The myth: Once you obtain your black belt, you must promptly go get your hands registered as lethal weapons. Yes, some people actually believe this. Thankfully, due to the advent of the Internet, this myth has subsided. I used to have people ask me this quite frequently back in the 90’s. Nowadays, it’s much more rare. It’s also usually asked to me very quietly, right after they’ve scanned the room for witnesses to this ludicrous question. So, I’ve decided it should be addressed in this series of articles as it doesn’t want to fully die.

I used to teach most of the Hapkido classes at my Instructors studio in the late 90’s. I was in my late teens, so most of the students I taught were older than I was. While I had command and control of the class, that wasn’t always the case in conversations outside of class that weren’t directly related to Hapkido material. So when two students began talking about black belts registering their hands as lethal weapons, I just sat back and listened…and kept the laughing on the inside. The conversation went something similar to this (note the names have been changed):

Bill (a green belt at the time, about 30 years old): Hey Jimmy, did you know that, when you reach black belt, you must register your hands as lethal weapons?

Jimmy (a white belt, but claims he’s the equivalent to a 4 th degree since his dad – a supposed 9 th degree – trained him to that level at home, about 17 years old): Yeah, of course! My dad made me register on my 14 th birthday as he felt I was too dangerous for my age and was worried I’d get into a fight and kill someone. So, if I get into a fight, I may go to jail now that I’m registered. So now I have to avoid fights at all costs because of it. That was his plan.

Bill (again, a GREEN belt): That was a smart move on your dads’ part! Yeah, I remember when I had to get registered a couple years ago. Didn’t want to do it, but, it’s the law and I knew I needed to.

Jimmy: Exactly. It’s the right thing to do.

Me (thinking to myself): PLEASE take one more step out the door so I can lock up and leave before I lose any further brain cells listening to this conversation.

While I paraphrased and dramatically shortened this conversation (it lasted about 30 minutes!). This conversation actually happened and was blatantly obvious that both were lying. While I didn’t know for sure at the time that registering as a lethal weapon was bullshit, I was fairly certain it wasn’t true. I was a black belt at the time and my Instructor was a law enforcement officer. So I figured if it were true, he would know, and he would have made me register. He didn’t.

Really, any amount of research on this topic will prove this is a ridiculous myth and no one needs, or even can, register themselves or their hands as lethal weapons. So if anyone says they’ve done so, proceed to laugh in their face and call them out on their bullshit lies.

Sadly, there is anecdotal evidence that instructors have forced their black belts to register through them…for a fee, of course. Thankfully, people are wising up these days, and instructors like this are all but extinct.

What interested me in researching this topic, is how this become a myth in the first place. So why did this myth ever come about? The closest I could find involving martial arts practitioners and the law, would be occasional mentions of lawyers bringing it up in court. Noting that someone was highly trained in martial arts and should have shown better physical control in a situation or knew that they were using excessive force. With that said, I don’t know of any court case where it really had an impact. Then again, I don’t know every assault case ever held.

Another mention I’ve found regarding this myth is from boxing promoters. Stating their fighters hands are so deadly they had to be registered as lethal weapons. A clearly false statement intended to intimidate the opponent, entertain and build hype for a fight.

Now, with all of that said, if you still feel you need to get your hands registered as lethal weapons, feel free to stop by my studio and I’ll get you registered for the low, low price of only $300!

*update! I have found where this myth most likely originated. My upcoming book will have more information, but I highly recommend getting your hands on the book, “unante” by Pete Sells as a hint! Great book if you can get your hands on it…but will cost you a pretty penny to do so. Or buy my book when it comes out in 2024 😁.