Anti-climax after your black belt grading

It takes a while for your black belt to sink in, so just relax and enjoy what it means over the coming months and years.

For most karate ka, achieving a black belt is the pinnacle of their martial arts career so far. It is a goal that most have been fixed on for many years, and it’s one that requires a lot of persistence and dedication to achieve. Why is it then, that within a few hours of achieving their black belt, so many of them report a sense of anti-climax, as though maybe it wasn’t as special as they thought?

There are several reasons: because the black belt holder (yudansha), is held up as the pinnacle of martial excellence, we credit them with almost superhuman prowess. Over the years leading up to black belt, those who already have it act as role models to us all. For many, the belt itself seems unattainable, representing a level of physical fitness and ability that is outside the limits of their self-discipline.

Then on the day itself, you are hyped up and ready to give your all. Most martial artists are more than willing to endure serious injury on the day, or to attempt it whilst carrying severe injuries. Not that being injured on the day is acceptable, but I’ve seen many students push themselves well beyond their normal limits of physical endurance during their black belt grading. I’ve seen people collapse from pushing themselves beyond their physical limits, and I’ve seen more than one person throwing up from the exertion. But to paraphrase a quote, “Pain is temporary, but regret lasts a long longer”.

I think another reason for the anti-climax is that the black belt has become too much of a target, representing for many the end of the journey. It’s like setting out to walk around the world, but only aiming for the south pole. Sure, you’re going to have go past the south pole, but that’s only part of the way. If you get to the south pole and think “Great, made it at last!” you’re only going to be disappointed by the fact that you have a lot further to journey.

But there’s another reason why most people feel that anti-climax after receiving their belt. On the day, you finally hear your name called out, and there is a tremendous sense of relief that have been found worthy, and of course, great elation to have achieved such a challenging goal. Then you get into the car to go home, and after a while, you tire of looking down at your belt (usually after about 10,000 miles...), then you think, “Great. Now what? Nothing has changed.” I remember exactly the same feeling on my thirteenth birthday.

Don’t get down about it. The feeling is temporary. It’s just that at that exact moment, you don’t remember all the times when you looked up to black belt role models.

But then, the next time you’re in the dojo, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a mirrored dojo, or if you catch a glimpse of yourself in a window, you’ll suddenly see yourself as a totally different person. You have become that role model that everybody looks up to. It’s a great feeling, and of course, with it comes the responsibility of doing your best and setting a good example.

Then you go to a “Next is black” seminar, and finally you’re in the group that gets to stay up for every single kata, and you can allow yourself a sigh of justified satisfaction.

Then you’re at a local seminar, and your sensei is looking for someone to demonstrate on, and he or she calls you up, and everyone looks at you with new respect. Ahh, life is good!

Then you go to a tournament, and suddenly you realise that in your division, you get an extra 30 seconds fighting time, and your events are on last in the day – pride of place, and you are held to a higher kata standard than everyone else.

But the best bit is when a stranger discovers that you do karate, and they ask, “Are you a black belt?” because they don’t know any other colours, and you can respond “Yes I am!!!!”

Now wipe that smug grin off your face, and remember, black belt is just one more staging post along the journey...