Not a Genuine Black Belt

After reading Brian Copeland's "Not a Genuine Black Man", my thoughts wandered to my own personal experiences as an outsider, not just culturally, but also within the martial arts world. As an self-identified independent martial artist, I've received a wide range of responses in my encounters with other black belts and masters (mostly respectful), but like Copeland, the one that most deeply affects me is the viewpoint that my rank and/or practice is not legitimate, as if I'm not a "real" black belt.

It doesn't affect me out of a sense of doubt about my own knowledge and/or abilities, but because I feel excluded in a way that is contrary to our practice. I find it sad and distressing that an industry that preaches respect and discipline is, all too often, prone to petty bickering and a brand of multi-generational politics that runs deeper than a high school drama club.

It is interesting to note that while Copeland's reflections on identity reinforce his belief that identity is self-constructed and not subject to the opinions of others, martial arts ranking is, to some extent. Your instructor awards you rank, and in the eyes of other martial artists, that instructor's standards, connections, reputation, style, and affiliation is somehow embedded into it. Fortunately, most of us are fortunate and come from a proud and honorable lineage, yet the same characteristic can backfire when political lines are crossed.

This has been on my mind as of late because recently such accusations came from someone within my own lineage whom I consider to be important in my life. Their words felt like an attack on my sense of self, almost belittling in tone because it hid behind the facade of polite conversation. I didn't get defensive though. I felt sad...it was disheartening to hear such things from a person who was like family to me, and who I thought understood me and my work more deeply than a lot of people ever will.

I will not be held down though.

I will continue to hold my head high and press onward.

My legitimacy is best defined by who I am and what I do. Perhaps to them, I may not be a genuine black belt. Sorry to hear that. In my heart, I live it to the best of my ability because regardless of pedigree, I can always do my best to be a genuine human being that happens to train like a black belt. That's more important to me than anyone else's opinions about who respects the signatures on the papers on my wall and who I choose to train with.

"Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself - your worth, abilities and potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose - they want to keep you down."
~Frederick Douglas (thank you to Robb Hamic for sharing this!)

Not a Genuine Black Man, by Brian Copeland

At the age of eight, Brian Copeland's mother fled her abusive husband and relocated their family from Oakland to San Leandro, which at the time was considered one of the most racist enclaves in the nation.  He endured a difficult childhood and went on to become a successful comedian and radio host, but even after leaving behind his past, an anonymous letter arrived which read: "As an African-American, I am disgusted every time I hear your voice because YOU are not a genuine black man!" 

This letter drives Copeland to face a lifetime of experiences as an outsider as he courageously toils to reclaim his identity.  The book is a series of memoirs which describes specific events in Copeland's life which place him in the role of outsider.

Ultimately, Copeland holds firm to his faith in himself and his belief that people construct their own identities, independent of outside judgment and labeling.  No single person or group determines the standards by which to assess authentic forms of cultural identity.  To subscribe to this belief sabotages the spirit of multiculturalism and lays waste to the decades of social progress which have brought us to this point.

(Note: "Not a Genuine Black Man" is the third of twelve books that I will be sharing with you as part of the requirements of my Ultimate Black Belt Test.  More to come, stay tuned!)

Revisiting the "Ironman" Test

In the 1990s, many schools were encouraged to discard the "ironman" style of testing.  Such testing methods were often characterized by long hours performing every technique in the system, multi-day events in which candidates were subjected to treatment that was often brutal - perhaps even on the borderline of hazing.

Maybe it was.

I remember tests like this.  I was part of them, but I try not to overromanticize my own journey because some of it was just plain stupid.  I watched my best friend pass out from heat exhaustion 3 hours into our black belt test because access to water was unheard of.  I've seen more than my fair share of people knocked out from matches that were out of control because it was intended to be a beating and not a tough challenge.  I've seen people get bashed by weapons and slapped around while performing their katas in order to test the stability of their movements.  I have partaken in the endless rounds of sparring versus hordes of black belts from both sides of the fights.  I watched as my own girlfriend performed pushups on a suspected broken hand (it was) because she didn't want to fail by giving up.  I was stabbed once during a knife defense portion of a test, and on another occasion, I cut my wrist on the edge of a brick and I stayed for another hour or so to watch the rest of the test and make sure that my blood was mopped up properly before leaving for the hospital. 

