| After my 1st Dan test, (and I mean IMMEDIATELY AFTER) I moved back to my hometown from college. One of the first things I did was look for another school, and one of my worries was that all the hardwork that I had put in would have been for nothing, or that I would not be good enough and would dishonor my instructor, my training. At one school that I looked the instructor flat out told me that 'you must train a minimum of six years constant training before you are ready to test for your black belt. You would likely be a red or brown belt, with 2 more levels of brown to go here. Now, you can wear your belt, but no one here will take it seriously. our tests ....' and basically called my previous training crap. Needless to say I did not go there. I also worried that I would not live up to the moral obligation of the black belt. Not because I am immoral (I am not perfect, but as a youth minister, I would like to think I try harder than most, not that I succeed more), but because to younger kids, who I tended to work with, being a black belt is like being a superhero. They might as well issue you a cape with your black belt for how many kids look at you. |