Ryan is a provisional black belt candidate for 1st degree. Here is his essay about what it means and what it takes to be a black belt.

Ryan is an adult student. In this essay, he tackles some issues that will be familiar to adult martial artists: how humbling it is to start something new,  how tough it can be to make time for training outside of class, how difficult change can be, and how much there is to remember! What I love is how Ryan talks about his own strategies for overcoming these difficulties, while also recognizing that the very act of overcoming them is a key part of being and becoming a black belt.

Check it out after the jump!

“What a Black Belt is and What it Takes” by Ryan

Black Belt in Life

I started my journey to black belt on the sidelines, watching my kids with their own Taekwondo experience. I didn’t just watch, but I really paid attention. It didn’t take me long to realize that Instructor Chris wasn’t just teaching these kids how to punch and kick. He was teaching them so much more, and more about life. One thing he always said to the kids, and it has stuck with me, is that he didn’t just want them to just be a black belt at the school, but that he wanted to teach them to “be a Black Belt in life.” This is powerful, and its essence is exactly what a black belt is and what it should take.