| It's often said in Martial Arts that the | | | | it had been 10 years since my last official |
| meaning doesn't lie in how good you are or | | | | test. |
| what belt you have, rather the meaning lies | | | | |
| in the journey. Before I get into "What Black | | | | In July, I went to Nashville to train with my |
| Belt Means To Me", I would like to talk about | | | | highly recognized and beloved instructor |
| my journey of these past few months. | | | | Sensei Wayne Tyler. I consider him as a |
| | | | father figure in my martial arts career |
| The Journey | | | | because of his vast knowledge of Wado-Ryu and |
| | | | unconditional love for his students and the |
| Last week I had flown to Nashville to test | | | | art. Imagine being a scientist and your |
| for my long awaited San Dan (3rd degree Black | | | | teacher was Albert Einstein - that is what it |
| Belt – This is kind of like becoming an | | | | feels like to be under the wing of Sensei |
| official "Teacher"). Prior to the test I had | | | | Tyler (or Mr. Tyler, as I call him). I was in |
| been training consistently since April of | | | | Nashville training with Sensei 2 - 3 hours |
| this year at a friends dojo and my local gym. | | | | per day for 5 days. I caught up on my |
| | | | curriculum and took the extra knowledge that |
| It had been about 5 years since I've last | | | | was passed down by him and applied it to my |
| practiced my discipline, Wado-Ryu Karate-Do, | | | | training back in Denver. |
| so my recollection of the system was very | | | | |
| vague. After watching numerous tapes of | | | | Again, since I didn't know what to expect, I |
| myself as a young martial artist, I had | | | | conditioned myself to be ready for almost |
| re-learned my under belt curriculum, however | | | | anything. Not only was I practicing my basics |
| I was struggling to remember my black belt | | | | and katas (Japanese forms), but I was also |
| curriculum. If you know anything about | | | | running 2 miles, three days per week, 15 - 20 |
| martial arts, one's under belt knowledge is | | | | minutes on the rowing machine and about 6 - 7 |
| essential because it is considered as the | | | | miles on the stationary bike. I don't think I |
| foundation of one's training. On the other | | | | could have been more prepared for this test. |
| hand, a lot of people believe that your | | | | |
| training truly begins when you achieve your | | | | I successfully passed my test and was |
| first black belt. I couldn't agree more. When | | | | promoted to San Dan on October 17th 2006. I |
| I was promoted to Sho Dan (1st Degree Black | | | | must say, this was one of my greatest |
| Belt) my interpretation about Wado-Ryu and | | | | accomplishments in my martial arts career and |
| the martial arts had grown dramatically and I | | | | a dream come true. It has taken me several |
| began to really learn. | | | | years to reach this goal, but it has |
| | | | reinforced my interpretation of being a black |
| Either way, I needed to know everything that | | | | belt, or in my case - San Dan. |
| could have possibly been thrown at me because | | | | |