Respect is such an important part of martial arts training.  First and foremost, respect is due to the students of martial arts because it is their desire to learn that keeps the arts alive.  Secondly, students must respect one another in order to train safely and effectively.  Lastly, the students must respect the teacher for his/her experience and effort as an instructor.

Sadly, this last kind of respect is often abused or over-emphasized in martial arts relationships.  Respect should always be mutual, no matter how skilled the teacher.   In the West, we tend to dramatize the teacher-student relationship.  Many instructors use this fact to ask too much of their students or take too much credit for their accomplishments.  Although it is true that a good student who has a highly skilled teacher will naturally excel beyond a good student with an average or mediocre instructor, it is always the student’s efforts over time that create skillful martial artists.  For example, in the years that Bruce Lee had schools and taught martial arts classes, there are probably less than 10 of his students who actually took their training seriously enough to become highly skilled themselves.  These individuals excelled not just because they had Bruce Lee as their example, but because they pushed themselves beyond where most people could go.

A great student will emulate his/her teacher to a point, but more due to coincidence than pure intention.  It is natural for a student to try to be like her teacher because that is how learning takes place in the beginning phases.  However, most renown martial artists in history (and in modern times) have become known for their creativity and originality, not for their teacher’s ability alone.  All teachers deserve our respect, but they are not the only reason we can succeed as students.

At some point, the romantic notion of the master-student relationship boils down to a progression of development which leads to the student becoming autonomous.  The point of training is not to glorify the teacher, it is to refine the student and lead him/her to their own path.  All students who have the desire should be encouraged to become masters (or teachers) of their own style, not merely shining examples of their teacher’s methods.

My goal as an instructor is to give my students a strong foundation (a beginning) and to help guide them as their skills develop.  I want my students to develop beyond where I can take them.  I do not have all the answers, and my method is not the only one that works.  I respect my students as much as I respect my teachers, we all work hard to develop our skills.

After over ten years as a black belt I have made a decision.  I have decided to retire my black belt and my traditional uniforms.

As of today (June 15th, 2010) I will no longer wear a black belt during classes, belt tests or any other event.  I will also cease to wear traditional martial arts uniforms.  There are four main reasons that I have made this choice:

1.  The practical application of a traditional karate belt or kung fu sash is absent.  The belt serves as a symbolic decoration rather than a functional necessity.  In some instances belts can interfere with movement training.  Belts can get in the way of arm movements and get caught up during weapons practice.  Another practical reason for me to hang up my belt is that my job requires me to be a personal trainer, one-on-one martial arts coach and a fitness class leader.  If I had to wear a uniform every time I taught a martial arts lesson and then wear workout apparel for private coaching and fitness training, I would changing clothes 3-5 times a day!  Workout apparel is a more functional type of attire for my daily activities.

2.  The politics of martial arts relates almost entirely to ranking systems and the requirements for black belt competency.  Many people in the martial arts take issue with each other over the method and manner of black belt certification.  I have been involved in these kinds of politics for long enough to know that my black belt is as much a source of political criticism as it is a symbol of achievement.  As a professional instructor I want to focus my energy on my students and refine my art in ways that will benefit them, not develop it according to the political will of other instructors who are not affiliated with my school or my programs.

3.  Bruce Lee did not believe in belts or belt systems, nor did he wear traditional uniforms.  He thought that belt systems were a distraction from training and created barriers to training.  I have to agree with him to a point.  I do think belt systems are effective for youth students.

4.   As a martial artist my goal is life-long mental and physical health through habitual martial arts training and safe, effective exercise.  My long term goals also include personal development, professional development and financial success.  I have never trained in martial arts to achieve rank.

Having said all of this, I must now explain how it will affect my students.

• For my youth students (ages 4-12 years) the belt system and uniform requirements will be unchanged.  Any youth student who joins the adult program at age 13+ will be able to continue wearing their uniform and belt or to put them aside.
• For all adult students, you will have the option to wear a belt or not.  You may also wear workout apparel that is consistent with the school dress code (which can be found in the parent manual on this website).  All rank certificates will still be awarded according to the existing curriculum structure.  I will award belts to all adult students at their promotions, and each student can choose to either wear their belt or display it at home.

I have trained in martial arts for 25 years now and I have noticed a few things in that amount of time.  One thing I continue to see is that students will develop their skills (or not) due to their own level of effort and commitment, not their instructor’s.  Whether the instructor is a new black belt or a seasoned master, there are always students who excel and those who struggle. 

