The idea of a black-belted martial artist is one of those rare things that permeates the culture but remains, in many respects, opaque. It's hard to find someone who doesn't have at least some recognition of the term, but easy enough to find a few who might have only a vague idea of what it means.
Only around three to five per cent of martial arts students across the globe ultimately earn a black belt, which requires between three and six years of study in a particular discipline.
