We discussed STMA Black Belts tonight
The first three BB we had were Baloo, Chip and Tork
Ice was our fourth BB
Baloo and Chip were the first to get to 2nd Dan - Ice was the third
Ice is the only BB to reach 3rd Dan
Tank is our fifth BB and the fourth to reach 2nd Dan
So you can see how rare and significant these Dan grades are
Maverick, Viper and Cipher our sixth, seventh and eight BB, and are the BB who achieved 1st Dan
Rogue, Bane and Shamrock are our other three BB, our ninth, tenth and eleventh
So including the Guvnor, there are only 12 STMA Black Belts, 12 Tigers in 12 years
People tend to think that Black Belt and 1st Dan are the same thing but they are not - BB is the highest coloured belt, the title of Senior Student - one has to train as a BB for a year before consolidating their knowledge to receive the Shodan degree rank and title of Apprentice Instructor, which is signified by the first strip on the black belt
