Licence to Kill
A Black Belt is has been often thought of as a licence in the martial arts. Some of us older guys might remember the rumour you had to have your fingerprints taken when you got Black Belt because you would be considered lethal (the title of this blog is supposed to be a pun, hopefully, not offensive). If a Black Belt is a licence in the martial arts then there is almost a direct correlation to that of a drivers licence. People training for these ‘licences’ are students required to log the minimum amount of hours, gain the experience to be able to handle situations and demonstrate both mental and physical ability.
When a person starts learning to drive they are stacked with many rules and regulations. The same goes, in the martial arts, the moment you walk in the dojo (gym) with rules and etiquette. Then you are bombarded with a whole list of instructions which come standard with martial arts training, and some of these do not too much sense, but with time and patience, you eventually get to see the picture. Each lesson is like adding a jig saw piece to the puzzle which eventually takes shape. When enough hours are logged up, and the student can finally make out the picture, that’s the time to go for their licence.
If Martial Arts Instructors can picture their students as Learners, then the students see their Instructors as Driving Instructors. In the martial arts there are no motor vehicles but, ‘when there is enough drive in the student, the wheels are in motion’. I would like to be the one to issue your licence one day!
GA