This is another story that should have been shared in October 2020, but I am still playing “catch-up.” Earning a black belt in karate is just like completing a marathon in that I never thought it would be something I did. It’s also like a marathon because it requires consistent training, going to classes, building upon the basics, etc. It took me about 3.5 years from first walking into the class until the day of the black belt test. The style I learned is called “American Freestyle Karate” and mostly consists of Shotokan Okinawan karate. But a lot of the kicks come from Tae Kwon Do, and wrist grabs, arm bars, etc. come from Aikido.
2020 was not a great year for many reasons, and for me it was mostly injury-related. I didn’t run for most of the year for the first time in 9 years due to hip/back issues (another story). The injuries were probably a combination of both running and karate, as karate does require a lot of falling (knowing how to fall is VERY important), and I went down quite hard many times. I winded up getting a MRI last year on my lower back, which showed an annular tear in the L4/L5 region, along with some other more minor issues above that area.
So for most of the year, I knew this black belt test was coming up in October, but I didn’t know if I would be healthy enough to test for it, even two weeks away from the test. I had to keep training just in case, but I could not train too hard due to pain. The next test would be offered in April 2021 but I felt ready in October, at least knowledge-wise.
What is a black belt test like? A typical black belt test where I go involves a warm up and then pretty much a demonstration of everything learned. There are basic, intermediate, and advance self defense moves. Kicks are very important in martial arts and there are a variety of types learned: front, side, back, scoop, hook, flip, round house, crescent, reverse crescent, ax, tornado. And variations: spinning back kick, spinning side, jumping offensive round house, spinning reverse crescent, etc. There are “katas” , which are a memorized sequence of moves that can be applied in self-defense. In addition there are weapons katas using a bo staff, kamas, or nunchaku. Some of the katas can be pretty hard to do or are very long and require a bit of practice in order to do properly. Karate stances have to be spot-on in order for the kata to look good. There are some funny videos on YouTube of people not doing kata properly. Some of the black belt test requires a partner to be an attacker that the tester defends against. Some of the attacks are with knives or guns (not real ones of course) that one would only probably attempt in real life if death seemed imminent.
My test was shortened just a little due to Covid-19 issues, but I think the pace was very fast and crammed a lot into the test in about 1.5 hours or so. I felt that had I been in better running shape, I would have handled the pace without any issues. Still, the little bit of running I had been doing benefitted me on test day.
Now that the test is over and I have a black belt, the journey cannot stop here. I have not signed up to obtain a second degree black belt, but I do plan to keep practicing what I know and incorporating new things that I find interesting: new katas, kicks, defense moves, etc. Otherwise, the initial investment to get the black belt was a complete waste of time and money. I didn’t do it to accomplish another accolade or notch on the belt(no pun intended). Many people do stop practicing after obtaining the black belt, as it is very hard to keep doing it on your own. It requires self-discipline…oh wait, isn’t that what we learned in class??