By James Work

Royce Gracie put it best when he said “A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You have to cover the rest.” A lot of people, martial artists or otherwise (we’ve all been asked if our hands are registered deadly weapons), think that the ultimate goal of martial arts is the black belt; that a thin piece of cloth, the only physical purpose of which is holding a dobalk together, is the end of your journey. This shows in all the students we’ve seen give up martial arts essentially the day after they get black belt. Even then, there is more commitment in those students than the ones who never make it to this false summit. But they still lack one essential thing. The black belt is a mindset, a mindset which some of those who tie that cloth around their waist may never find, and a mindset which some may adopt the moment they tie a white cloth around their waist. I have found myself on both ends of the spectrum, and I don’t wish for one second that it was any different. I believe that viewing that black belt as my finish line for so long (and eventually realizing how wrong I was) makes me one of the lucky ones, and I’ll explain why.

The Wrong Path

I wasn’t the one that initiated my Tae Kwon Do journey. In the offseason between my fifth and sixth grade football seasons, I had nothing to do. One day, my mom lets me and my brother know she’s signed us up for a Tae Kwon Do class twice a week. I’d assume what I felt was the same as anyone else just starting off. Having no knowledge of martial arts outside of what I saw in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Mortal Kombat,” and therefore knowing nothing of ranks (except that black belts are cool, of course), or belts, or traditions, or anything else that I now hold dear, even sacred. I expected a room full of kids wearing sweatpants and also being clueless. And then, walking into class and seeing Mr. Barrow with a black belt, I knew I wanted to be there one day. I instantly found the commitment my brother never did, which is why when it came time to test for yellow belt, I did it and he dropped out. And not to say this is a bad thing. I’m all for choosing your own path and doing what is right for you. At this point, I can guess what you’re thinking: “Commitment is a great thing to have. What could possibly be wrong with my mindset at this point?” I was committed, for sure, but I was committed to the wrong thing. I was committed to that piece of cloth. Like the Knights Templar with the holy grail, I was determined to get one thing and one thing only out of Tae Kwon Do: that sleek piece of cloth to hold my dobalk together. Though this is the wrong way to go about it, this is admittedly the only reason I stuck with Tae Kwon Do through my first five and a half years (my time from white belt to black belt). Especially when I got into the red stripes. A multitude of things happened during this time, which I now realize were lousy excuses, but I of course didn’t feel this way at the time. The first of these was starting high school. In most cases I had plenty of time to make it to class, but still used school as a cop out to skip practicing, and sometimes class. I essentially made up priorities besides Tae Kwon Do, and did just enough to get by, because at this point, I was quitting the moment I got my black belt. It was at this time I also decided what I was going to do with my life. I was headed for the military after high school, a dream which is now my life. But for whatever reason, I viewed Tae Kwon Do as an obstacle in my way, despite it being my only source of exercise at this point in my life (which anyone can tell you I truly needed). For some reason, I thought them incompatible, a martial artist and service member, even though our grandmaster was in the military and some fields in the military have extensive hand to hand training. I only had around six months until I got my black belt at this point and was reassured that once I got it, I would quit to focus on training, a particularly funny thought since I didn’t start seriously training until summer of 2017. The third and final, and looking back most invalid reason by far, was my first and up to now only girlfriend. Wanting to give more attention to her (and in all honesty fearing what would happen should I not), my attendance at class, as well as training outside of class suffered. This would end shortly after my black belt test, an ending I got over very quickly and soon accepted was a good thing for my overall well-being. But that isn’t all that happened after my black belt test.

The Right Path

What kept me coming to class after I had that black belt, I truly don’t know. Maybe I was afraid to admit I didn’t want to do it anymore, to my parents or to Mr. and Mrs. Barrow. I certainly didn’t start any sort of physical training so that excuse was out the window. But I’m glad I did. I’m glad that hypocritical me decided to keep doing what I thought wasn’t for me, because it forced me to reevaluate my goals. I instantly saw another side of martial arts, as I continued to learn, not only the new black belt techniques but also the old ones. I really think the first time it clicked that there was so much more than a black belt was the first time I embarrassed myself and couldn’t answer a question about Pyong Chodan, a form I had been performing for years. That was when I realized the goal is not a belt, or a colorful dobalk, or a spot at the front of class. The goal is perfection. Perfection of a single technique, perfection of a combo, perfection of a form, perfection of the person. And this goal is of course, completely unattainable. But rather than being discouraging, that should be beautiful. It should be exciting, I know it was for me. A challenge to always be better, a challenge that can never be accomplished and will therefore always be there. That is the true beauty of martial arts. That in going on this journey for perfection, a person betters themselves in every way possible. And don’t get me wrong, those who quit at black belt or even before do this for the brief time that they are in martial arts, but they quit on martial arts, and they quit on that pursuit. There was an end to their goal, their challenge, which they met and therefore lost their excitement. Because there is not much else out there that has an individual seeking solely to better themselves. Maybe the other arts, but in my opinion (for whatever an eighteen year old fresh out of high school and heading to the military’s opinion is worth), the working world has no room for this. A person is there solely to serve a purpose, and as long as that purpose is fulfilled, that person has done their part. And it works well, I’m not proposing some sort of reworking of the entire system, just that arts help to break through that. Once I learned that is the true goal, I have found a new love of martial arts. One that keeps me coming, keeps me practicing, and even makes me feel guilty when I have to miss class or miss practice. So as I said, for whatever reason that I decided to keep going, I am glad I did and since I’m still here, it all worked out.

Into the Fray

So now I go forth, to do what has to be done so that others will never have to. And what I have learned through my martial arts journey reassures me that I am doing what is right. It reassures me that I can do what has to be done, to meet the challenge in front of me, be it a training evolution or the real deal. Martial arts has equipped me well to embrace the suck, because it is just another challenge, the most important I have ever taken on and one that my success is depended on by all I hold dear. So I cannot fail, and I will not fail, because of the person I have become through my martial arts journey. Because of the courage my journey has instilled in me to brave any situation. Because of the integrity I have developed to do what is right even when it is the hard thing to do. Because of the perseverance I have needed and will need in both training and the field. Because of the self-control I have needed not only for the obvious reasons (hands are registered deadly weapons after all), but to not get frustrated or upset when I fail, but keep a cool head and do what needs to be done. And because of my indomitable spirit, with which I will face any foe, any challenge, and with which I will fight until I win or I can fight no more. And most importantly because of those who will be at my side and those who will stay behind, because what I will do, I will do for them, and I will do so as the person I have become because of martial arts.