Training Your Black Belts

[sensei8]

How hard do you "work" your black belts?

Do you ""challenge" your black belts?

For me, the higher the rank, the even harder I work them. I do this, not to be mean/cruel, but because I don't want their rank to get into the way of their knowledge and the evolving of same said...and it happens from time to time; black belts forget themselves.

My Dai-Soke pulled me down from my own pedestal more times than I can remember, for my own good, and I'm glad that he did.

Black belts, especially black belts, become progressively unfruitful from time to time if they're not challenged on a more daily basis.

Pushing them to the summit of their training/learning/knowledge where they feel that they just can't reach any further, and not allowing them to give up on themselves by reaching that rung that appears to be only an illusion for the moment....then drag 'IT' out of them.

Making our black belts train beyond their rank/title makes them appreciate them the more.

Any thoughts?

[Zaine]

I find that it's easy to become stagnant as a black belt, especially since I don't have a dojo at the moment. The biggest challenge for a black belt is finding a challenge. We find that we're often cocky, what you said about your Dai-Soke pulling you off your pedestal is funny to me because we find that we need to be humbled. There's a certain cockiness that even as black belts, who know that we should handle it, we get because we're higher than others.

To answer you're main question: it's hard for me to answer since I don't have a dojo. However, as a black belt there's a certain bar I set for myself that I keep on pushing higher and higher. It is necessary for a black belt to continue finding the next level and finding new and interesting way to push yourself in ways that make you uncomfortable because uncomfortable is good in this sense.

[ninjanurse]

I agree here. I place much higher expectations on my Black Belts and push them as far as possible frequently. If they don't know where their breaking point is they will never have a bar to raise.

[bushido_man96]

It would be nice to have a black belt focused class at out school, but we don't at this time. Mainly because we don't have a whole lot of black belts. Its nice to be able to get to spend class time focusing on black belt forms and the like, as opposed to colored belt curriculum.

[sensei8]

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm a firm believer that ALL ranks should be pushed beyond their own expectations and often. However, I've seen the black belts, at all levels, become proponents of being quite content to not strive for the unexpected, yet rewarding, push to better their MA across the board.

I'm humble, some times to a fault, but when my Dai-Soke has pulled me down from my own pedestal, it was because he could see I wasn't pushing myself, and in that, I became satisfied with my 'current' techniques, and this frosted my Dai-Soke for two simple reasons...

"As human beings; we're not perfect, neither is our karate-do, therefore, we must strive to constantly improve, no matter the degree."~Dai-Soke Takahashi

Any instructor of the martial arts must be able to discern the lackadaisical efforts of their students; and black belts tread into these dangerous waters more than kyu students.

Greg and I push each other unforgivingly so, and we're the highest ranking Shindokanists.

[Nidan Melbourne]

My sensei will push us fairly hard but depends on what we are doing. But often if we do pre-arranged sparring we will go through indepenently in pairs so we can cover everything that we know (up to roppon kumite) then bunkai we do as a class (gekesai, saifa, seeuinchin bunkais) and our kyogi (although we only do it for grading prep).

Kumite we go 100%

[hammer]

It would be nice to have a black belt focused class at out school, but we don't at this time. Mainly because we don't have a whole lot of black belts. Its nice to be able to get to spend class time focusing on black belt forms and the like, as opposed to colored belt curriculum.

That's a big plus in the club I am a member of...we tend to keep a lot of black belts (including a number of masters) around, and we do have advanced workouts, although I wish they were weekly. Getting through black belt forms can be a challenge when you don't have the chance to work on them in class.

Regarding getting either overconfident or lackadaisical, I've been a BB for over 8 years and I have yet to be anywhere near either. Even on the few occasions when I'm the highest ranking student in a workout class I usually see someone who is younger, quicker, more flexible, etc...

[CredoTe]

There's only a few of us black belts in our dojo and all of us train 100% in all our classes. We do every exercise that we make our students do, and we must do them well! We never instruct our students to perform an exercise we cannot do ourselves. Every warmup, every strength exercise, every kata, kihon, kumite, etc, we black belts do everything along side our students.

[inventor]

To be a martial artist you must dedicate yourself to your art. I don't push any of my students. I teach the art and instill in them the desire to excel. Karate is not a group activity, it is a very personal pursuit of wisdom. If you must push a student; what will they do in your absence?

[bushido_man96]

It would be nice to have a black belt focused class at out school, but we don't at this time. Mainly because we don't have a whole lot of black belts. Its nice to be able to get to spend class time focusing on black belt forms and the like, as opposed to colored belt curriculum.

That's a big plus in the club I am a member of...we tend to keep a lot of black belts (including a number of masters) around, and we do have advanced workouts, although I wish they were weekly. Getting through black belt forms can be a challenge when you don't have the chance to work on them in class.

Regarding getting either overconfident or lackadaisical, I've been a BB for over 8 years and I have yet to be anywhere near either. Even on the few occasions when I'm the highest ranking student in a workout class I usually see someone who is younger, quicker, more flexible, etc...

I agree. I'm always trying to compare myself to others in the class, pushing myself so that I can try to remain one of those people that others are willing to seek out when they need help with something.