karatekid1975
Master Black Belt
Here's an article someone sent me:
Once Upon A Time - By C. M. Griffin
Taekwondo Times - January 2001
ONCE UPON A TIME...
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..Martial arts instructors were tough, strong and intelligent. They taught the arts because they wanted to uphold a tradition in the arts. They taught the arts because they loved it and wanted to share with others. They taught the arts because they believed it was their calling. They taught the arts to give something back to the community. They did not pursue it as a business, as a vehicle to make money.
ONCE UPON A TIME.-.The measure of success of a martial art instructor was good, strong, smart, tough, respectful students. It was not the size of the school or the flashiness of a car that indicated success.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .The dojang was a place of sweat, pain and sacrifice. It was a place where strong moral character was forged in the fire of extremely hard work. It was not a social club where one gathered to meet friends. It was not a place of music and health drinks where the beautiful people or the "chill crowd" goes to be seen in the place to be.
ONCE UPON A TIME... Martial artists considered the training hall a temple dedicated to the excellence of human personal achievement. It was not a cheap daycare center or a convenient baby-sitter.
ONCE UPON A TIME...The martial arts were not for everyone—and were never intended for everyone. If someone could not keep up with the class, if they could not "get" the techniques, they were never promoted to the next level. Certainly the martial curriculum was never changed to meet the slowest persons needs!
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Students had to actually know and perform the requirements for each belt promotion. They were never helped at the test or told the answers. They didn't have black belts standing around to help them remember particular techniques. Students were never promoted just because they showed up. They had to be able to do the techniques and with a certain level of excellence.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Promotion exams were not a major social event. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends were not seated around the testing area watching the students perform. Testing was private; after all, it was possible to fail and have to retake the test.
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..Everyone strove for improvement to reach that proverbial high bar. The bar was never lowered so that everyone could rise over it. If you couldn't reach it, you worked harder. We strove for excellence and were not satisfied with mediocrity.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Everyone was not so concerned with rank and titles. Everyone wasn't a shihan, soke, kwan jang nim, or grandmaster. They were simply sa bum nims or senseis. There certainly were not any thirty year old grandmasters.
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..The black belt had meaning. A brown or red belt was someone to be feared and respected. A black belt was something else. A second degree was extremely difficult to get, not even to mention a third or fourth degree. There were no 15 year old second degree black belts. Becoming a black belt was a long hard road to travel and required extremely intensive study.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Uniforms, gis and doboks were either white or black. You could identify the school of a student by the simple patch on the uniform. The name of the school was not emblazoned across every stitch of the uniform and it did not look like a reject from a Fredericks of Hollywood catalogue or the costume of a cartoon super hero.
ONCE UPON A TIME... Techniques and philosophies worked and you knew they worked because they were tested against peers in the dojang or at a tournament. Plain, simple and true; if your philosophy did not work, you got your backside handed to you.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Martial arts magazines were filled with information about styles, systems, training methods and tournaments. They were not ads or pseudo articles espousing the virtues of a particular school.
ONCE UPON A TIME...If you were in martial arts you were part of a unique, small and elite society. It was a society rich with history and traditions. You were proud to be a part of that society. You were not belittled or degraded; people did not walk by the dojang and make fake Bruce Lee noises. You were respected and you earned that respect. >>>>>>
It makes me think how "different" martial arts is today. It actually sadens me to think about the "martial businesses" out there. I long for those old days. Eventhough I wasn't there (I'm prolly too young to remember), I wish I was.
Once Upon A Time - By C. M. Griffin
Taekwondo Times - January 2001
ONCE UPON A TIME...
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..Martial arts instructors were tough, strong and intelligent. They taught the arts because they wanted to uphold a tradition in the arts. They taught the arts because they loved it and wanted to share with others. They taught the arts because they believed it was their calling. They taught the arts to give something back to the community. They did not pursue it as a business, as a vehicle to make money.
ONCE UPON A TIME.-.The measure of success of a martial art instructor was good, strong, smart, tough, respectful students. It was not the size of the school or the flashiness of a car that indicated success.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .The dojang was a place of sweat, pain and sacrifice. It was a place where strong moral character was forged in the fire of extremely hard work. It was not a social club where one gathered to meet friends. It was not a place of music and health drinks where the beautiful people or the "chill crowd" goes to be seen in the place to be.
ONCE UPON A TIME... Martial artists considered the training hall a temple dedicated to the excellence of human personal achievement. It was not a cheap daycare center or a convenient baby-sitter.
ONCE UPON A TIME...The martial arts were not for everyone—and were never intended for everyone. If someone could not keep up with the class, if they could not "get" the techniques, they were never promoted to the next level. Certainly the martial curriculum was never changed to meet the slowest persons needs!
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Students had to actually know and perform the requirements for each belt promotion. They were never helped at the test or told the answers. They didn't have black belts standing around to help them remember particular techniques. Students were never promoted just because they showed up. They had to be able to do the techniques and with a certain level of excellence.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Promotion exams were not a major social event. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends were not seated around the testing area watching the students perform. Testing was private; after all, it was possible to fail and have to retake the test.
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..Everyone strove for improvement to reach that proverbial high bar. The bar was never lowered so that everyone could rise over it. If you couldn't reach it, you worked harder. We strove for excellence and were not satisfied with mediocrity.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Everyone was not so concerned with rank and titles. Everyone wasn't a shihan, soke, kwan jang nim, or grandmaster. They were simply sa bum nims or senseis. There certainly were not any thirty year old grandmasters.
ONCE UPON A TIME. ..The black belt had meaning. A brown or red belt was someone to be feared and respected. A black belt was something else. A second degree was extremely difficult to get, not even to mention a third or fourth degree. There were no 15 year old second degree black belts. Becoming a black belt was a long hard road to travel and required extremely intensive study.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Uniforms, gis and doboks were either white or black. You could identify the school of a student by the simple patch on the uniform. The name of the school was not emblazoned across every stitch of the uniform and it did not look like a reject from a Fredericks of Hollywood catalogue or the costume of a cartoon super hero.
ONCE UPON A TIME... Techniques and philosophies worked and you knew they worked because they were tested against peers in the dojang or at a tournament. Plain, simple and true; if your philosophy did not work, you got your backside handed to you.
ONCE UPON A TIME.. .Martial arts magazines were filled with information about styles, systems, training methods and tournaments. They were not ads or pseudo articles espousing the virtues of a particular school.
ONCE UPON A TIME...If you were in martial arts you were part of a unique, small and elite society. It was a society rich with history and traditions. You were proud to be a part of that society. You were not belittled or degraded; people did not walk by the dojang and make fake Bruce Lee noises. You were respected and you earned that respect. >>>>>>
It makes me think how "different" martial arts is today. It actually sadens me to think about the "martial businesses" out there. I long for those old days. Eventhough I wasn't there (I'm prolly too young to remember), I wish I was.
