Black Belt

[sensei8]

What is black belt? Interesting question, easy answer: it is a belt that is black in color. Serves its purpose: hold the karategi together and puts a lot of eyes over you...

What is black belt?... It is just the beginning.

Just compare Karate with writing:

When you learn to write you follow a process:

First you learn to draw strokes and circles

Then you learn to write capital letters and learn the alphabet

Then you learn to write small letters

Then you learn to join letters and make syllabes and words

Then you learn to make sentences

When you can make sentences you start joining them and make paragraphs.

Then you are ready to start creating your own texts: Then you are a Black belt.

But this is only the beginning.

Then you have to learn to create your own college compositions.

Then you can evolve and write short stories.

Then you learn more and more and write short pampleths.

Then you go on and start writing books

And then you keep going on and are able to write trilogies, and book series... you are a grand master.

But, first of all, you have to learn to write and be able to do it. There is a "before" and an "after" of "I can write, I am good enough to write". This moment in time is your First Dan Black belt...

But beware... critics are terrible and sometimes audience is not buying your book... so keep calm and carry on.

Everybody ask me: Why are you practising karate? Is it for discipline? is it to better yourself?... Even this question (Why...) was asked to me in an exam.

To me the answer is simple: I practise Karate because I like it, because I have fun, because It makes me feel fine. The day this would change, that day I will stop practising... This was my answer in the exam.

The belt is just a burden I have to suffer... Sensei told me to wear it... something about knowing who is who in class and some "social thing". I can live with that. At least it holds my pants in position.

Solid post!!

[Chunmonchek]

My Obi is a symbol of my personal relationship with my teacher. It's the heaviest piece of cloth that I own...

Whenever I tie it around my waist I feel the "weight" of maintaining my art...of preserving my teacher's martial legacy...of properly training my juniors so that one day they will "feel" the "weight" of sharing and preserving our lineage... and ...of properly and honorably representing my teacher and our organization...

So many these days do not understand giri...

Edited August 17, 2018 by Chunmonchek

[MatsuShinshii]

My Obi is a symbol of my personal relationship with my teacher. It's the heaviest piece of cloth that I own...

Whenever I tie it around my waste I feel the "weight" of maintaining my art...of preserving my teacher's martial legacy...of properly training my juniors so that one day they will "feel" the "weight of sharing and preserving our lineage... and ...of properly and honorably representing my teacher and our organization...

So many these days do not understand giri...

I think that is one of the best explanations I've heard in a long time. I love the analogy and the truth behind it. Solid post!

[Spartacus Maximus]

This is indeed the best definition of the meaning of a dan grade/or belt. It has value to the holder only if he holder trusts and respects the judgement of the person who gave it to them.

It is a symbol by which the instructor recognizes a student’s dedication to learning and the progress made according to said instructor’s evaluation standards.

Evaluating a student’s personal strengths and weaknesses also takes time so the black belt shows this as well. That is why a dan grade or belt is meaningless by itself.