Whatever difficulties arise on the path toward achieving Black Belt Excellence, you can overcome them with practice. Your Martial Arts training is the process of acquiring skills necessary to triumph over the inner and outer obstacles of life. In this effort, you find real gains in character development. We call this the “Black Belt Attitude”.
The Black Belt Attitude
These qualities, which students aspire to as they strive for Black Belt (and beyond) include:
- Courtesy
- Modesty
- Integrity
- Perseverance
- Courage
And, most importantly, martial arts training helps you develop the kind of indomitable spirit that can only be forged through a process of conscious work and intentional suffering (deliberately getting a bit uncomfortable to find physical or emotional growth).
Life Skills Abound
Taken as a whole, the time investment made by karate students young, old, and everywhere in-between, contributes efficiently to the development of essential real-life skills. This feeling has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. As someone who has trained in martial arts for many decades, I cannot imagine life without the skills I’ve acquired.
To an extent, I take them for granted, their significance and impact reminded as new students show me how far I have come (and can continue to improve). Martial arts may not seem to be a highly intellectual pursuit; however, psychological research indicates that all intellectual growth begins on a sensory-motor level.
In other words, to learn effectively, doing is best.
We always welcome insights from new and current students on how MuDoKai karate training has made a positive impact on their life. Would you like to share? Let us know! (We might include them in a future post or in-school newsletter article!)
© 2023 Shihan Robert H. Mason