Akaratechick Posted March 8, 2007 Posted March 8, 2007 Hey Everyone,As part of my test for 1st Dan in April I am writing an essay on what getting a Black Belt means to me. I was interested in hearing what it has meant to everyone out there. I know everyone has a great story to tell. There are so many things that it's hard to put it all down on paper! I would like to hear what it means to you.. "All your life you are told the things you cannot do. They will say you're not good enough, strong enough or talented enough; you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. ………..…. “AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."Nike Ad.
bushido_man96 Posted March 8, 2007 Posted March 8, 2007 For me, it was a sense of accomplishment. Starting out with a goal in mind, and seeing it through. It felt great to achieve that goal, and I still take pride in it.Now, it is different. Although I still cherish the memories, I continue my training, knowing that the black belt is not really the goal, but just another objective to accomplish on the continuous journey that is the Martial Arts. https://www.haysgym.comhttp://www.sunyis.com/https://www.aikidoofnorthwestkansas.com
Akaratechick Posted March 8, 2007 Author Posted March 8, 2007 Yes, I think the accomplishment is paramount. It is hard to put it into words without getting emotional thanks so much for your imput "All your life you are told the things you cannot do. They will say you're not good enough, strong enough or talented enough; you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. ………..…. “AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."Nike Ad.
obiwansbane Posted March 8, 2007 Posted March 8, 2007 your instructor wants to feel emotion through your writing im sure... hes hoping to see how strongly you feel about this... get emotional, it will help!As for me.. a black belt in my eyes is a new beginning. I have been deemed acceptable, and am now ready to get into real martial art training. (From the MA perspective)from a self defence perspective, it means that i should be able to take a beating, and still be able to get up and try to defend myself (unless its physically impossible) and should be able to at least injure my opponent badly even if i do ultimately lose the confrontation.one thing my instructor told me, "A black belt gives some people a sense of false security. They walk around thinking that nothing can touch them because they have a black belt, but one day those people will come across an experienced street fighter and will get severely hurt. Never let that happen to you, always see your opponent regardless of how they fight, as someone with more skill than you, and fight while thinking about how you can effectively deal the most damage while defend yourself as much as possible. Don't ever get a big head and get careless."this was of course discussing a fight situation, there was no flight option in these scenario'sgood luck on ure test! Brown belt... win trophies... grade... lose trophies... so much fun
DWx Posted March 8, 2007 Posted March 8, 2007 I've always felt that a blackbelt is just the beginning. It's like learning a foreign language, you learn the basic vocab and sentence construction through the coloured grades. Then acheiving a blackbelt means you're ready to start speaking it and discovering its hidden secrets. Only practise helps you to become fluent and everything stems from your basics which you will use nearly 99% of the time in some way or another. You only know when you've mastered it when you begin thinking in it and it feels so natural that you no longer have to translate it back to what you were brought up with. "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius
learning kempo-karate Posted March 8, 2007 Posted March 8, 2007 Hello, A black belt is a great accomplishment. Not everone becomes one. It takes dedications, hardwork, and commitment.It means you have reach a high level in the organziation. It also means you have learn all the basic knowledge and now your training at the black belt is to reach for perfections and develop/aquire more skills.We also become a role model for all others to follow. It also means being a teacher and helping other achieve there goals in the martial arts.A Black belt also means one is skill in his martial art. This also means you have a greater responsiblilty to yourself and others around you...BEING MORE MATURE..in your actions and self.A Black belt means growing up...be responsible..lead by examples....being HUMBLE...HONEST..TRUTHFUL...AND SHOW KINDNESS!!! .....these are my thoughts...........Aloha
bushido_man96 Posted March 9, 2007 Posted March 9, 2007 I've always felt that a blackbelt is just the beginning. It's like learning a foreign language, you learn the basic vocab and sentence construction through the coloured grades. Then acheiving a blackbelt means you're ready to start speaking it and discovering its hidden secrets. Only practise helps you to become fluent and everything stems from your basics which you will use nearly 99% of the time in some way or another. You only know when you've mastered it when you begin thinking in it and it feels so natural that you no longer have to translate it back to what you were brought up with. That's a great analogy, DWx. I like it!Yes, I think the accomplishment is paramount. It is hard to put it into words without getting emotional thanks so much for your imputYou are welcome. It can be kind of emotional. It was more-so for my mom, she was so proud of me, and that made me feel good as well. https://www.haysgym.comhttp://www.sunyis.com/https://www.aikidoofnorthwestkansas.com
tekki Posted March 9, 2007 Posted March 9, 2007 I've always felt that a blackbelt is just the beginning. It's like learning a foreign language, you learn the basic vocab and sentence construction through the coloured grades. Then acheiving a blackbelt means you're ready to start speaking it and discovering its hidden secrets. Only practise helps you to become fluent and everything stems from your basics which you will use nearly 99% of the time in some way or another. You only know when you've mastered it when you begin thinking in it and it feels so natural that you no longer have to translate it back to what you were brought up with. I said just about the same thing to the new black belts at my dojo a couple of weeks ago when our instructor asked each of the higher ranked black belts to say a little something during the promotion ceremony. Except I used a reading analogy. I said that when you make your first dan, you are just getting to the point where you can read "Dick, Jane and Spot." Strictly speaking, you CAN read. However, there's much more schooling to learn and so much more to read and enjoy. So it is in the life of a martial artist. When you get to black belt, you do understand your art, but on the most basic level. If you just quit then, you never even scratch the surface of the richness and depth that further study and training can unleash. To stop at shodan is like saying "Okay, I can read 'Dick, Jane and Spot, I can read. No more reading for me." "Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world"-Dave Barry
Akaratechick Posted March 9, 2007 Author Posted March 9, 2007 I appreciate everyone's input and would love to hear more "All your life you are told the things you cannot do. They will say you're not good enough, strong enough or talented enough; you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. ………..…. “AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."Nike Ad.
a_ninja Posted March 9, 2007 Posted March 9, 2007 To me its everything. Im working so hard for it and i wont quit until i get it. the best fight is one that doesnt happen
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now