THINK Like a BLACK BELT by Jim Bouchard
As I said, most people I’ve met are much more disciplined than they give themselves credit for. It’s a quirk of our culture that sometimes the most disciplined people get the least attention and recognition. Remember the great message from the classic movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” The Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy had everything they were searching for; they just needed a challenge and some tangible recognition to help them develop awareness and cultivate the great gifts they each had all along. I don’t think Toto knew what the hell was going on, but he was a dog, not a person! Martial arts works because we provide a challenge and a tangible point of recognition for accomplishment. It’s that simple. At one point in my career I was waxing all too philosophical and decided to get rid of all the belt ranks in my schools. I was studying Tai Chi at the time in another system that didn’t have formal rank recognitions. They recognized people as instructors at some point, but all of it was far less formal than the Japanese ranks I inherited in my Kenpo practice. I asked some of my students how they’d feel if we got rid of the ranks. We had a ten rank system starting at white belt and going through yellow, orange, purple, blue, blue with a stripe, green, green with a stripe, three levels of brown and then the Black Belt. The story I heard was that Kenpo originally had just four ranks: white, green, brown and black. In fact, the legend went that you were given a white belt to close your jacket and that over time and training it became green, brown, and eventually black. We don’t wash our belts, so I can only imagine what these early Kenpo guys smelled like if their ranks were dependent on the rancid condition of their belts! I was just about ready to go back to this traditional ranking when one of my students stopped in to tell me he didn’t think that was a good idea. He asked me if I knew how much his yellow belt meant to him. I said I didn’t; maybe I was becoming a jaded old bastard! I admit I was kind of surprised; this student was someone I really looked up to! He was a federal judge; a man of incredible accomplishments and esteem in my eyes! In fact, I had asked him on a couple of occasions what the hell he thought he could learn from me; a two time college drop-out, reformed drug abuser and ex-punk rocker! This student told me that in his job, he could go years without any significant positive recognition. Week after week his job was to put people in jail; some of them he felt would be no better for the experience. He saw the worst of humanity and I believed him when he said he seldom got a thank-you from anyone he was sending up the river! Earning his yellow belt marked the first time in years that he was recognized simply for doing a good job. He told me how important it was to all the students, particularly the adults, to be recognized for showing some progress in Kenpo. They faced the challenges I threw at them, did the work and frankly they deserved the recognition. 4