Black Belt Commitment

by Ken Warner
February, 2004

Nearly all physical activities in which children participate share two qualities: they are both seasonal and team-oriented. Soccer, basketball, baseball - these sports all run in seasons that last only a few months. And the children all function as part of a team. They play with the same set of peers throughout the season. Even activities such as gymnastics and dance tend to be seasonal. And while dance and gymnastics may not technically be team-oriented, the same set of children tends to participate together for the duration of the season.

Martial arts practice, however, is neither seasonal nor team-oriented.

Martial arts practice focuses on individual personal development. Because we separate classes by age and skill level, students can generally expect to see the same people from class to class in the short term. But in the long term, each student progresses at his or her own individual pace, and may not always be part of the exact same group.

More importantly, martial arts lessons are not seasonal. Our classes take place year-round, and our students tend to stay with us for years rather than months.

In fact, we have designed our program in every way to facilitate a student’s progress from White Belt to Black Belt in the most efficient manner possible. From the curriculum to the class structure to our teaching style, every facet of our program enables us to guide every single student to his or her Black Belt.

Becoming a Black Belt is both process-oriented and goal-oriented. Clearly setting the Black Belt as a goal represents a crucial first step. But it is the process of attaining Black Belt that makes the goal worth achieving.

Along the path to Black Belt one meets over and over again challenges both physical and spiritual that all carry with them the possibility of success as well as failure. When the student becomes conditioned to meet those challenges head-on, he or she realizes that with the proper attitude and the proper training one can overcome any challenge. This realization can impact every aspect of a student’s life - not just his or her martial arts training.

Over time this process of facing and overcoming challenges helps foster a sense of unshakeable confidence, which is really the “secret” of martial arts training.

Attaining Black Belt represents the ultimate challenge in the martial artist’s career. To attain Black Belt, the student must put in years of hard work and dedication. In this age of instant gratification, having a child work at something for a period of years is no small feat.

As instructors, we are committed to helping every student attain his or her Black Belt. We have had dozens of students begin their training with us as children, and continue their training right up until they leave for college. And we have witnessed the profound and lasting effects the training has had upon these students’ lives.

We ask our students and parents to regard their martial arts training the same way - as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term activity. Along the path to Black Belt, every student will encounter lulls in his or her interest. But we ask students and parents to regard these lulls as bumps in the road, not the end of the line. In the short-term, other activities and sports may become more interesting. But in the long term, the profound impact attaining Black Belt can have on one’s life is well worth pushing through those short term lulls in interest.