11/7/07 - What Would A Black Belt Do?

I think on of the most important life skills taught at our center is the black belt attitude. Using black belt as a metaphor for high standards of personal excellence, students seek to “act like a black belt would.” This attitude of excellence extends beyond the martial arts class. Students work not just to become black belt martial artists, but academic black belts, black belt employees and black belt parents.

You create a standard that asks throughout each day, “How would a black belt do this?” How would a black belt sit and listen to the teacher? How would a black belt clean his room? How would a black belt work on this job?

This new standard develops into an attitude of positive self expectancy which means good things happen to people who work hard.

In our belt system, students learn the importance of the four steps to goal setting through the example of earning their black belt.

Step one is to know what it is you want. In the martial arts, it's the black belt. Most students don't set black belt as a goal initially. It's up to the instructor in the beginners classes to motivate, educate and instill the desire to earn a black belt in each student.

The second step is to take the long term goal and break it down into short term goals. In the martial arts, this is the importance of having a well structured belt and stripe system so students have exams every month. These short term goals work as motivating mini-victories for the students. All confidence is built upon a foundation of excellence and accomplishment. With each exam successfully completed, the student builds confidence towards seeing themselves as black belts.

The third step is to map out a very specific plan to take you to your goal. A good martial arts school has developed a curriculum that, while possibly based in a particular style, does not make the student serve the style. Instead, the style or curriculum serves the student. If the student attends class and practices with the black belt attitude, the curriculum is well designed and specific in helping them achieve the goal of earning a black belt.

The fourth step is critical. You must develop a team to help you achieve your goal. This is why the student/instructor relationship is so important. That's why we our Leadership Team and Instructor Team are so important. It's difficult to obtain a goal as worthy as a black belt without the help of people who have already taken that path.

We know you too can earn your black belt, but there will be obstacles and it won't be easy. In fact, you are taking portions of your black belt test every day. Every time you don't feel like coming to class but make the effort to get in your car or on your bike to get here, you have passed a part of your black belt test. Every class that you take is part of your black belt test. Miss class and you fail that part of the class. Attend class and you pass. Of course, you have to work hard in that class to make it count. Let's see how hard you will work today. Let's get started... (adopted from John Graden)

Another Sixth Dan thesis excerpt:

The Power of the Body

The body weeps the tears that the eyes refuse to shed.
Proverb

If you don’t take good care of our body, where will we live?
Anonymous


I started martial arts over 27 years ago because of the physical benefits of the martial arts, and I am just as amazed by them today. Each stance is a strengthening, stretching, and energy moving exercise. The intricate hand techniques develop coordination and brain function. The kicking not only stretches and strengthens the legs in every plane, but helps make taekwondo a more cardiovascular and weight managing workout. The best part of the physical aspect of our martial art training is the variety of movement that we continually expand on. As participants get older they may not do the jumping and spinning as much, but there are so many movements that they can continue to do and not only maintain function in those joints, but add to their ability.


Taekwondo has a unique blend of whole body movements that take into account the entire well being of an individual. The movements are natural and engaging because they are based on real-life application. An emphasis on self-perfection helps ensure safety and injury prevention. Taekwondo participation has a positive influence on health related fitness such as cardio-respiratory fitness, joint flexibility, and muscle strength and endurance, and weight management.

Cardio-respiratory fitness refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to operate efficiently during exertion over an extended period. Taekwondo striking and kicking performed repetitively over an extended time represent the upper and lower-body movements that offer aerobic improvements for the martial artist.

Joint flexibility refers to the range of motion a person has at each joint in the body. Joint movement at the ankle, knee, and hip are essential for kicks, and the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joint movements are necessary for strikes. Rotation and flexion movements at the trunk are necessary for strikes and kicks, and require flexibility of the pelvis.

Muscular strength and muscular endurance will improve when practicing taekwondo skills. Muscular strength refers to the ability to exert short-term forceful movements, and muscular endurance involves eliciting force over an extended time. Forceful contractions of upper-body, trunk, and lower-body muscle groups are necessary to perform the striking and kicking skills correctly. Students develop muscular strength through these efforts. In addition, when students perform these skills repeatedly, as in a taekwondo aerobic routine, they enhance muscular endurance.

Taekwondo can be used to aid in weight management whenever students participate in vigorous physical activity, and burn a large number of calories. Expending calories is a key factor in managing the health-related fitness component of body composition. Body composition is a person’s ratio of body fat to lean body mass, often referred to in the context of body fat percentage. A well-planned taekwondo lesson can require demanding upper- and lower-body movements. This type of energetic workout results in significant calorie usage.

