What It Means to Be a Black Belt

I am teaching a class and notice that my students, between the ages of 7 and 12, are not performing to their best abilities. I call a timeout and ask them to sit down so that I can teach them what it means to be a martial artist and a Black Belt.

As beginning students they are training to become martial artists and as part of their training they will be learning about the 5 tenets of Taekwondo: Integrity, Perseverance, Indomitable Spirit, Respect, and Self Control. My goal, and that of all of the instructors at UMAC, is to incorporate these tenets into our lives, making them a part of everything we do, in school, at home, work, and play. We are always striving to be the best that we can be...and we teach this philosophy to our students so that they too can learn to live and be the best that they can be.

Then I tell them a secret, “You don’t need to be a Black Belt to act like a Black Belt.” They look at me and I tell them, “You don’t need to wait for the black belt to encircle your waist. You can live by the code of the Martial Artist, because a black belt encircles your heart.”

I ask the class to demonstrate how a Black Belt sits at attention. They all sit up really straight, back erect and eyes focused forward. “See" I say, "You DO have Black Belt character, even though you are only blue belts. That means you are on your way to becoming the best Martial Artist and person that you can be.”

Whether you are an adult looking to learn self-defense or a parent looking for a new and exciting activity for your child or children, learning to live a Black Belt life can have a great impact on living a more meaningful life by incorporating the Tenets of Taekwondo into everything you (they) do.

My book, "It's Not About The Belt" will be released soon (please Follow and Like to be notified of it's release date).

Look for my weekly blog every Monday providing insights on "Living a Black Belt Life" and please share this with your friends and family.