What does a Black Belt mean? Ask 10 martial arts instructors and you’re bound to get 10 different answers. A better question might be, “What does a Black Belt mean to you?” I don’t think that there is an objective, universal answer, so I challenge you to ponder this question for yourself.
It might help to start by thinking about what a Black Belt is not. In my opinion, a Black Belt does not necessarily mean that person is the toughest person around, and someone who abuses their body with drugs or an unhealthy lifestyle is certainly not practicing Black Belt excellence. They may have a belt around their waist that happens to be black, but until they make the adjustments and work to get back on track they are not truly a Black Belt. I believe that such a person could become a Black Belt once more, but again, these are my beliefs, and I challenge you to think about this for yourself.
I wish that I could tell you that once you become a Black Belt life is perfect and all your worries are over! However, that is not the case, and actually I am glad it isn’t; how boring would life be without any challenges? In many ways, life may actually be harder for a Black Belt, since they weigh the impact of all of their actions. They would not allow themselves to overindulge in their favorite food or video game, but instead strive to make each day productive.
While the Black Belt lifestyle may present as many (if not more) challenges than the average lifestyle, the Black Belt is well equipped to deal with such challenges when they do occur. The Black Belt has learned that with hard work and persistence they can overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
As an instructor, I believe one of the most important aspects of teaching is challenging our students to think about the impact of their actions. I want them asking questions like, “Should I eat this, or that?” “No one saw me break the lamp, should I blame it on the dog? Why or why not?” “There is a student at school sitting alone at the lunch table, should I ask him or her to join us? Why?”
The Black Belt does not wander through life being led solely by base desire and instinct. The Black Belt constantly asks him or herself how his or her actions will affect their own lives, as well as those of others.
I look at our students and see the epitome of what a Black Belt means to me. Our Black Belts that are working toward their Second Degree Black Belts exemplify the characteristics I’ve mentioned above in their words and deeds. Even many of our students that are working towards their first Black Belt are already demonstrating Black Belt excellence in their techniques and interactions with others. Of course, each one is different, but each one now sees life through “Black Belt eyes,” with a deep belief in their own ability to achieve their goals.

_Dear students and parents,
 
Our topic for last week's mat chats was the first part of the student creed.  Student creed number one is a promise on the part of the student to always take care of their body and mind, living a healthy "Black Belt" lifestyle. 
 
Our students gave many examples of what they felt were important components of a healthy lifestyle, such as proper diet, exercise, and reading.  We also heard many great ideas regarding things that might prevent us from achieving our full potential.  Students mentioned that things such as television, video games, and junk food, while not necessarily bad, can be harmful if they are not kept in check.  The word addiction came up on more than one occasion.  Several students offered numbers and limits regarding appropriate amounts of time for TV watching and video game playing.  I don't know if there is a precise amount that is OK or too much, but I do think it can be beneficial for parents and children to sit down and discuss certain guidelines when it comes to these activities. 
 

_The focus of our mat chats was not really on whether TV and video games directly harm our minds, since I believe that topic is open to much debate.  Rather, we discussed how problems arise when over-indulgence in such activities prevents us from devoting appropriate time to activities such as homework, reading, family time, and martial arts training.  A good question to ask might be, "Is this getting in the way of something more important?" Or "If I weren't playing this game, what would I be doing?" 
 
Of course, a certain amount of relaxation and recreation is an important part of the the Black Belt lifestyle.  A Black Belt may certainly play video games, but rather than playing for 2 hours and then attempting to get their homework done, they might finish their homework, practice their martial arts techniques, and then enjoy a video game for a while, then read a book before bed.
 
Oftentimes, all of this is much easier said than done, since our actions are guided more by what we feel like doing than what we think we SHOULD do.  Addictions to games and junk food can be extremely hard to break.  Most people have probably struggled with some sort of addiction in their lifetime, and some can be extremely serious, so I think that it is extremely important that we teach our younger students how to deal with these situations now.  Today it is junk food, tomorrow it might be alcohol. 
 
When thinking of breaking unhealthy addictions, the words of the famous theologian Erasmus come to mind: "A nail is driven out by another nail."  In other words, rather than simply trying to break an unhealthy habit in our or our children's lifestyles, we can help to cultivate good habits.  We can replace a harmful addiction with a positive "addiction."  Perhaps a child who won't stop playing video games would put the controller down if they discovered the joy of playing the piano.  Maybe a youngster who watches 4 hours of TV a day now would, if given a taste of the martial arts, choose to practice martial arts each day, and read martial arts books instead of watching so much TV. 
 
I've never heard a parent complain that their child reads too much, or practices the violin too much, or is too passionate about the martial arts.  I've heard people preach, "Everything in moderation," but to me, I think that is great advice if a person's goal is to lead a mediocre life.
 
This same strategy can be used for developing healthy eating habits.  I know former chocolate addicts that now crave vegetables.  How can we help our children to make these changes?  The answer is simple- martial arts. 
 
In this day and age, many people place great importance on their progress or performance in a certain video game.  One of the great things about the martial arts are that they help to culitvate a focus on one's progress on an actual important skill ("in real life," so to speak).  With our stripe-system, students have a tangible sign of their progress each and every class.  This, coupled, with the feeling of progress as their techniques improve, explains why so many students stick with the martial arts, achieving advanced levels such as Brown and Black Belt.  Speaking of which I am very excited that right now we have a large number of Red and Dark Brown Belts, that are already showing Black Belt excellence in their techniques and behavior.  Many of our up and coming belts have also shown great enthusiasm and progress, and we look forward to watching them achieve their Black Belts one day as well.

Ossu!