The instructor’s level of skill can always be surpassed, so the question is not how skilled the teacher is, it is really how much effort the student expends.

Unfortunately, in America, we often see teachers in the same way we see service providers, rather than honoring them as experts.  For example, when I studied kung fu in Chinatown Seattle, people would sometimes complain that the master did not show them enough during class.  I always found that hard to hear because, in my mind, I wondered how the student thought they knew how much they should be learning?  After all, the master had done martial arts all his life, and he was incredibly skilled, so I trusted him to lead me in the right direction.  Obviously, the other students had a different point of view.

Recently I have come to realize that, as Americans, we see everything we pay for from the customer perspective.  Our nation is full of customers who want excellent service, great prices and instant gratification.  When we order products online we can choose to receive the product in a week or overnight depending on how much we are willing to spend.  When we pay a gardener or an accountant, we want them to get things done as quickly as possible.  When we are the customer, we expect to be served well.  Because of this point of view, we transfer certain expectations to our teachers.

We enroll in martial arts classes with the idea that the teacher is our “service provider” and that their job is to serve us as the customer.   Teachers with real skill help their students grow by pushing them to train harder and training them to dig deeper on their own, not by just showing more technique.  We also must remember that when we hire a gardener to landscape our yard, we don’t have to do anything but pay the bill.  In martial arts, the teacher can show us the way, but we have to do the work.

No matter what techniques I have been show throughout the years, it has always taken a lot of effort to understand their function.  Martial arts is an acquired skill for every person – from gifted athletes to de-conditioned couch potatoes.  Regardless of what techniques any individual learns or how skilled the teacher is, a person can excel in martial arts if he or she puts forth the effort.

All students, at some point, get so tired of doing the same move over and over again.  I understand their frustration (I get bored too).  I also think that anyone who wants to truly excel will get through the frustration and reach the realization that learning martial arts is not about learning a new form, a new kick or a a new drill.  It is about how we understand ourselves through the training process.

The movements of martial arts are simply movements, they are not exceptional in and of themselves.  They don’t come alive unless we use them in creative and dynamic ways.  A sword is simply a piece of sharp, forged metal and has very few interesting qualities until it is wielded by someone who can manipulate it.  Then we start to notice the craftsmanship and artistic aspects of its design.  In other words, the movements never change, no matter how many we can learn, they only become more meaningful because of the way we learn to utilize them.

Basic movements and body positions are the foundation of every sport and yet they can seem amazing when someone uses them in an exceptional way.  For example – as a child I was always in awe of Hall of Fame basketball star Michael Jordan.  His leaping ability and athleticism were incredible.  Yet if we examine his basic skill sets they match almost every other professional basketball player: jumping, sprinting, shooting, dribbling, passing, defensive footwork, dunking, etc.  It was the particular timing and style that Jordan used which made him a cut above.

Almost all martial arts share a common set of basic skills, but it is the dedicated, patient and aware students that make the movements meaningful through their own interpretations.

How long does it take to earn a black belt?  To answer this question we have to consider three variables:

1. Age
2. Class Attendance
3. Practice Time

Age: In our school a person below 18 years old will not earn a full black belt.  We award junior black belts to exceptional youth student’s between 13 and 17 years of age.  In the 7 years I have been at GHKA we have awarded only one of those.

The adult martial arts program is set up for a true beginner ages 13 and up to earn a black belt in 3-4 years provided their attendance and practice time are consistent.

Attendance: It is hard to learn and progress without attending martial arts classes regularly.  Just getting in the door every week helps students get closer to their black belt.  Inconsistent attendance will not only slow progress, it will almost always lead to failure.  I recommend that all students attend (at the absolute minimum) attend 2 hours/week of class.

Practice Time: They 3 secrets to mastering martial arts are practice, practice, practice.  All students need to train on their own at least 1 time/week in addition to their regular class attendance.  More practice is great, but practice time cannot replace class hours.  Students who attend classes but do not practice on their own will only go so far.  Students who practice on their own but don’t attend class will progress slowly.

There is nothing mystical about achieving skill in the martial arts, it takes work.  Students must attend classes and practice on their own.  That is what it takes.  Anyone who thinks they can become skilled in any other way is simply wrong.

