and/or association, but I'd like to train here."
Me: "That's great.  We'd love to have you train with us.  However, unless you are a member of our Association, I start everyone at white belt."  
Prospective Student: :"I can't wear my black belt? Why not?"

Here's why, and while this may seem unnecessarily harsh, it remains true.
 
Your black belt, while a great accomplishment that means a great deal to you (and should) doesn't mean anything to me (yet).

The above statement, while greatly oversimplified, is essentially true.  What your black belt, or mine, or anyone else's, really means, is that you've shown some degree of proficiency in one particular school or association's curriculum, and may or may not have some degree of authority to pass that curriculum on to others.  It means something to you, to your instructor, the members of your class, and within your own organization.  It doesn't automatically follow that it means anything outside of that realm.  You haven't yet shown me any proficiency at all in my school's or Association's curriculum, and as such, I really don't care about your preexisting rank.

Let's clarify that last statement somewhat.  A lot of people will tell you they don't care about rank.  And, if you really didn't care, you wouldn't care about wearing your black belt in my class. It has nothing to do with me respecting you as a person or as a martial artist.  Your attitude means something to me.  Your skill level does, too.  I'll even acknowledge your preexisting rank and experience to the other members of the class, most likely repeatedly.  But I'm sorry, none of that makes you any more than a white belt in my dojang, until you have shown me over a given period of time that you have a grasp of at least some portion of our established curriculum.

Some students, and even instructors, will tell you that their studio didn't have a set curriculum.  At the best, that's ignorance.  At the worst, it's an outright lie.  If you don't have a curriculum, there is nothing to teach, and nothing by which you can measure progress.  In that case, your black belt means even less. A curriculum is important if you want to call your studio a school.  Otherwise you are a club, an activity, or a sport.  Those things are all okay if that's what you want, but I teach at a martial arts school.  If you want to train here as a student, you need to first become a student.  This isn't about me.  It isn't an act of subservience. It's about making a choice.  Do you want this class to be your class, or do you want the class to change in order to accommodate you?

There are a number of black belts from other styles and associations training at my studio.  They are currently wearing white, orange, green, and brown belts. They've chosen to do so, and they accept that those are the ranks that mean something within their current school.  I've promoted some of these types of students from white belt directly to brown belt, and in some cases I've seen students promoted from white directly to Cho Dan Bo (black belt candidate).  Usually this is because the student in question WANTED to be formally tested for black belt in order to prove their knowledge of our curriculum, and NOT because they were made to.  It again comes down to your knowledge of the curriculum.  Show me what you know, show it consistently over time, and that's what belt you will wear. The rank you EARN HERE is what means something here.

So, ask yourself again...why do you want to wear that black belt so badly?  It comes down to the fact that rank really does matter to you, and probably a little too much.  Am I testing you?  Absolutely.  Life is about being tested.  In my eyes, true black belts don't care about what belt I ask them to wear.  They show up to class.  They train. Eventually, they earn a belt that means something in their new school. 

I don't ask anything of you that I wouldn't do myself.  Yes, I'm a 4th degree black belt in the World Tang Soo Do Association.  Guess what?  That means nothing if I walk into another association's dojang, and even less if I walk into a school of a completely different style, telling them I want to become a student there.  Not only would I expect to wear a white belt, I'd insist on it.

So, what if you don't want to become a student?  You have no real interest in learning our curriculum; you just want to get some physical training in, and maybe share an idea or two.  Great... in that case I have no real vested interest in your overall development in our system, and it would do no harm to let you wear your black belt in my class. In the end, though, I've found that this almost always does damage to the class on the whole.  These black belts almost always assume authority they haven't earned.  They often attempt to "correct" perceived mistakes of others.  They usually tend to be even more overzealous in their desire to prove their ability, and often end up getting someone hurt.  In short, I've found that they are usually a waste of my time, and my time is valuable.

So, is there a correct way for you to be able to wear your black belt in my class?  Yes.  Form a direct relationship with me. This might even become a relationship of mutual respect.  Eventually, it might even become a friendship. Demonstrate that you have something to offer me, and my school, as a teacher.  I'd then be more than happy to have you attend our class as a guest.  Don't just walk in and expect to train at our school wearing a black belt though.  It isn't going to happen.


Kick. Punch.  Easy Stuff.