For those that don’t know what a bucket list is, it is a list of all of the things that one desires to accomplish before they leave this earth. Earlier this month I did something that was very special for me. It was special because I had the opportunity to earn something that I have desired nearly all of my life. On December 9th, 2017 I checked black belt in martial arts off of my bucket list.
I have a beautiful wife, three lovely children, a nice home, a college degree, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. I’m also an author, have run life changing summer camps for teen boys, and have been a successful educator helping to teach, counsel, and mentor thousands of students over the last two decades. But, even with those accomplishments, earning my black belt was an opportunity where I achieved something very dear to my heart. This accomplishment may not matter to anybody else, but it means the world to me.
I started the journey to being a black belt when I was a teenager. I took a hiatus during the latter years of high school and returned to the martial arts when I was in college and then again in my late twenties. I have studied Karate, Kung Fu, and now Tae Kwon Do. I have several color belts in each of these varying styles of martial arts. After a long absence from the sport, and watching my children grow and then begin to progress in the martial arts (of course, upon my urging and insistence), I decided it was time to finish what I had started.
The martial arts has always been the ideal activity for me as I considered it the perfect blend of physical and mental discipline. I try to live my life the same way that I approach the martial arts. I cherish the values of respect, integrity and most importantly balance. Anyone who knows me understands that this sport, as well as form of self-defense, is something that is a part of who I am to my core.
I have had a few martial arts mentors along this journey that are deserving of acknowledgement. First, I must recognize my former instructor, Master James Rhodes from Quiet Storm Karate, who transitioned last year due to cancer. Master Rhodes was an absolute perfectionist who when you didn’t do something right, you had to do it over and over the correct way before you went home. I’m from the era where you stayed in horse stance for the entire class if you were not low enough in your positioning or you had to do push-ups if one ever saw your belt touch the ground. Rhodes was a true inspiration in getting me started in the arts. Shifu Calvin Bascomb of Lanham Martial Arts helped me mature in the arts. He had an easy going persona but a very disciplined and controlled presence in the arts. He recognized the arts as self-defense and always said, a martial artist should always “check rather than hurt, hurt rather than maim, maim rather than kill, and kill rather than be killed.” This may seem aggressive but if you study the philosophy you will recognize that is the highest level of discipline. In Bascomb’s school, we ended every class with positive sayings and always encouraged our fellow man.
When I work with young people now in the martial arts, I try to convey the same messages as well as new positive thoughts to consider. I share that earning one’s black belt is an incredible honor. The belt represents all of the hard work, the years of practice, study, sweat and effort one has put into earning it. Every day that one puts the belt around their waist they have to live as an example for others of one who was able to push themselves to reach their goals. It is that individual’s responsibility to continue to pursue perfection in their craft and inspire others to be the best version of themselves. For me, the belt is not only symbolic of my martial arts journey, but also my journey as a man.
Recent Comments