We were dumber then.  Sorry.  It's a wonder that I even lived long enough to sign up for the UBBT.  No wonder the recommendation was that testing like that disappear.  I'm all for eliminating "stupid" testing.

Surely, there were a lot of factors that didn't help it, many of them coming from the instructor(s) themselves.  Since there is no universal standard for black belt education or instructor training, schools varied widely in their approaches and a lot of unsafe practices were being performed.  Their rationale, when present, often consisted of phrases like "we are a traditional school" and "black belts need to be tough", or some permutation of it.

I don't disagree with those things.  I've been known to say them about my own program.  I just don't use them as my sole explanation.

My own UBBT experience in the past year (plus the lurking I've been doing for years prior to enrolling) has taught me much about a 21st-century version of the 'ironman' style test, and my candidates begin heavy preparations 12 months ahead of time (I say "heavy" because they've been training for this moment ever since they walked into the school, yes?), where they convert a general awareness of 'black belt training' into a much more focused (but well-rounded) awareness.  This, as Coach Tom jokes, allows me to 'torture' my candidates for an entire year and not just a weekend. ;)

When I run my black belt tests now (approaching my third annual test this month), everything about it is carefully constructed and purposefully placed into the test.  Even after a year of grueling preparations, I still run a multi-day test and challenge my candidates to "do the impossible".

Why?  Well, several reasons, but the major theme behind them is: it's my way of serving the student the maximum benefit for a focused amount of time, with the highest degree of life-changing impact.  As Paulo Coelho wrote in his bestseller The Alchemist, before one realizes a dream, everything that has been learned along the way must be tested, not because we are evil, but so that we can master those lessons in addition to realizing our dream.  When someone evolves in this manner, it has a profound impact on everything and everyone around them.

Through this process, I have the opportunity to pack multiple peak experiences into the test (conditioning, technical, learning, life, etc), and even though such things may be superfluous after someone's gone through a year of testing, it will certainly not feel anticlimactic for someone who has spent a year training.  I get to travel with them and we can experience a new place - not to mention the benefits of interrupting your pattern and having to refocus.  From a safety standpoint, I can also monitor rest, food intake, stretching, activities, and other things as necessary in order to ensure that no one gets injured....and I have time to do this without sacrificing my timetable on a shorter test.

I also get to coordinate more than just an opportunity for the candidates to show off.  It becomes a learning experience (I like workshop-style testing anyway) that provides mental, social, and emotional challenges for the group to overcome while they are in a tight support group to encourage each other as we face our trials together.  Additionally, I try to coordinate the release of new curriculum with the test so that candidates get a 'sneak preview' of the material during the test...they're going to be helping me to teach it anyway, and I want part of their test to include their ability to learn.

Since most parents cannot sit through the event in its entirety due to work and other family obligations, we still host a graduation ceremony that is much like a demonstration and a party.  By then, the 'test' is a formality.  After playing full-out for a year, the rest is all a celebration of their ascent into the black belt ranks.  We still provide an official setting, but they're all fired up because they know it's the home stretch!

Of course, none of these things are necessary.  It could easily be accomplished in a 90-minute demonstration of technical skill, but all of these things are added values which will make the experience one to remember forever.  I put in the extra work to coordinate it because I feel obligated to my students to deliver something special since they're working so hard.  Even in my more 'commercial' days (I say that in the most well-intentioned way possible), I have always tried to deliver far more value than I charged while still maintaining good business sense and adhering to intelligent safety, educational, and martial principles.

Then again, perhaps all of those lessons are necessary, and this is one way to teach it.