Performance-related fitness such as balance, coordination, speed, agility, and reaction time will be improved through taekwondo practice as well.

Balance involves maintaining equilibrium against the force of gravity. Kicking skills require maintaining balance while standing on one leg, and at the same time moving the other leg forcefully and dynamically. Add to these circumstances bending and twisting the trunk, and studens can develop balance considerably.

Coordination involves performing a set of movements with the proper sequencing and rhythm. Taekwondo skills require a series of specific movements that flow from one to another. Practicing the transition from one movement to the next with fluidness will result in a coordinated, skillful appearance.

Speed refers to moving the body or parts of the body as rapidly as possible from one point to another. Striking and kicking with speed are important aspects of taekwondo training. When students combine speed with the force of muscular strength, the result is muscular power.

Combining two or more skills in a series of movements will improve agility. Agility refers to the ability to change directions rapidly and accurately. Moving the body forward, backward, and sideways while moving into the various techniques is what promotes agility. Students need agility to make these changes in direction quickly, efficiently, and precisely.

Reaction time refers to the length of time it takes to respond to a stimulus. The speed of the reaction determines whether you get hit a strike or kick in the martial arts class.

10/31/07 - Happy Halloween!

Make every class like your Black Belt Test!

Success is the not result of one action. It's the accumulation of many, many actions and decisions, each of which take you closer or further from your goals.

When you are deciding to go to class when you're tired or distracted is a decision that will move you closer to your goal of earning a black belt. During each class not trying your best on a single drill or not listening to the instructor with all of your focus will slow down your progress and move your goal further away.

This is why it's important to think of your black belt test happening right now! You will never get to the day of the official test unless you pass the small daily tests.

"Every class is a test and every test is a class." Master Korchak


Another excerpt from 6th Dan Thesis

Seven Powers Revealed:

When the body and mind are in harmony with nature than you are most happy and healthy
Choi, Joon Pyo


Power of mind, body, self-defense, unity, support groups, recognition, and success make taekwondo more than just a hobby, but a system to enhance life.
These seven powers of taekwondo training are what make it a unique system to empower its students to change and evolve.


The Power of the Mind


The power of the mind and the emotions begins with the concept of mushim, to empty the mind. This is why it is important for a student to enter class with the white dobok and white belt. As the new student bows onto the mat, they have a chance to re-create themselves in the microcosm of the dojang. It does not matter what successes they have achieved previously, or what difficulties they are experiencing in the rest of their lives, they can be emptied as they enter the dojang, and receive “beginner’s mind” again.
Participation in taekwondo can contribute to their cognitive (mental) abilities. Practicing martial art skills requires developing mental focus and discipline. The martial art student must focus on the instructor throughout the lesson. Mental endurance is necessary to perform the skills correctly as they become more complex and requires more time to complete.
Discipline and self-control are two powers of the mind that students and parents are very interested in. These mental skills are developed as an instructor helps students become aware of habits that need to be formed and habits that need to broken. As a student’s focus develops and he or she experiences control over their movements, self-control is attained.

10/3/07 -

Story Continues


You must do the things you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

From Ancient times, deep learning and valor have been the two pillars of the path: Through the virtue of training, enlighten both body and soul.
Morihei Ueshiba


As my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health increased, I not only lost the need to fight, but learned self-self defense. I could be my own worst enemy. I learned to convert toxic energy into life giving energy, and this opened-up taekwondo to becoming an expressive performance, and something that I did not fear, but gave me joy. I have found that the martial arts have become an assistant to practicing my religious faith, by helping me center and look inward. Taekwondo’s philosophy has reinforced doing the right things in my life over and over. How have the martial arts managed to take the harmony and unity of mind, body, spirit, and emotions and help me to become a truly better person?

I believe we are all seeking enlightenment whether we consciously think it or not. We search for the truth!

The Sun Buddhist of Korea believed the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment and that enlightenment is the inner experience of recognizing the Buddha-nature in the nature of oneself. Meditation was the one way to achieve this. Through exposure to meditation at the beginning and end of class we start to be able to be still in ourselves, and after we can calm the mind we find the being behind endless clatter of thoughts.

When we are truly present everything becomes more powerful! Ultimately, when we know our true self, we know how to prioritize our time, use our energy, and communicate what is important!

The quest to advance belt levels and win championships helped fuel me, but in reality it was the changes in how I felt about myself and related to those around me that helped make those changes last.