Back in the day, a black belt was like a superhero. He could break bricks with his hand, concrete slabs with his head, and boards with his fingers all while yelling a gut wrenching sound from his diaphragm with a piercing look in his eyes. Just by seeing his amazing power, focus, and control, you knew that this person could drop any punk who was dumb enough to attack him. Aside from his ability to break things, he could do splits, kick above his head with no effort, and had a confidence that spewed from every pore of his body. It was awesome.

In the old times, there was only one belt – white, and its purpose was to hold your uniform top together. The practitioners found that after all the years of training, the white belt turned black from sweat and dirt, which then symbolized that if you were wearing a black belt, you had been doing it a long time, because it took years for it to get that dirty. Later, a color belt system was created to show the different levels. It gave students a sense of achievement and a way to set short term goals. The reality was that most students would quit if they were a white belt for several years and then had only the black belt to be promoted to.

The black belt symbolized an advanced practitioner – someone who had mastered the basics and stood above all others under him. A black belt was tough, but kind. He could fight, but avoided them. He could break bones, but would rather shake hands. He was a warrior, but stood for peace. A black belt was EARNED and RESPECTED. Is a black belt viewed the same way nowadays? Not hardly, but it depends on who is viewing it and who the black belt is.

Non martial artists view a black belt one of two ways – either the fallacy that the black belt is someone you don’t mess with because he is unstoppable, or that having a black belt doesn’t mean anything when it comes to fighting. So you have two extremes – either a black belt is indestructible, or isn’t tough at all. Usually, however, many non martial artists are in the first group viewing black belts as nobody to mess with. The non martial artists in this category primarily base their belief off the movies they’ve seen. They saw Chuck Norris kick the crap out of eight guys at once in an episode of Walker Texas Ranger so they believe that’s what black belts can do. Sorry, but it’s a television show. Think about it: do you really think anybody could take out eight guys by himself? Although there are ways to get out of that situation, even by taking out two or three of them, but to beat the tar out of all eight guys and the black belt walking away unharmed? Not going to happen, unless he is armed.

Those on the other side of the coin, who view black belts as nobody’s, are usually ego driven tough guy wannabe’s who call themselves street fighters and are infatuated with wanting people to think they are tough. Other possibilities include: they saw a black belt get beat up by someone and the belt lost all validity; they saw that the black belt didn’t look like a black belt when throwing punches and kicks (in other words the punches and kicks looked horrible); or, they saw the black belt doing acrobatics and using unrealistic weapons like fans and swords, which made them realize that the only place that kind of stuff works is in the Dojo (training hall) when the training partner stands there for you with no resistance.

In the martial arts world, however, the black belt is viewed in several different ways. Most students have a goal of becoming a black belt. It’s a great achievement if you actually earn it. The problem is, nowadays, a black belt isn’t what it used to be. First off you have little kids getting them – something that is completely bizarre. No offense, but what is a 6 year old black belt going to do? He wouldn’t have a prayer of defending himself against an older punk – let’s say 10 years old – who decides to push him around, unless luck took over.

What I’ve found in today’s society is that 75 percent of black belts are not qualified to wear that rank – in my perception of what a black belt should be. The other 25 percent make up what a black belt should be (physically and mentally), in my view. The black belt has lost validity due to children getting them and due to people buying them and not earning them. Many instructors will promote people up through all the ranks quickly for the money. They end up with black belts who not only look horrible, but also couldn’t protect themselves if their lives depended on it. Not to mention, these so called black belts have a false belief system of actually thinking they are capable of defending themselves in any situation. The instructors who foolishly promote people like that are setting so many students up for failure and could possibly get them killed someday.

Another thing to ponder is that there are ten degrees of black. This means when you first get your black belt it’s actually a first degree black belt. Down the road you will get a second degree then third, fourth, etc. With that said, what I have seen quite often is rank jumping. I’ve seen unworthy instructors go from 4^th to 7^th completely skipping over 5^th and 6^th. I’ve also seen 3^rd to 5^th, 5^th to 8^th and 7^th to 10^th. Funny thing is, most of these people aren’t even good enough to be wearing a 1^st degree black, in my opinion. If you are a Jiu-Jitsu 3^rd degree black belt you shouldn’t be screwing up basic arm bars. If you are a Taekwondo 7^th degree black belt, you better be able to kick above your waist. There is no excuse for jumping rank. Personally, to me, a black belt is a black belt, and I feel you will either continue to grow or you won’t. That’s where the other degrees come into play. If you continue to grow and mature as a martial artist you deserve to get higher degrees. If you don’t grow, you don’t deserve higher degrees. Since unworthy black belts keep getting higher degrees, nowadays, being higher ranked doesn’t make you better. I’ve seen several 6^th and 7^th degree black belts who aren’t as good as some 2^nd and 3^rd degrees I’ve worked with.

