Your black belt has to do with you as a person. To achieve black belt is not a quantitative entity which can be measured or weighed like buying string beans in the market. You should also realize that although you master all the requirements, the correct number of techniques, all the required forms and put in the appropriate amount of hours of training, you may still not qualify for black belt. However, to think, “I will concentrate on my training to get a black belt”, is simply playing mind games with yourself and will ultimately lead to your own disappointment.Ĭan you simply think, “I will forget about rank completely?” Can you simply say to yourself that you will never achieve it? Will you always be attached to your black belt, allowing the idea to linger in the back of your mind? In other words, can you simply concentrate on your training without regards for anything else? Can you finally realize that your black belt is nothing more than “something to hold up your pants?” What do you focus on if you don’t focus on attaining your black belt? It is easier said than done, but you must focus your energy on practice.
“In that case, ten years”, retorted Bokuden. On their initial interview, Matajuro asked Tsukahara Bokuden, “How long will it take me to master the sword?” Bokuden replied, “Oh, about five years if you train very hard.” “If I train twice as hard, how long will it take?” inquired Matajuro. He was kicked out of the house for lack of talent and potential, and sought out instruction of the swordmaster Tsukahara Bokuden, with the hope of achieving mastery of the sword and regaining his family position. There is a famous story about Yagyu Matajuro, who was a son of the famous Yagyu family of swordsmen in the 17th century feudal Japan. They are not crushed by shallow or unrealistic goals.
Students who come in just for practice, without concern for rank and promotion, always do well. In my many years of teaching, I have noticed that the students who are solely concerned with getting their black belt discourage easily, as soon as they realize it is harder than they expected. In the same way, your initial training to reach black belt is very important it determines how you will eventually turn out as a black belt. If the pattern is out of proportion or in error, the clothes will look bad and not fit properly. The pattern determines the style and look of the final product. To make a piece of clothing, one first cuts out the pattern on the cloth. It is comprised of two radicals meaning “cloth” and “knife”. The first level of black belt in Japanese is called shodan. The real black belt, worn by a real black belt holder, is the white belt of a beginner, turned black by the color of his blood and sweat. What they wear around their waist is simply a piece of merchandise bought for a few dollars in a martial arts supply store. To be overconfident, to show off your skill, to be competitive, to look down on others, to show a lack of respect, and pick and chose what you do and don’t do (believing that some jobs are beneath your dignity) characterize the student who will never achieve black belt. This is what it means to be a black belt. Train hard, be humble, don’t show off in front of your teacher or other students, don’t complain about any task and do your best in everything in your life. When you realize that no matter how long or how hard you train, there is lifetime of study and practice ahead of you until you die, you are probably getting close to a black belt.Īt whatever level you achieve, if you think you “deserve” a black belt, or if you think you are now “good enough” to be a black belt, you are way off the mark, and, indeed a very long way from reaching your black belt. When you come to realize that the black belt is not as important as the practice itself, you are probably approaching black belt level.
It may take one year it may take ten years. Indeed, I warn my students not to ask the How do you get a black belt? You find a competent teacher and a good school, begin training and work hard. This is not a popular subject to discuss in the way I am going to.
And though I am afraid most people would not be happy with my answer, I think the general misconceptions about “what is a black belt?” should be clarified as much as possible. Most people would be overjoyed if I would say it takes just a couple of years to get a black belt, but unfortunately it does not. And the most commonly asked question is, “How long does it take to get a black belt?” I don’t know how this question is answered in other schools, but my students know that asking such a question in my dojo would set them back several years in their training. Through the popularity of this column, I get correspondence from all over the country.
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