I am a black belt, who is a white belt, who wears a black belt. That may seam a little confusing and you may thing that the math doesn't add up. well actually it does... No really, the math does add up. It is the equation of one plus zero.
Black Belt + White Belt = Black Belt
1 + 0 = 1
Its kinda the same... But a little different.
After a few years of figuring out my life, I decided to FINALLY start back training in the martial arts in April. I had been trained primarily in the Shotokan discipline through my entire martial arts career (with a few ). I knew I could not afford a $100 a month membership at a Dojo. So I started looking for a club. I found one in Clarksville known by OBC (Okinawa Bujutsu Club), and went to investigate. My primary goal was to observe the style that was being taught (Hakutsuru Kenpo), and the instructors (Sensei Fivecoat) Method of teaching. With in 5 minutes of me introducing myself and being their, Sensei Fivecoat coaxed me on to the floor to play. As we went through many of the moves I began to realize that this style was a more in depth system of the martial arts than than the Shotokan system I had been trained in. My heart melted and I joined the club. On my way home I had many questions going through my mind.Will I be able to make time to keep going?
Do I still have my uniform?
If I do still have my uniform, where would it be?
Did I really just start a different style?
Am I abandoning my roots?
I was able to answer all of these on my own. However, there was a question that plagued my mind for a couple of weeks as I continued to attend the club. The question that weighed so heavily on my mind was "do I wear a white belt, or my black belt?"
I had picked up this mind set from my uncle who was a painter. He once told me, "I go in to every job acting like I don't know anything. That way I can learn what I need to know to do the job the way the employer wants." So I had always gone by this in every aspect of my life. It wasn't until this instance did I have a contradict that principle I had picked up.
I was beginning a different martial arts style, which qualified me to be a white belt. However, I had worked so hard for my Shotokan black belt. It pained me to have it put away (I didn't know when I would be wearing it again, I was no longer doing focusing on Shotokan, though I still practice it on my own). I finally emailed Sensei Fivecoat about it. I had to order a new uniform anyway because my old one didn't fit.
When Sensei Fivecoat emailed me back, he told me that he preferred me to wear my black belt. He gave me 3 reasons for that answer. The first reason he said to wear my black belt was "... because the hakutsuru Kenpo system was designed by Sensei [George] Alexander to be a graduate program for Black Belts only." That makes sense as to why it is more in depth than just my Shotokan training, and why I should still wear my black belt. He went on to say "And I know you earned it and we will leverage that experience as we go along." Made sense to me. But what really stuck out to me and impacted my martial arts training was what he said next. "... wearing your black belt to class will unconsciously force you to do better, since non of us like to look stupid while wearing a black belt." Wow!!! I mean, I was excited to continue to wear my black belt, but all of the sudden, I have the weight of a black belt expectancy in another style. And he had a point, I didn't want to look stupid wearing my black belt. I decided though to put it to the test.
The next week I showed up for the club meeting, I wore my black belt, it changed my entire performance! All of the sudden people are watching me, and looking up to me. It literally forced me to rise above my excuse of "I'm a white belt, I don't know what is going on." to "I need to know what is going on so I can help everyone else."
I began to grow at a more raped pace in the style, and my excuses no longer had any weight. Everyone knew I was a black belt, and expected me to be a black belt, including myself.
Later, in August I started going back to school at NSCC (Nashville State Community College). As I was picking classes to take I saw a Karate class. I thought "I should be able to just test out of it easy enough and just get the credit for the class." assuming that it was Shotokan style. When I emailed the instructor (Sensei Altstatt) and asked her about testing out she wrote back and said "What style of karate did you take? I have [never] done a clep test for karate, which does not mean it is not possible What belt rank do you hold?" I emailed her back and told her I had a black belt in Shotokan karate. Much to my surprise she wrote back and said that they taught a different style of karate called Isshinryu. Not what I was expecting. But she told me "... wear the black belt that you earned in Shotokan...".
I thought to myself, I'm going to be a white belt, in the style, wearing a black belt. It was still a new concept for me, But I saw how much it pushed me and made me grow in the Hakutsuru Kenpo style that I was defiantly going to do it again.
I showed up on the first day of class as one of the only ones in uniform, Sensei Altstatt addressed us and found that a few of the other students had previous martial arts training in various styles also. She permitted them also to wear the belt they had earned, even though they would be white belts in the style. None of the others wanted to wear their rank. They all wanted to start back a white belt. This made me second guess my decisions to wear my black belt, but I persisted. I noticed though as I continued to wear my black belt, the same results came about as I received in the OBC in Clakrsville. Other students started looking up to me, and the instructor was expecting more of me. I've accelerated faster than I everyone else also. I also joined the NSCC Karate Club with the same results. With higher expectations, I see higher results.
I have deiced to apply this to my life. instead of always starting fresh as if I don't know anything. I have started going in to things using the knowledge that I already have, and improving upon that. I never go in acting cocky because I really don't know a lot about the specifics of the new style or system when I start something new. But I don't act like I know nothing. Which before I thought was the best way.
And so, I choose to be a white belt, who wears a black belt. Should you just go to a Dojo having no experience in any martial art and wear a black belt? I would strongly discourage that.
Go a head and earn your first black belt, then go from there. I think you do need to know something before you can show something.
But as for me, I wear my first black belt. and I'm content with knowing I am a white belt, and having higher expectations for wearing a black belt. And after all, a black belt is a grand masters white belt.
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