I am not a very good black belt!

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Yea, I admit it that I am not a very good black belt. I was provided the rank of Sho-dan on or about December of 1979 while serving on the island of Okinawa as a Marine. My Sensei was also my Company First Sergeant, i.e., Warner Dean Henry. He arrived about a week after me, asked if they had karate at the Hansen gym and when I said no, said he was starting one then so I said, “Count me in First Sergeant!” 

I had some martial arts/karate background to include what one called Hawaiian karate, a bit of judo and some boxing along with various folks who claimed to know martial arts/karate and with whom I practiced to fight. 

It was about a year later when my tour at Hansen was ending that Henry Sensei did the sho-dan thing simply because I was able to learn the eight empty hand kata, three kobudo and some proficiency in fighting (note I said fighting, not kumite because Henry wanted us to be able to fight, not compete with his one caveat, we had to try to use perceived techniques of karate when we fought). 

When you consider all the variations on achieving the coveted black belt today and even a during the late seventies disregarding any other experiences one year ain’t all that long. The truth of it is that Henry Sensei told me when I left that I would find that in most dojo and with most karate-ka I will find my abilities in fighting far superior regardless of my kata, etc. Even then he alluded to such things as mere tools to get you to the fighting part. 

When I compare what most believe is criteria for black belt, and that varies a huge amount dependent on whom you talk to or what organization you ask, I can see why I am not a very good black belt. 

1. I don’t have credentials that come from any big time org or person.
2. I am not a first or second generation student of anyone of any fame or notoriety.
3. I did not participate in many tournaments, seminars or other type contests, etc.
4. I did not earn or attend a variety of systems or styles earning a variety of black belts for each.
5. I have not amassed the many trophies that many believe indicate a great fighter. 
6. I have not had hundreds or thousands of students and I have not promoted hundreds of black belts.
7. I never had or ran one or more commercialized dojo, training halls or studio’s. 
8. I don’t have a plethora of books out and there is not one video out there of me training, teaching, practicing or mentoring martial arts/karate.
9. I don’t have any affiliations with any Asian or Okinawan karate masters of any system or styles honbu dojo. 
10. I don’t belong to any associations or organizations recognized and not recognized by anyone or any master of my system/style of practice or of any others. 

In short, and the list does go on but ten seems to get the point across, I am not a very good black belt, now am I?  Then again, if becoming a black belt meant you had to achieve all the above and most likely more than how many black belts would there be? How long would commercially driven dojo last? What would become of the income that comes from buying, ops - paying fees, rank? As with anything in an economically driven society there is a lot of money riding on such things and for those whose purpose is commercialization that is a good thing cause that is how we all work here in the good ole USofA. 

Does any of this or lack thereof degrade or denigrate one’s achievements of black belt and beyond? Just because someone works hard outside the proverbial norm, does that mean their black belt is less or does it mean it is more? 

I have come to think of, consider and believe that a black belt earned from their respective sensei is valid, true and beneficially positive for that individual. I know of one person whose capabilities in the physical realm are much less able than more average persons and this person worked on learning three kata over a ten year period, they didn’t do any of the above bulleted accomplishments and they can’t kumite/fight/compete their way out of a wet paper bag but as to intestinal fortitude, attitude, consistency, effort and a lot of sweat equity has earned his black belt if for no other reason then honest persistence and a great moral compass. You may initially find them lacking to your perspective and perceptions of black belt but in truth his is probably of more value than yours. 

Rank, grade and such things are a very personalized thing, a thing between not all but just two human belongs, one being the sensei and presenter while the other being that individual regardless of what others may think, feel or believe. Traveling a budo road is very personal and means that meaning, substance and recognition does not come from others but from within the person themselves, it is the way. 

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“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)