So as I get into this post, it should become clear that this has been eating at me for quite some time. It's really coming to a head as I approach black belt testing (date isn't known yet, but with every day it gets closer). I'm going to come right out and say it. I think anyone who quits after earning a black belt (as if it were the sole purpose of doing martial arts) did not earn their belt. They are missing a very crucial piece of the puzzle -- and it isn't the physical part, it's mental. I'm not a black belt, and it infuriates me more than anything else. Many people spent countless hours training you, probably even sacrificing their own training, patiently encouraging you and fixing your mistakes. Yet, when it's your turn, you just turn around and walk out the door. You don't pass on any of that knowledge to some of the younger students who may have looked up to you, but you go home to your friends and brag that you ARE a black belt. As if once you've done it, you've got it forever. As far as I'm concerned, when you quit for good (I'm not talking about people who take breaks or are planning on returning) you have no rank anymore. You aren't in the system anymore, how can you be measured by a standard within the system? You just can't say that you are a black belt if you aren't practicing martial arts anymore. There's an unwritten obligation that comes with becoming a black belt (I strongly believe -- in case you haven't gathered yet). This may be different for every person, but I feel that you should contribute and give back in some way for some period of time before you can just drop out of martial arts. Perhaps I'm naive and ranting, but it keeps coming up. I'm 22 and moved out of my parents house, but I still talk to my parents (come on, that's the very least I can be doing for the people who gave birth to me). And one question they are always interested in is when am I testing for black belt. I usually shrug, which they can't see because I'm on the phone, and say what's the rush? The follow up question is what I'm going to do after I get my black belt. They are under the impression that it's like running a marathon. You train so hard for so long, then when you do it you can move on to something else (if you don't want to do another one). And remember, you can tell people that you ran a marathon, but you can't tell people that you ARE running a marathon (unless you are in the middle of another one). See what I'm driving at now? Back to the story: I always reply what do you mean next? I'm not going anywhere. I plan to do TKD forever. The problem is that we have a close family friend who trained for 2-3 years in karate, got his black belt, then left. And there's something wrong there. Some disconnect. That mindset is so confusing to me. Maybe at first I considered black belt to be a goal, but now it's just part of the journey. I mean, how could you quit after putting in the effort? It's so disrespectful to your masters (in my opinion). Sure, you've compensated them by paying them, but I always considered that to be a necessary thing to keep the physical dojang running (power, cooling, heating, etc) plus uniforms, belts, boards, sparring gear, insurance, etc. The real payback is in knowledge. You may be able to explain something or demonstrate something from your new unique perspective that helps another student learn and stay interested and motivated.
Maybe part of the problem contributing to this mindset is that black belts tend to be given out after less time training than in the past. This lets get in and out before really taking in what they are doing. Another is that it can be pretty expensive to train now. Maybe people feel that they've paid enough with money. I don't know.