In over 2 decades of practicing martial arts I have learned a wide range of skills.  I keep thinking that at some point there must be a certain skill or set of experiences that will take me to the next level in my training and teaching.  The truth is that there are simply two things that are available to me in every training situation – what is being taught and what I am learning.  Interestingly, these two things are not always the same.

My interpretation of what is presented in a seminar, class or test is not necessarily the point of the lesson.  Everyone has had moments in training when they ask themselves “why are we doing this again?”  Sometimes the reason for a lesson may not become clear until days, weeks, months or years later.  The moment of clarity is accompanied by some slight regret “If I had only figured this out years ago, where would I be?”

Martial arts is an incredibly deep pool of knowledge, wisdom and technique.  It takes years just to explore the surface of the pool with no time to dive down deeper and see what is below.  Whether exploring the surface or diving into its depths, the pool is still made of water.

The study of martial arts will never be anything but a journey.  Sometimes it will make sense, and at other times the journey will seem absurd.  Either way, there is only what is taught and what is learned.

I now understand that my greatest limitation is not what lessons I did not receive or what lessons I misunderstood.  My greatest limitation is me – when my mind is open and clear I can find value in almost any martial arts lesson.  When I am being stubborn and distracted I have trouble getting value from my own practice sessions.

Martial arts training is so much more than just self-defense, exercise and cool weapons moves.  The benefits of habitual martial arts practice go far beyond physical fitness and technical skill.  All the things we learn at the dojo are important for self-development and enhance our concept of self.

Fighting skills are inherently dangerous and therefore must be practiced and demonstrated with an acute sense of personal responsibility.  This responsibility is to three distinct people or groups of people:

1. Ourselves: We must recognize what we have done, or failed to do, as we progress through the ranks.  We cannot blame anyone but the person in the mirror for lost training time or a lack of discipline.  We must be accountable to ourselves for our own decisions and actions.
2. Our Sensei/Sifu/Guro: Our instructor is a guide, a leader, a role model, and has sacrificed many things to achieve a high level of skill.  Our teacher is also our helper.  He or she pushes us to succeed and expects us to work hard.  Once we have learned the skills that the teacher asks us to practice, we are obligated to follow through.  It is our responsibility to respect the knowledge that is given to us and honor our teacher with our hard work.
3. Our Classmates: We owe it to our training partners and fellow classmates to train safely and to be competent in all areas of skill.  Our own lack of skill can limit our training partner’s ability to progress as well.

Responsibility cannot be learned from a textbook or a video, it is something we must practice by making good choices and respecting those around us.  In martial arts training, there are no excuses.  What defines our success or failure is our own level of personal responsibility.

Martial arts training requires a tremendous amount of repetition.  Regardless of a person’s athleticism or years in training, the difference between the average black belt and the amazing one is usually the result of repetition training.  Unfortunately repetition is not fun, and therefore most people have a hard time staying motivated to practice.

Repetition training requires narrow focus and a lot of time.  No one likes doing the same kata for hours or practicing the same punch for years on end.  Whether people like it or not, repetition is how skills are developed. There is no other way to become excellent.

Many students practice a lot, but not a lot of the same thing.  So in all their training time, they have completed very little repetition.  The common error is that students practice things only when they are new and interesting and then they move on to the next skill.  The problem is that students want to refine their more advanced “cooler” techniques and they look past the value of the basics.  Advanced technique is always rooted in something simple – something that gets boring if we repeat it too often.  Boring or not, the best way to practice is to choose something simple and focus on it.

Just to give you all an idea of what I mean – I don’t count doing something 10 times as repetition training.  Repetition training is doing straight punches for 30 minutes, or doing kata for and hour and half straight. Repetition training also means that every practice session involves this kind of effort.  For example, to develop good kicking, it is better to focus on 2 or 3 kicks and really train them hard for an entire workout, rather than to practice 15 kicks (by doing a few of each) for 20 minutes as a segment of a workout.  The best way to develop kata is by constant repetition.  Sometimes, with kata, students need to focus on just one segment of the kata for hours, or weeks, or years.

The other issue is that if you tell people they need more repetition, they don’t understand how that will help them “advance” to their next belt.  Repetition is not something you can show on a test, because on a test you only get one chance to get things right.  However, if a student is used to high numbers of repetition, then the belt test is simply one more repetition, and not a dramatic or defining moment.

