Life After Black Belt

 


Sa Bum Nim Jonathan Simonds as a white belt (right), circa 1968 (click to enlarge).

Does anyone remember being a "White Belt"?,… What a glorious time! Filled with the wonder and magic of the Martial Arts. So much to learn and so little time. It really didn't matter what was taught, because it all had meaning for us. We were a sponge! Everyone was a potential source of knowledge. The Yellow Belts seemed light years ahead of us. The intermediate belt ranks seemed like Mount Everest! Off in the misty distance somewhere. Why, we were so awed by their presence we very seldom spoke when they were around!

We couldn't wait to get to class and we weren't there just to learn the physical things. We were taught about discipline, respect for ourselves; and respect for our classmates and instructors. We were taught about the culture and history of our particular Martial Art. The possibilities for learning were endless. The physical training allowed us to forget for a while the stresses of our daily lives, we could immerse ourselves completely in this strange new and exciting hobby for an hour or two a couple times a week. But soon an hour or two a week just isn't enough, we seek out our class mates and work on developing certain techniques or stances or punches that just don't seem right and train until late in the evening or all day without even noticing the time! We soon find that our training has started to change us physically and emotionally, we develop a whole new set of muscles, our timing, balance and coordination have started to improve to the point where maybe, just maybe! We can actually be a Yellow belt!


Kyo Sa Nim Jim McLeod promoted to yellow belt, circa 1991 (click to enlarge).

We have also noticed how the changes in our attitude make life easier for others and us. The discipline, humility and thoughtfulness stressed in the training hall begin to smooth our relationships outside of class. How could all of this have happened so suddenly? Learning has become second nature for us now; we're on a roll. We respect and admire our Black Belt instructors, as they seem to have an endless amount of patience while we struggle to learn some of the more difficult concepts or techniques.

Seemingly without warning one day we are asked to test for Brown Belt! Are they out of their minds? How can these instructors whose opinion we value so highly possibly consider us ready to test for Brown Belt! Good lord they might even ask us to lead a class. We have been helping with instruction for some time but the responsibility of teaching an entire class is not one we are looking forward to. Why it hasn't been that long since we were stumbling around and trying desperately to touch our toes! At Brown Belt the other students will be watching us and trying to emulate our every move. This is a responsibility we don't take lightly. What if we make mistakes? We will be required to remember every technique and try to explain it to someone whose actually thinks we know what we're doing!


Jo Kyo Nim Sven Heikinen at white belt, circa 1985 (click to enlarge).

Some how we weather this storm and we are soon preparing for Black Belt testing! Black Belt! The end of a long journey! We will finally become a member of the elite crowd of teachers and instructors reaching back thousands of years. Along the way many of our classmates have fallen by the way side. Some have found the rigors of training to be too physically demanding or the time commitment to be prohibitive. Although the group is smaller, strong bonds have developed with the remaining students as you deal with the challenges placed on the higher ranks by senior instructors.

You learn to cope with the stresses of teaching and to take pride in your growing skills. You look back on the lowly White belts and wonder why some of them can't grasp even the most basic skills or concepts. How will they ever get to your Level!


Kyo Sa Nim Michael McLeod as an 10-year-old white belt, circa 1990.

At this point a critical thing happens! We discover just how good we are! Why, in some cases we perform the more complicated techniques better than the Black Belt instructors! All those lessons about humility and the importance of not allowing our egos to prevent us from seeing ourselves are too long ago, and are clearly meant for someone else anyway. Why……We have actually entered and won tournaments!!

The crucible of competition has proven us to be exceptional in our eyes and among our peers!

Finally the big day comes; we are testing for our Black Belts! We will finally join the ranks of Black Belt instructors. We are filled with pride for our accomplishments and look forward to teaching all of the hard won knowledge we have acquired along the way. The journey is a long one but we will finally be given control of a class and can bend it to our own concepts and training techniques. Within this pride however there is a seed of regret. After working so hard for so long we don't actually feel any different! Our long time goal pursued for so many years with single-minded dedication doesn't bring with it the instantaneous gratification we thought it would.


Kyo Sa Nim Jason McLeod as an 8-year-old white belt, circa 1990.

Is this it? My goal has been reached! After all, we have also begun to notice how some of the things taught by these older Black Belts seem outdated and don't fit in with the newer methods we have discovered. As time goes on small things become petty annoyances, how the classes are run, the things taught by our instructors don't fit our training needs of the moment. We begin to question how good our instructors really are! They obviously don't give us the amount of respect we deserve. We start to miss class and only work on the parts of our art we deem to be useful! The concept of a total approach to leaning and transmitting this learning to our life experience has somehow been lost along the way.

The ABYSS of ego has opened before us! And threatens to swallow up years of training, dedication and perseverance. Ego can forever prevent us from truly learning about our Art!


Dahn Boh Nim Adam Boike with parents Kathy and Allan just before his promotion to Jo Kyo Nim in 1998.

At this point, more than 50% of all Black Belts and Black Belt candidates leave the Martial Arts without truly understanding why. Without the mental discipline and humility that is an integral part of all Martial Arts we are ill equipped to get past this obstacle.

As Black Belts or Black Belt candidates in spite of our physical prowess or skill with technique we MUST remain students. The most difficult aspects of the Martial Arts are not taught in the early stages of training because they require our mastery of basic technique. Our training isn't over at Black Belt it has really only just begun! We are only capable of absorbing certain aspects of the Martial Arts after this basic stage has been completed.

My original instructor once said to me, after I impatiently asked to be taught a higher level technique, "Why would I attempt to train a puppy to read and write, it's frustrating for me and isn't fair to the puppy!" Although I didn't understand this at the time, it has become clearer as I progress with my own learning and teaching.


10-year-old Dahn Boh Nim Ben Forejt II just prior to promotion in 1998.

Training in the Martial Arts is a life long learning process. It is our goal as Black Belts to unite mind and body with the circle of knowledge passed on for hundreds of generations. Understanding the physical aspects of our art is only a small part of that training. It is taught to beginners because it prepares their bodies for the rigors of advanced training and it's the easiest to learn!

This same instructor also said to me, "Ego is a Dragon that feeds on Pride!"

Don't Feed the DRAGON! Don't allow your training to be cut short because you can't remember the wonder of being a white belt! Each of us must remain a student to learn! Be patient and humble. The Martial Arts is not about creating the perfect sidekick, it's about creating harmony and peace within ourselves.

Sa Bum Nim
Jon Simonds


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Kuk Sool Won of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan