Diary > What is a Black Belt?
05/21/2008
Since the very beginning of martial arts I guess the Black Belt has always been something held in very high regard, by those in and even those not in the martial arts. The general public even know there is something special about the person wearing one.
What is it that makes them special? Just being able to kick the snot out of lots of other people? Hell, Mike Tyson did that but few would hold him in high regard in any other way. Then we get onto the always tricky subject of the various comparisons made between different systems. Why do some arts give out black belts after only a few years and others wait ten of fifteen? How do we draw a comparison between them? Should we?
For me, the road to Black Belt started when I was conceived as I donīt remember back to a time when I wasnīt trying to earn one. The earliest memories I have are of me and Dad play fighting and him teaching me how to box on the ship from Cape Town to Sydney so I could go bash the Italian kid who stole my toy and get it back.
Ever since I was first enrolled in a commercial martial arts class I wanted to be at the front teaching and wear that black belt. I would always be looking at the large black board at the far end of the gym with īBlack Belt techniquesī written on it and wonder what magical amazing things they would learn (and how I could use them on all the kids at school who picked on me!)
I would even lie to Mum and get her to drop me off at the gym for beginners classes that didnīt exist in order to watch the Black Belts train by looking through the key hole as it was a closed session for them only.
Deciding on my second day of BJJ that this was really the Black Belt that I wanted to achieve was an incredibly stupid thing to do. Itīs been 11 years of pain, sweat and mental, emotional and financial torture and still it seems a little way off. Craziness.
Iīve been offered a Black belt in Judo but turned it down, refused to wear one in Tae Kwon Do as I never thought I was good enough after only four years. Even though Iīd won national titles and was up for Olympic selection, and relented and accepted one in Karate after training on and off for over ten years, but its always been a case of never thinking I was good enough, even though in hindsight I obviously was, but thats what keeps me at it always.. you are never good enough.
In BJJ itīs a little different. There is a very easy grading scale. If you can beat virtually all the people around you who are of the same grade you are obviously up there and deserve the next grade, but even here a Black Belt is more than that. How does he relate to those around him/her and do they contribute to the improvement of the club and society in general or are they just out for personal glory?
Approaching Black Belt now myself itīs really a time for reflection. I look back and as Iīm sure those of you who have read some of my articles are aware Ive changed a lot.
From a young and very angry guy who just wanted to beat the whole world and stand at the top to show for a day he was the best to running around with the 5 year olds in the kids class and having a ball doing so. Iīm always a competitive guy and will never turn down a challenge if its stuck in my face, but itīs not all about me now. There are hundreds of students that Iīm responsible for the development of now, and they pay me their hard earned cash to be taught as well as I can and know how.
Iīm looking forward to that first day when I wake up and put on my Black Belt and walk out in front of the students who have put it around my waist, because itīs all the students of Ground Zero who have trained with me through all the years who enabled me to achieve what I have. When that day comes, it will because of them that Iīve been able to fulfill one of my lifes greatest achivements.
