Becoming a black belt
I try to keep my personal life separate from my work life but this other career I have in my life greatly influences all aspects of my life. This particular milestone is so closely linked to my work career that it merits a write-up. It is worth stating the facts:
It took
9 years effort to get to Black Belt,
and only
1 out of 100 people
who start a martial art ever reach Black Belt.
That gives you some idea of the dedication it took to get here. Kyokushin is a full-contact style of karate originating from Japan. It is well-known within martial arts for its hard-hitting fighting style and intense training. I train 3 times a week for 2-3 hours each session. Anyone who has done any martial arts training before may understand why people do it, but for those of you who have never trained before, you may wonder why anyone would.
The rank of Shodan (1st Dan or 1st Black Belt) literally translates to mean ‘beginning degree’. And the title of ‘Senpai’ literally means ‘Senior’. So I am not an ‘expert’ or ‘better’ than anyone. I am simply further along in my journey than those who are earlier in their journey or have zero training experience. That word ‘beginning’ is super important here. This is not the end of the journey - it is just the ‘beginning’.
I am aware of how people look towards someone who has achieved their black belt and not only do I have to maintain the standard I have achieved but I have to go further and better it.
Now that I have been awarded this rank it comes with a lot of responsibility. I have a responsibility to get better for my kohai (those with less training experience). I also have to get better to maintain and excel the standards set by the organisation (BKK & IFK).
For those who don’t train in martial arts you might ask ‘why bother’? By bettering yourself in martial arts you better your whole life. Martial Arts makes you fitter, obviously. Anyone who has seen the physical transformation in me over the past 2 years will attest to that. It also helps increase my confidence and helps develop how I engage with people and even what choices I make. You make a wrong choice when you are fighting someone and you learn quickly and rectify it for next time so you don’t get hurt (again). This mindset transfers to everyday decisions and helps me focus on what is important in life. By training hard you see results and learn completely new things. You also learn new ways of doing old things better, which transfers to other parts of life. When you are training or fighting you are teaching your mind to be completely in the moment, which is how I like to be when working on a project or spending time with my family.
This full contact style of karate is called ‘Kyokushinkai’, which translates from Japanese as ‘The Ultimate Truth’ group. To me it translates to mean: “The ultimate version of myself within the group.” Now that group can mean my dojo, my organisation, my family, work group or any social group.
Our dojo is called ‘Nintai’ which means: “Patience, Perseverance & Endurance.” 9 years effort it has taken to get to Shodan, so I have had to be patient and endeavoured to remember this. There have been hard times along the journey both in life and in training but I pushed on through and persevered to overcome and better myself through them - to hang on, then to endure but then to prosper.
When I first started training and going to Kyokushin events I was intimidated by the black belts but as I got to know more of them I realised they were some of the kindest and most respectful people I have ever met in my life, particularly in my organisation (BKK). I have large shoes to fill but the journey continues as I work towards my Nidan (second black belt).
Senpai Joe
