I have been in martial arts long enough to allow my first teaching to permeate my life in such a way as to evaluate my day to day encounters by a certain standard. My first Sensei was tough as nails, very strict, but above all, fair. When I first walked into the DoJo, I fully expected to learn how to defend myself, that was never in question. But, in the insuring years, what dominated, was a certain code of conduct, that was gospel. We were taught to look up to Black Belts, not in a God like way, but as someone or something to strive toward. This wasnÂ’t because of any fighting ability, but because of the way they conducted themselves. You see, from day one we were taught respect, integrity, discipline over our bodies, and a sense of fair play, all within a curriculum of self defense. Please, within this thread, tell us where your training is taking you and where you have arrived at.:asian:
Likewise, I was taught to view the black belts in the same way as you describe. Sadly though, I've seen people wearing a black belt, who certainly dont live up to the description that you gave. I view the BB as the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Its the point where you (hopefully) have mastered, to a point, the material that led up to the black belt. I say hopefully, because if you have a good teacher, this is what they will ensure happens. Once we reach that point, IMHO, I really dont feel that its necessary to learn more techniques or kata. I mean think about it...from white to black, depending on the art you train in, there are large numbers of both. As an example: I recently asked one of my Arnis teachers, if there was material beyond the BB level. I've already tested and earned my Arnis BB, so I was just curious. His answer: No, there is no new material. However, what it involves now, much like anything else, is going back and really working the material. How well do you really know it? I've been teaching for quite a few years, and I'm still amazed at people, when I show them something, they do it a few times, and then say, "Ok, whats next?" LOL. Imagine that...I never knew it was that easy....learn a tech., train it for 5min, and suddenly you know the ins and outs. Umm..yeah, alrighty then. LOL.
So, thats the point that I'm at. I have all of my Kenpo and Arnis requirements. Now, with each session, I take something and rip it apart. I'm not as big of a kata junkie as some people are, but I do find myself, looking closer at each move, trying to understand things better. After all, if I'm going to be teaching this stuff, I better be able to make sure that my students understand that there is more than just what they're seeing on the surface.
Of course, I just dont limit my training to that. I'll take certain things, and drill them differently. For example: knife work. Instead of the typical standard defenses, I'll start looking at other types of attacks, different scenarios, etc.
