This is the essay I wrote which I had to submit as part of the process of becoming Black Belt. I spent a while contemplating how to approach it and this morning I jotted down some notes to see what I wanted to say. Then I had to tie it all in together, without being cliche. It was an interesting process and it came out pretty well, I think.
On the Way to Black Belt
Like many things in this world, Martial Arts is symbolic and allegorical of life. As the Asian philosophy of yin yang suggests that “polar opposites and seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world,” so too is Martial Arts a perfect harmony of many things.
For starters, there is balance. In the first couple months you learn how to do the Forward Stance, which is awkward in the beginning. Then, just as you begin to grow comfortable with that, you are a Yellow Belt being taught the Back Stance. It seems like everything you just learned suddenly is put to the wayside.
As you learn the basic kicks, your balance is constantly being challenged. Each kick and each stance requires your body to find new ways to hold itself up, without wobbling. Even at the higher belt levels as you near Black Belt, you are always working to improve your balance for each and every single move. This striving for balance and harmony in your Taekwondo never ends. You are always making improvements.
To accomplish this, you must of course have resilience, and patience too. Martial Arts training is not for the weak and impatient. You will hit wall after wall as you work your way towards Black Belt and every belt level presents its own unique challenges which are different for each and every one of us.
I recall working with a fellow student one day after we had just earned our Red Belts. We were doing our One-Step Sparring, and he was not able to execute the Hook Kick over my arm. For me, this move came more easily but for him it was like a mountain had suddenly appeared. It was funny to us both really, and we laughed about it. At Red Belt, we knew this was a road block that could be surpassed with enough practice, but at the lower belt levels something like this could be discouraging if you let it get in the way. This is only one example, probably the funniest one, but we encountered obstacles like this all the time.
For instance with me and my rolling. When we first started learning how to roll during one of our 4-hour Double Black Stripe sessions, I was the only one in the bunch that could not roll properly. It was humiliating in a way because it seemed so easy, but I had mental road blocks getting in the way and the pressure was on because I would have to be doing some rolling for this test in a few short months.
So just like in life where we have glory and defeat, peaks and valleys, so too on your journey towards Black Belt you will encounter these same experiences, obstacles, and accomplishments too. There are many parallels.
When I first started my training with Master P during the week between Christmas and New Year’s in 2008, Black Belt was not on my mind. I was in it for the fitness and for the first many months that is what motivated me. But about a year into it, while I was Blue Stripe, I decided to put my training to the test at the World Class Championships in Buffalo.
I competed in Form, Board Breaking, and Sparring and I got last place in all three. It took me five attempts to break the board doing Back Kick, and after my sparring match I was so delirious that I wasn’t sure how I was going to get home. My opponent knocked the wind out of me with a Round House kick about 10 seconds into the first round, and I spent the next 80 seconds trying to figure out my left foot from my right. It was the most physically excruciating thing I had experienced since Varsity Football 17 years earlier.
But after a few days as I began to recover, the idea of Black Belt began to take on a whole new meaning. Suddenly, my Taekwondo training wasn’t just about fitness. It was about something more. It was about achievement, excellence, and victory. I made the decision that I was going to go back next year to WIN GOLD, which I did. Two in fact. One in board breaking and one in sparring.
I didn’t feel any better physically after my sparring match, but I did accomplish my goal and that felt good.
All-in-all, the Black Belt (for me) is about the journey, not the destination. Your First Degree Black Belt is a symbol that shows you know the basics. But to learn these basics and to execute them effectively takes time, patience, and persistence. Some things seem impossible when they are first introduced to you, but eventually they become more attainable. That’s what makes it all so special.
The science of Taekwondo comes from training and practice. The art of it comes from digging deep and getting to know your self so that you can express your self in this form. None of this is an instant process. Nobody can give it to you, but nobody can take it away from you either.
For Master P’s World Class Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Test
Saturday September 24, 2011
