Some new students or parents ask how long it will take to learn karate and be a black belt. This blog is for those who see the black belt as just any other degree, certificate or achievement stepping stone. Karate is more. Karate is a way of life.
A life where you get to know your body. You learn how to groom it, keep it healthy, and respond when it’s threatened. There are a million ways you can be attacked? How many ways can a body made of cells be hurt? Falling is like an attack on your body, right? You may fall from a chair you are relaxing, hanging on. Slip on stairs. Trip when walking. Or, get hit in your face by a bully.
Use Cases
Maybe one of your loved ones has experienced a similar situation. Karate is a journey that is about identifying those situations and preparing yourself to handle them. Working in the IT industry for about 20 years, I relate those situations to use cases. The Use Case method of thinking describes how a user interacts with a system or product. For our conversation, how you or the people you care about can interact with a threatening situation. What happens when something new comes that you are not trained for?
Karate is a journey of exploring all those use cases, identifying, understanding, and learning to respond. Learning about who YOU are and how to problem solve for those unknown situations.
Black Belt – Peak of the Mountain?
Now, let’s understand the black belt. By the time you get Black Belt, you will learn more about your body dynamics and may be able to address some of those Use Cases. Reaching the level of Black Belt is like reaching the peak of a mountain, from where you start seeing the whole mountain series. That’s when you begin to retrospect and realize what you achieved is the mountain of solutions of Use Cases. Still, there are thousands of mountains to be explored, like finding a drop of the ocean when the whole ocean is to be studied. Like you explored a solar system, but do you think there is just one solar system? There are billions of those, right? So, think about how much more there is to explore. A black belt gives you visibility of where you are, who you are, and what is out there.
Don’t limit the Black Belt to just another certificate or achievement. It is a way of, keeping yourself healthy and unlimited exploration of yourself. And yes, to be confident enough to protect yourself and others who need protection.
I thank Sensei Almonte for encouraging us to write our thoughts and contribute to this blog platform.
Thank you so much, Sensei!!
Other thoughts by Pankaj: