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!

It's Me: One Year Later (Roughly)

As of this post, I have been participating in the Ultimate Black Belt Test for 371 days and counting.

In the past year, I have renewed my study of the arts, my practice as a teacher, my duties as a citizen of the world, my connections to others in my sphere of influence, and my development as a human being.

More importantly, my students have begun to walk this path as well and collectively, we're on the path towards great things!

I'm due for a progress report anyway, so here's where I'm at after 12.2 months:

UBBT Accomplishments:

• I have lost 31 pounds.  (Initial: 249, Current: 218)
• I have performed 93,100 pushups and 98,500 crunches/ab exercises.
• I have completed 2,600 repetitions of forms: 1k each of 2 different forms, 600 of a 3rd in progress.
• I have traversed 1,600 miles of combined running, biking, and hiking.
• I have completed 450 rounds of sparring & bag work.
• I have meditated for over 180 hours, at a minimum of two 15-minute sessions per day.
• I have completed 20 hours of groundwork & boxing training.
• I have reduced my plastic consumption by 50%.
• I have performed 8500 acts of kindness and another 3000 through students.
• Although I have not performed any anonymous acts of kindness for teammates, I have worked to deliver overt acts of kindness towards them.
• I have righted 1 of 3 wrongs in my life, and currently mending 2 of 3 relationships.
• I have profiled 2 living heroes and 2 books, with 3 more of each coming.
• I completed the Body for Life program during summer 2009 and will repeat it again.
• I have spent 1 day blind and 1 day mute.
• I have organized 3 environmental cleanup events and another 10 through students.
• I have performed portions of my testing requirements publicly 4 times.
• This journal entry will be my 127th journal in 53 weeks.

Personal Accomplishments:

• I have altered my diet and health habits to be in much closer alignment with my ideals.
• I have not purchased anything new since January 1st, other than basic necessities and supplies to facilitate the accomplishment of my goals.
• I have created and published 8 videos with my Flip camera, 2 videos with my phone, and another 4 with professional assistance from my brother.
• I have begun to learn how to cook and can now proudly wear an orange belt in the kitchen.
• I have been cleaning out sections of my home and the excavation is proceeding well.
• I have paid off 1 of 3 credit cards in full, with another close behind.
• I am managing a much healthier sleeping schedule, with close to 7 hours/night of rest.
• I am cross-training in 4 other arts and have been enjoying the process of being a student again.
• I have redesigned my dojo's core curriculum and testing process with a much more 'intelligent' focus.
• My participation in the UBBT is having a positive influence on other martial arts schools in the area through networking and friendly exchanges of information.  My students have also grown from the relationships that have blossomed out of those conversations.
• I have constructed a Digital Dojo for my program which has received hits from all over the United States, Canada, and Europe....and still growing!
• Although my student team has dwindled in active participation, I am still very proud of the work that is being accomplished by our core group and hope that it will inspire the others to resume their progress towards their goals.
• My students and I have met numerous UBBT members, veterans, coaches, and inspirations.  Additionally, I have interacted with many more digitally through the magic of Facebook and Ning.

This is only the beginning for me. As Coach Tom has shared with us, little things add up to big things.  I plan to continue this progress through the rest of this year and into UBBT 8.  My journey is far from over.

We've only just begun.

Earth Day Updates from Team San Jose

Happy Earth Day, Live Team! 

(Technically, it's on Thursday, but I'm posting early)

During the month of April, many of San Jose’s Live members have initiated their own community projects, with the help and support of their teammates. We’re thinking globally and acting locally to make a difference. I’m very proud of the work that we’ve begun to do! I’ve been encouraging my students to initiate projects, document them, and record them as part of our environmental self-defense initiatives, which are being integrated (along with other related projects) into the rank requirements of my school. With just a little bit of time, they have already been able to organize numerous projects.(Great job team!)

Here’s a brief summary with links to some of their many projects:

Lynne Brady is creating a garden along an unused area of our campus to grow foods that will be donated to needy families in our school community! She has received a great deal of support from teammates Edgar Diego and Fernando Ortiz, who have donated many hours towards building the planters and filling them with soil.

Karena Chicas constructed a presentation for her class about Earth Day, and cleaned a local park with her friend Vanessa (a student in my English class).

