How old should a person be to get a Black Belt and why?

Hmmm. This is a controversial question.
1. I somewhat believe in junior black belts. But it must be more than obvious that the kid is wearing a junior black belt.
2. As for Adult black belts I say 18 or over and only if the adult shows great maturity and skill. Exception, I can see 16 or 17 yr olds earning it only if their skill and maturity make it so.

As for me in my opinion if I taught, it would be 18 yrs old and will take about 8 to 10 yrs to qualify for your test.

18 yrs old
its more then just a physical requirement, there is a mental aspect as well. and 10 yr old children are not as mental mature as an 18 yr old, although some 18 yr olds are like 10 yr olds mentally, they shouldnt be black belts either.

and actually there is a set age, most okinawan and japanese organizations wont promote a person to black belt until at least 16 years old. americans and other countries are in love with these 5 year old black belts for some demented reason.
i agree with a junior black belt rank at least to a point. i can understand the 1st degree junior black belt but it gets ridiculous when you start doing 3rd, 4th...and so one junior black belts. and when they reach 18 they should be retested for there 1st degree.
a 16 year old first degree if they are mentally mature enough i can concede to that.

there are minimum age requirements for all black belt ranks. which is 18 inn most organizations. for 5th and they start getting more specific


"1. Anyone younger than 18 should not be doing Makiwara until the bones are fully developed (we are required to train with a Makiwara)"
RH that is complete true, it annoys the heck ouyt of me when people start spouting off conditioning answers and don't consider the age of the person

I train in a style which has a rule that only an 18 year old can have a black belt with a few exeptions written in for those that are younger such as if the child is 16 over and attending University. There are a few reasons for this.
1. Anyone younger than 18 should not be doing Makiwara until the bones are fully developed (we are required to train with a Makiwara)
2. Most people under 18 do not posses the maturity to represent the style
3. A black belt has responsibilities to the dojo which someone who is younger than 18 should not be stressed with.
most of the other reasons are about protecting a child and allowing the child to grow up. To me the reasons make sense and the exceptions are present for those who are exceptional

There's no set age a person should be to get a black belt. It just shows the knowledge of the martial arts they practice. But you have to remember, if the person doesn't have the instinct to use what they know when they really need it because they're not thinking, is the black belt worth that much? It's only when they make it instinct to use it when it becomes important. Otherwise it's pointless because yes they know it, but can they remember it when they need to.