I will be in the Lake Tahoe, Nevada area with my latest group of candidates from May 17-19, in Pleasanton, California on May 20, and back in San Jose for our graduation event on May 21.  If any of you are in the area, I'd love to welcome you as an honored guest.  Please let me know!

The Cow Whisperer: An Illustrated Tale of Kindness

Our story began on a sunny weekend afternoon in the Tri-Valley area of California...

(Once upon a time....)

My girlfriend and I went out hiking to enjoy each other's company and appreciate the view.  We encountered a lot of wildlife, including a herd of cattle that was grazing in the area.  As the day passed on and our fatigue settled in, I began to distract myself by greeting the cows and attempting light conversation for fun while they ate.

After about eight of these facetious attempts at communication, we heard a very clear, "Hello!"

Our eyes became about this big:

(Disclaimer: My eyes aren't blue.  Neither are Jenn's.)

The voice continued, "I'm up in the tree."

Sure enough, there was a man standing in a tree about fifty yards from us.  (At least we weren't crazy.)

A cow was standing at the base of the tree, her eyes locked on him curiously.

 The tree wasn't quite this tall, but you get the idea.  

Work with me here.

The man explained, "I came here to take some photographs and the cow got very curious and came straight at me.  I hopped up into this tree to get out of the way and it won't let me down.  I've been here for about 10 minutes hoping that someone would come by.  Can you help me?"

With the utterance of those magic words, I boldly strode into action.  Putting on my best "Cow Whisperer" face, I approached the cow slowly and repeated my greeting.

(This is a pic from summer 2008....two years and lots of pounds ago!)

My goal was to distract the cow long enough for the nice man to climb down from the tree and move away.  Once I had the cow's attention, I jingled my car keys, paying close attention to the cow's body language, in case it showed any signs of aggression.

(We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a quick lesson on reading animal behavior.)

Animals display various postures and behaviors which may be strong indications of their stress level.  With cows, this mostly occurs in their stance, tail movement, and the position of their head.  (Yes, that's pretty much the entire cow - keep working with me!)  When you approach an animal, these indicators may tell you if they have gone into a fight-or-flight mode: a sure sign that you've invaded its space and may be in trouble, as the animal may believe that you're threatening it, challenging it, or making a territorial claim.  This can often be seen by the motion of the tail: a cow that is grazing and generally 'chill' will have her tail down and relaxed, while a cow that feels threatened may hold her tail away from its body.

The main sign of trouble is when the animal makes a threatening posture in return.  With the aforementioned cows, this may take on an almost bullish posture, with the body facing you full-on, the shoulders firm, and the head slightly bowed.  She may even shuffle towards you briefly, to scare you off.  When this happens, back away slowly to about 20-25 feet away, keeping your eyes on the animal and body facing towards her.  Hopefully she will lose interest in you (once she no longer perceives you as a threat) and then go back to whatever she was doing.

(Before you are too impressed, it should be noted that I have absolutely no training in animal husbandry or wilderness survival; however, I am very grateful for the writings of Dr. Jack Albright, professor emeritus of animal science and veterinary medicine at Purdue University, who managed to state very clearly in writing exactly what I was feeling, and I am fortunate to have encountered his work 2 days after my cow incident.)

So back to the cow, yes?  I was jingling my keys and...

(Thanks to the creator of Roflbot, a free online utility 

that helps me, and now you, to convert random pictures 

into comic masterpieces.)

Sure enough, this was a textbook encounter.  She glanced at me, curious at first about my keys, and I advanced gently, watching her posture carefully.  When she turned towards me and began walking, I backed away to a safe distance, and the nice man in the tree fled to safety along an adjacent equestrian trail.

He eventually met up with us to share the rest of his tale and express his gratitude.

The best part of it all?  He volunteers for the park and just had a training on managing cattle.  (Kids, this is called irony....it'll help you in a literature class someday, I promise you.)

And for my girlfriend and I?  Well, we chalked up a good ten-mile hike, another act of kindness, and a story for the water cooler.

Have a great day!