The of
TRUE MEANING becomes more aware of a strong the BLACK BELT… urge: that of molding himself, becoming a better person, not only In European history, and especially possessing great combat ability, in English history, a man of great but also dignity and honor. (The courage and dignity, who excelled goal is to be better than yesterday, both on the battlefield and in not better than anyone else.) his social life, was awarded the Traditionally, these have always title of knight. This designation been the goals of a student of implied that his recipient Martial Arts. The black belt is a was a man of honor and also reward given to the current knight possessed great skill in combat. or modern samurai, who has In Japan, this type of man was sacrificed many hours disciplining called Samurai, being the object of great attention and respect. At that time, both England and Japan were feudal states in which the knights and samurai were pure products indispensable to the social conditions in which they lived, a situation that does not exist today. However, the desire to reach a high level in a Martial Art, in self-discipline and in self-defense, still persists. Currently, the man strives in a Martial Art, trying to reach the black belt, as a result of an apprenticeship to fight. However, as he progresses in his training, he
his mind and exhausting his body, in an attempt to achieve the maximum possible physical and mental development. The black belt is the symbol of an expert. Initially, the grading system was established as a series of levels by which a student could assess his progress, and the first black belt achieved is known as Shodan, the first degree, the initial step of those levels. Shodan means that the student has mastered the fundamentals of the Art, and is now ready to receive more advanced training; if he continues to practice, he will be eligible for other dans, indicative of his progress. (The principle of understanding). This scale of values has proven its effectiveness as a great student motivator, but it has also caused some problems. In the first place, there is a great disparity of criteria internationally. A universal degree system should already be standardized, and in the same way that one centimeter is equal to
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