I'm a Black Belt Now What?
Posted: October 31, 2022
Black Belt now what?
Not every student makes it to the black belt or beyond.
But for the ones that do, the question they ask is now what?
My instructor told me that once I was a black belt my learning starts. Or words to that effect.
The point was that once I knew the basics, I could use my understanding to grow and practice in the art.
At the time I thought he was nuts. After all, I trained sometimes 3 hours a day, and to think that my learning really starts at the black belt?
He was right. As he often was.
At a black belt I had the foundation. I learned how to learn. I had the ability to practice. I understood feedback and progress. I had my ego in check. I was training for myself not the belt.
In other words, I was not letting the goal of the belt get in my way of achieving what the belt represents.
Very hard to understand as a new student. But once you make it to black belt you usually get it. And then the journey really begins. Not for the belt, not for the teacher, not for the ego, but for yourself and your own reasons.
To all my fellow black belts, welcome to the club.
And to all the future black belts, welcome to the journey!
Master Jones
Academy of Kempo Martial Arts