Meaghan Del Real is assembling a team of helpers for a community art project that will covert old clothing items into decorative pillows and pillowcases. Teammate Anne Tran describes the project here. More on this coming as it develops.

Steven Han and Eloy Harris teamed up to clean up our school campus and found a number of “curious” items, along with a serious need to continue doing their work. Fellow teammates Armond Witherspoon and Juan Zamudio have stepped up to help them.

Lucinda Maldonado and her nephew helped to clean a local park, see photos here.

Ashley Ornelas organized a local school cleanup project together with teammates Andrew Mendez and Robert Truong. Check out the before and after clips.

Daniel Poo is striving to reduce his carbon footprint and is encouraging others to do the same. He’s been forwarding this website to his co-workers, relatives, and colleagues to calculate their carbon footprint. Additionally, he has taken the Meat-Free Monday pledge to help reduce his carbon footprint – read about it here! He’s looking for 100 signatures – perhaps you may want to help him reach his goal?  You can contact him on his Ning profile here.

Youssef Shokry is researching rooftop gardening and other green solutions, as well as begun his own small garden.  I've pointed him in the direction of the Square Foot Gardening project.

Anne Tran is creating a food compost at our school with the intent of supporting Lynne’s garden project. She’s already secured a green light from the school principal to obtain resources and begin doing the work

If you’re reading this: you don’t have to do anything fancy or attend a huge gathering to begin doing something for your community. Chances are that, if you open your front door, there’s someone or something within walking distance that could benefit from your efforts. We just need to train our eyes to see a need, and then take action to help.  If you're ready for the next level, then align with a local organization and help them with their work!

Until next time, keep training hard and living like champions.

P.S. to Mike Curtis: My team will gladly assist with your daughter’s project. We’ll be sending you something in the next couple of weeks.

A Quick Thank You

Brief entry for today, but I just wanted to express a huge thank you, on behalf of myself and all of the EpicAMP students at LPS San Jose, to Professor Kai Li and Professor Rod Reape for sharing their time with us yesterday.  Kai flew in to teach a seminar with SGM Rick Alemany this weekend, but arrived early and kindly came straight from the airport to my school to work with my students on some groundwork fundamentals.

My students had a fantastic time.  Thank you!

Video to come soon, stay tuned!

There Are No Shortcuts (Rafe Esquith, Living Hero)

On the wall of Rafe Esquith's fifth-grade classroom, the words "There Are No Shortcuts" are displayed prominently above the rules "Be Nice" and "Work Hard". Every year, his students excel beyond the expectations of ordinary fifth graders. They attend school from 6:30am until well after 4:00pm, even through their vacations, reading texts far beyond their grade level with understanding and passion in their voices, challenging themselves with algebra problems, and perform Shakespeare at a level that even impresses Sir Ian McKellen, a celebrated Shakespearean actor!

There is no place for mediocrity in Esquith's classroom, and his students love it. That attitude follows them long after they end their fifth-grade year, as many of them go on to colleges like Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, some even returning to volunteer their time and energy to contribute towards the work of their teacher. These results would be impressive at any school, yet what stands out even more is that Esquith teaches in an L.A. inner-city school known as the Jungle, where many of his students come from poor or troubled families and do not speak English at home.

His secret? Hard work and no quitting, mixed with a healthy abundance of kindness and fun while learning intensely.

In his book, "There Are No Shortcuts", Esquith gives insight into his experiences at the Jungle with a refreshing candor that highlights his successes without downplaying the usefulness of his mistakes in crafting his teaching style.

I remember watching videos about Rafe and his students while completing my teaching credential program in grad school. He's a dynamic educator, possessed of a fierce idealism and a genuine love for his students. For a man who works 14-16 hour days like he does, you need to view your work as your passion in order to avoid burnout and breakdowns. I find his passion admirable. I don't necessarily recommend the 16-hour workdays to everyone, but I can definitely sympathize with the idea that when you are that passionate about your work, it doesn't necessarily feel like work.

You do it because it must be done.

(Note: Rafe Esquith is the third of 10 living heroes that I will be profiling as part of my UBBT goals. "There Are No Shortcuts" is the second of 12 books that I will be sharing with you. More to come, stay tuned!)