We are still a very young dojo and with that comes many unique advantages and disadvantages. One advantage that we do have, is that we can set our standards as high as we would like them to be. And while it is very debatable about what it means to hold a green or brown belt in the martial, there still remains a certain mystique about the coveted black-belt. When you hear that one is a black belt in karate, what images do those conjure in your mind? Are they physically fit or out of shape? Lazy or disciplined? Compassionate or uncaring? Do they give back or are they always taking?Your black-belt test will answer these questions for you, but not in an evening. A black-belt test happens everyday for a long period of time. At our school, you will be suggested to test yourself for at least one year’s time. And during that year you will embody the spirit of what it means to live like a black-belt. Karate will be much more that just something you do twice a week. When the time comes, when you are ready, you will have made it a part of your life.
You see, I am suggesting that you use your black belt test, whether that event takes place this year or 10 years from now, and regardless of your current rank, as a tool for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social transformation; that your test be about your awareness, about your friends, family, students, and community; that you start training for it years in advance; and that you take what it is you want to accomplish and break it into bite-sized daily practices.
Now, in time, we will have teams of black-belt candidates that will set this example for you. They will be training extra hard. They will run 1,000 miles, do 50,000 push-up and 50,000 sit-ups. They will perform 1,000 reps of their kata. They will read, meditate, and teach. And they will do this for one year all while sharing and documenting the process for you. But today, we don’t have a large student body of black-belt candidates to demonstrate this so I will do it for you.
Starting in December I will take the journey of what I see as the Ultimate Black Belt Test. I will eat better than I ever have, get in the best shape of my life, and hopefully do a great deal of service for our community in the process. I will be documenting and sharing my progress so that you can see what will be expected of you so that you can do the same. And it will start with what I am doing now–a public declaration of my goals to hold myself accountable.
Some of you may get inspired by my work. Some of you might feel the challenge to do these tests alongside of me. If you are like me, then this is what drew you to the martial arts in the first place–don’t wait until your “black-belt test”. Now is THE opportunity to come on a journey with your teacher, regardless of your current rank, and together we can set the bar very high for those that are to follow.