A Black Belt is Priceless

What do I mean by that? Just what I’ve said. People are always looking for answers. How can I get in shape? How can I be more confident? How can I make my dog listen? Sorry can’t help with that one. Anyway, People are looking for many answers to problems.
My kids getting bullied. Talk to the school. I’ve never seen it help yet. Become the answer!! Yes make that kid invincible. No one messes with Superman. No one messes with Polamalu. HA HA.
Anyway, I remember a kid that parents brought into karate that and they said that he had problems and the counselor said that karate might help him. This young man never seem too troubled in my class. He trained and even though he seemed a little medicated, he seem to understand and his behavior was not a problem. This young boy worked hard and eventually earned his yellow belt. That was probably the only positive thing he had ever done in his life at that point. I ask the kids to bring in their report cards and he did as he was asked. When he first started his report card was horrifying. It looked as if the teacher had practically thrown up her hands. Almost every thing that could be checked was checked, plus there where comments about his behavior and other problems. His grades were equally bad. He had many D’s and a couple C’s. After training with us for about 6 months he brought in his second report card to me and I almost fell over. He had brought up several grades. He had a couple B’s and several D’s were now C’s. His behavior had a similar turn around. There were half as many check marks and there was a comment that made me think that the teacher was puzzled. She remarked that his behavior was much improved and that he was interrupting a lot less, that he was paying better attention. The parents and the counselor remarked, wow that new medicine really helped.
A couple months later I received a letter, not even a phone call from the counselor, listing all of the reasons that this child that they were taking him out of karate. A doctors excuse I guess you could say. He gave me enough reasons that I really didn’t want any part of it!
After I received that letter, I thought to myself how people can’t even see the forest for the trees. This kid made the most dramatic improvement I’d had ever seen. He had made a drastic turn around in every area of his life. When he backslides what is the answer, take him out of karate. Karate I’m sure was the only positive thing in his life. He was succeeding. I was astounded. Lets see when someone backslides lets take the positive thing away from him and medicate him some more or counsel him more so that he really thinks that something is wrong with him. Kids aren’t stupid, they know why you take counseling. So teach him that he can’t help himself, that he has a problem. I’ve actually heard kids say that they can’t stand still cause the have ADD. I would say I don’t care stand still and then they did. Funny stuff, the brain. Kids will usually do what’s expected of them.
I’ve had people that have told me that they don’t know if they can afford karate training. I feel that karate would be cheap at twice the price. I know a counselor charges much more an hour than I charge for a month. I know most people that can’t afford that training cost would think nothing about eating out a dozen times a month and probably eats out at work every day. I know that most people that can’t afford that training cost, have a cell phone, big screen TV, computer, and either cable or digital satellite. But we don’t have any room in the budget for karate.
Yes I think that a Black Belt is priceless, but it’s not the price tag that makes it so priceless, its the sweat equity that you’ve put into it.
I once asked a Black Belt if he would give up all of the training and lessons that he gained from karate for a million dollars and he said no. I thought about that, and afterwards realized why. This boy’s family didn’t have much money. They got by, but they never had a lot of extras. This boy was very shy and backward when his dad brought him in to karate. His dad was kind of gruff and a no nonsense kind of guy. I really want to see him get his black belt, he said. His dad had health issues but he brought him in religiously. He never let him miss a class unless it was for hunting. His dad was an avid hunter despite his bad health. Several years after earning his Belt Belt his dad was given a bad prognosis at the doctors office. The doctor suggested surgery. He said that it’ll have to wait till after hunting season. That day never came. They found him in the woods, beside his truck, doing what he loved to do.
He wanted to see his son grow out of his shyness and be a Black Belt, because he new that he would need it. He was too shy to attempt to play sports even though he’s an avid sports nut. He never would think about getting up in front of people and he would never strike up a conversation. He was also of course very shy around girls. After getting his Black Belt he was an assistant instructor for me for several years. Even though he had been afraid of public speaking he was teaching and loved it. The students also loved him. Even though he had been too shy to talk to girls, he now had a girl friend. One day he asked one of my other Black Belts who was a teacher, do you think I could go to college (he had been out of high school several years). My other Black Belt replied, I don’t know why not. That was all it took. Yes he’s now got his college education. His dad died while he was in college. After his dad died, I said, finish school. Make your dad proud. He said I have too!
Yes I understand why he wouldn’t take a million dollars in exchange for his karate experience. His dad wanted him too! He knew that a Black Belt was priceless. His dad left him with that.
I know why that kind of experience is priceless. I just have to look around.
Once you train in Karate your life will never be the same.
Written by:
Sensei Perry Culver 6th degree Black Belt (Shotokan Karate), Syu Sin Do Black Belt, Trained in Kickboxing, CDT and Personal Training.