By using this kind of thinking, all skills are attainable if we commit ourselves to repetition training.  We also have to accept that repetition training is our own responsibility and not our instructor’s.

This is true in my own career.  It was always my choice to practice the same movements again and again – I was not forced or coerced to train.  I happily accept the result of that choice and its consequences – the things I focused on I usually became good at.  The things that I did not focus on and did not repeat, I did not become good at – and I accept that as well.  I do not blame my instructors for my inability to focus or my lack of training on certain aspects of my martial arts.  Nor do I think that my weaker techniques are inherently  “bad” or “wrong.”  I know that I just have not refined them for long enough to understand them quite yet.

I had a sensei that used to say “Repetition is the mother of mastery.”  I don’t know whether he was quoting someone else or if he made that up, but it is really true in martial arts.

Developing skills in any martial art is a long journey without an end.  To improve our abilities, we have to invest a lot of time in training.  There is absolutely no substitute for long years of hard work and dedication.

• Asking the right questions will not instantly result in understanding of technique or philosophy.
• Attending private lessons or classes is not enough to progress.

Real progress comes only with constant practice, study and awareness with humility.  We must take our martial arts everywhere we go.  I am not suggesting that we walk around with a clenched fist or a pair of nunchaku, but that we keep our minds and bodies alert and aware of every detail we can sense.  This kind of investment is what the martial arts lifestyle requires.

No DVD, workout routine, or masterful instructor can bring us to our peak level of ability in martial arts.  Our investment in time is the only thing that we can count on to move us forward.  As Americans we always want a goal or a time-line to work towards.  Unfortunately, true martial arts skill cannot be quantified in these neat and tidy dimensions.

We have to accept the process of training for what it is, not what we would like it to be.  We would like it to be a clear and concise progression from one level to the next, but it is not.  In order to invest our time in training with confidence we have to assume that there will ups and downs, and that we will continue no matter what.  Martial arts training requires a level of investment that most people do not understand – that is why so few people become proficient.

If you are not ready to invest your time in training, then you must accept that you will only reach a certain level of skill.  There is no way to achieve the skills you desire without investing time in training.  People hate hearing this, but it takes years to become excellent at martial arts no matter who you are.  If you cannot make the full investment, don’t feel bad, just be realistic.  Be happy with the skills you can gain with the investment you can make and don’t put pressure on your yourself.

If you want to reach a higher level in your martial art, it is not up to your instructor to get you there.  You have to make the investment.

Originally, karate students wore one belt (white) to match their white gi (uniform).  They had a superstition that all the things they learn “soaked” into their belts and so they did not wash them.  As they trained longer and longer (in outdoor dirt floor dojos) their belts would eventually fade to black, which they called the “first step.”

In karate schools everywhere in the world today, students don their various colored belts to represent their knowledge and skill in their martial art.  These colored belt systems were invented to help modern students feel good about their training and (hopefully) motivate them to continue to get their next belt.  Belt systems are excellent for training children and really help kids understand the value of their practice and the long term commitment required for real skill development.  Having curriculum organized in levels is also helpful in developing cohesive programs of instruction for children of diverse levels of natural ability and commitment to training.

However, belt ranking systems are more problematic for adults.  Once we place value on belts, adults just want the belt as a status symbol and they forget about the value of  attending classes and learning.  Adults tend to look at each belt as a “upgrade” rather than a step in the right direction.  Once one belt is earned, adults seem to believe they are “beyond” everything in that level and ready to “advance.”  In most cases, instructors look at belt levels as minimum standards of competence, not as definitive proof of complete understanding.  A black belt is like a high school diploma, not a master’s degree.

Unfortunately, adults want to earn black belts because they think it will elevate them above anyone wearing any other color.  In reality, a belt is a piece of dyed cotton, it has no special properties.  The value of the belt is only realized in so far as the person wearing the belt has actually developed their skills.  Adults get that, but only to a point.  Once adult students get into their advanced levels, they usually begin to forget why they started training, why they like to learn, and are focused only on getting that black belt.  this is really too bad because belts are actually not that interesting, but training is!  In their quest for rank, adults students miss out on so much learning.

Martial arts is a process of continuous learning and development for students and instructors of all levels.  This process goes beyond earning belts: it requires humility and a long term commitment to martial arts training.  Students believe their training culminates in earning a black belt, but in reality – black belt is where it all begins.