Remembering My Roots

I first trained in traditional Shorei-ryu Karate before switching to traditional Taekwondo where I stayed for 25 years except for some short excursions into other traditional martial art styles. For the last few years I have been involved with the commercial side Taekwondo where the traditional curriculum has been weakened by the need for schools to survive as businesses. As a result, I have neglected my traditional roots. I have not forgotten my traditional roots, but I had forgotten the position of honor the black belt holds within the traditional martial arts community.

Commercial martial arts strive to please the masses and not offend anyone in anyway, so parents will keep bringing their children to classes. Whereas, the traditional martial arts tell the masses, “This is the way it is! Take it or leave it!” Instead of weakening their standards to accommodate the weak, they strengthen their standards to weed out the weak.

Commercial martial arts strive to test large numbers of students. To accomplish this in a reasonable amount of time, the time to complete individual student tests must be short. This means the rank testing requirements must be few and able to be completed quickly. Technique demonstrations, pattern performance, step-sparring, and free-sparring are performed in groups. Breaking is not required or requirements are few. Individual students are only on the mat for a few minutes. Students, including black belt testees, tend to view their rank tests as just another rank test.

Commercial martial art testings spectators tend to be mostly family members of testees. Non testing students rarely attend testings or award ceremonies. The whole testing process is a business, similar to that of an academic school. You attend class, behave properly, listen to the teacher, barely pass the test, and you are promoted to the next grade.

Today, November 19, 2005, I attended a black belt testing conducted by Bill Daniels Karate where my cousin, Chris Wilson, was testing for his first degree black belt in Shito-ryu. I was expecting a standard commercial style testing—I was wrong—this was a traditional testing!
The testing was conducted just for Chris. Each student testing for black belt has his or her own testing day. There was large group of spectators, less than ten were relatives; the rest were there to support the school and to show their respect for the testing process. There was a large group of students there to watch, participate, and help in the testing. There were numerous senior black belts there to judge, participate, and to honor the testing process. All this for just one student!

Chris was on the floor constantly testing for over two hours with only short breaks for water. He had to perform every stance, every hand technique, and every kick required of each color belt, occasionally being required to explain the technique and it usage. He had to perform all one-step sequences and all kata required of each color belt. He had to perform bo and sai kata. He had to perform all the board breaks required of each color belt.

He had to spar a round with one student of each color belt rank and display an appropriative level of force for the rank, age, and sex of each student. Then he had to spar a round against two simultaneous brown belt attackers and another round against three simultaneous brown belt attackers. Then he had to spar rounds against three individual black belt students. He then had to spar a round against a sixth degree black belt who was a foot taller and sixty pounds heavier. Then, finally, he had to spar a round with his sixth degree instructor (video clip [26MB], this was Chris’ last round of sparring after two hours of testing so he was tired, but then Sensei Daniels is 70 years old, so it seemed a fair match up). Then, as a surprise, Chris had to perform a palm break of five cement blocks (video clip [4MB]).

After he finished the test, Chris was covered in scratches and cuts, had two black eyes, a swollen cheek, a swollen ear, cut knuckles, and a dislocated nose. It was a tough two hours, with no pity shown, and not expected.

For Chris, to receive a black belt from his mentor would be the greatest honor, so he had trained very hard and was committed to doing his absolute best at the testing. When he bowed in at the beginning of the test, he appeared to be an intense, determined man who was ready to take on anything, and, when he bowed out at the end of the ordeal, he still appeared to be an intense, determined man who was ready to take on anything. From his behavior, you would never know he was tired or injured. As a warrior, during the testing, he never acknowledged his injuries or the hits that caused the injuries. Every technique he performed was crisp and powerful and performed with a spirited kiai, showing no sign of weakness. After the testing came the time to rest and lick his wounds.

This was a tough, serious, well-constructed, and well-run black belt testing that showed proper respect for the black belt and what an honor it is to be awarded one by a master who cherishes awarding it as much as the awardee cherishes earning it. Surprisingly, even with its tough, demanding, non compromising curriculum, the school is a financial success; probably because of Master Daniels’ dedication, not just to his students, but also to his art.

As a finishing touch to the testing, one of the master’s own black belts was ceremonially passed from student to senior student until the master received it and presented it to Chris. It was an emotional moment for Chris, Sensei Daniels, and the spectators. It was a moment Chris will always remember, and it was a moment I will always remember, not just because I got to see Chris earn his first black belt, but also because I got to see a real black belt testing again. I remember my roots again, and I miss them. A black belt is not just another belt!