After the black belt.

[RCastillo]

There've been a few threads about preparing for the black belt test and its duration, I have a different question.

How did you feel after the test? Not the tired, sore, elated, disappointed feelings, but how has your perspective changed?

Personally I feel a major sense of accomplishent, and am in full agreement with my instructor awarding me the rank :ultracool Seriously, I'm starting to look at my skills with a more critical eye, I feel like I have to break down everything and start over. I know folks say the learning really begins at shodan, so maybe what I'm going through is normal.

Last night I was practicing side kicks far a few minutes and I was thinking "What kind of crap is this?" Get more upright, drive through the target, extend, explode, etc. Jeez, I'm a BB now and I can't do a decent friggin' sidekick? I have a lot of work to do if I'm going to wear that belt.

Thoughts?
:asian:

Sounds like me many moons ago. BTW, thanks for making me feel old, and like a rookie again! :uhyeah:

 

[Shinzu]

after i got my black i felt really good. but i soon learned that i had only touched the tip of my training. the idea was not to stop there, but to keep going so i could not only understand my art better, but to also pass on to others what i had learned.

becoming a black belt opened new doors for me in my training as well as my life. you realize that what you thought was impossible was indeed possible... and with motovation and determination you can accomplish anything.

 

[stickarts]

for me, achieving bb caused me to work even harder since i felt like i had to set a good example. I also became more critical and i started to experiment more with what worked well for me rather than follow a generic curriculum that everyone had to do to get ranked.
I was fortunate to have a great teacher which made all the difference.

 

[OULobo]

New Belt ranks no longer inspire you.

They never did.

There is a rumor that an instructor (BB) test will be occuring soon at my school and I'm one of the favorites to test. Now I have to decide if I even want to. Belts don't mean much to me, even black ones, and I know that instructorship at this school means very limited training time and tons of teaching responsibility. I know I can pass and that means I wouldn't be required to pay dues and I can justifiably further the art by teaching in places Guru can't go, but I loose out on training time.

 

[Han-Mi]

The best way I've ever heard it put was like this:

"Color belts is like learning to walk, and balck belt is like learning to run, once you've mastered walking."

I htink that pretty much somes it up.

 

[Han-Mi]

I was elated after my test for 1st Dan. I guess I had thought I did well, at least better than I had expected. The next time I saw my instructor though, his comments were, were you too nervous? (actually unlike my male counterparts, I went through all ten forms without stopping), your problem is breaking.... Just negative. Then a few days later, when he asks me to teach a class of overweight, way overweight people, I asked his expectations of these people at tests. He proceeded to tell me that my black belt test was nothing like he had to do --pretty much devalueing what had been a hard test for me to achieve. In fact, my test was alot harder than what a lot of women have done since. Maybe he said that to say everyone is tested at their ability level but I very much got the impression it was to put me down. Well, he certainly achieved that - then.

Sorry your instructor is like that. no disrespect, but it sounds like you should get a different school. Everyone is tested to their ability, but everyone must still meet the basic requirements of being a black belt... Be proud, 1 in 1000 students becomes a black belt.

 

[Shinzu]

instructors sometimes tend to have an attitude problem. they want you to be like them, when actually you should be the best YOU can.

many times they think their word is law and that is not so. i have seen masters make mistakes. we are all human. remember at one time they were white belts too.

do you best and your best will do.