I’ve also noticed in a lot of cases that the higher up in the degrees people go, the less they do and the worse they become. If you are worse now than you were two years ago, you don’t deserve being promoted to another degree of black. You don’t deserve birthday cake rank – just because you got another year older, so another year IN the art. The thing is there is a huge difference between being IN the art and being AT the art. Someone who is IN the art for 10 years is nowhere near someone who has been AT the art for 4 years. Paying your monthly fee on time, and showing up to class once in a while doesn’t mean you are doing what you are supposed to do and doesn’t mean you will be ranked every 3-4 months. Yes, most schools will do that, but those are the schools that end up with horrible black belts. Also, as an instructor, just standing in front of class barking orders all the time and never training yourself, is not setting a good example. By training, I mean actually breaking a sweat. I train everyday. I train with my students. Yes, I teach them, correct them, assist them, and motivate them, but I still work out with them, partner up with them, spar with them, etc. What better way to set the example and for them to believe in you than by you showing them by being able to do everything you are asking them to do?

Personally, I don’t base my opinion of somebody according to belt color. I base my opinion according to her character and her actions. If I see a black belt on the mats, I pay attention to how she carry’s herself. Is she helpful to the under ranks or is she strutting around acting better than everybody? Is she working out or just standing around? Is she a talker, or a doer? I love black belts who talk but never do. The one’s that talk like they are great, but will never spar, or never roll (Jiu-Jitsu). For example, if you tell me you know Jiu-Jitsu and hold a pretty good rank in it, but you won’t roll, you are full of it. The old adage, “actions speak louder than words” comes into play here. I see it all the time.

Back to the question, what does a black belt mean today? In my view, the black belt doesn’t mean anything unless you earned it. If you’ve worked as hard as you are capable of working for several years accumulating some bumps and bruises along the way – possibly even shed a few tears, and pushed yourself to never settle for where you are at and to always strive for improvement, then that black belt is something you deserved. Now that you are a black belt, your training begins.

I’ve noticed in a lot of cases that once people are promoted to black belt they think they have reached the top. Some think they don’t need instructors anymore and others think now that they are black belts they don’t have to train anymore. Why is it in most schools black belts just stand around while everybody else works out? When you are training it is a journey, not a destination. I know for me, I work harder and harder every year. I gain more knowledge and try to improve my physical skill daily. And, it’s not for rank. In my heart and in my mind rank doesn’t mean a thing. That is just my opinion for my personal life. I had a goal of becoming a black belt and it was an awesome accomplishment; but since I have become an instructor and have traveled all around the United States training with the top martial artists in the world and teaching at seminars, rank has lost value for me. In fact, most of the time, I don’t even wear my black belt. I usually teach in Gi pants and a Miller’s Dojo t-shirt with no belt. I put the full uniform on and wear my belt only once in a while at my school, and anytime I teach seminars at other schools or attend seminars. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of who I was promoted under for my degrees of black and I know I earned every one of them, but I’m more interested in knowledge and skill – not belts. I’ve fought in the ring and protected myself several times on the street and my belts had nothing to do with it.

Truth is the concept of a black belt will never have a definitive definition. It’s a subjective thing – everybody will have different opinions about what a black belt should be and even martial arts masters will have their own opinions that differ from other masters. In a lot of schools, becoming a black belt is about how many Katas you have memorized, which has nothing to do with being able to protect yourself. In other schools it’s about who you beat in tournament sparring. If you are an orange belt and you beat a blue belt, you become a blue belt. The way some people get black belts is totally asinine, but again, the black belt will never be the same all around – it’s impossible, because there are so many different martial arts styles out there that a black belt can’t be the same all around. Aside from that, you could take 10 black belts in the same style or system, even under the same instructor, and you will have 10 different black belts. One may be better at point sparring, another may be better at full contact, another may be better at forms, another may be a better kicker, etc.

To me, as I mentioned earlier, the only way the black belt means something is if you earned it. My personal definition of a black belt is that she should be able to protect herself pretty effortlessly, be able to spar a few full-contact rounds without getting knocked out or giving up, be able to teach, have good character, respect all people, have glowing confidence, always stand up for what’s right, lead by example, always help others, be civic minded, have a teachable spirit, never stop learning, and have no ego.

It used to be that 1 out of every 100 students became a black belt, because it was so difficult to reach. Now everybody who sticks around and hands in a monthly check becomes a black belt. That should put things in perspective for you. It used to be getting a black belt was like getting a PHD. Notice not everybody gets a PHD; only those who put in all the hours of schooling and hard work by studying and getting good grades. Nowadays, getting a black belt is like graduating kindergarten – tough feat there; and the only PHD we would be talking about would be piled high and deep.

I know this was a long article that mostly covered my views of the black belt and belt rank in general from a martial arts expert viewpoint who’s honor, dignity, and integrity are more important than taking money to give away false rank. I came across a similar article about belt rank that I really enjoyed and I am going to share that with you now. It was written by a guy named Sami Ibrahim. Here it is:

BELT RANK

One schools master is another schools novice. One studios black belt students are another studios orange belt students. Even within the same martial arts system and same organization you will see the inconsistency or disparity in equally ranked students. Even in the same school and with the same instructor no two students are the same in skill or understanding who have the same rank why?

Take for example a room of white belt students who are learning the Upper Block Basic. Each student sees the same move and works to get it right repeatedly in class, the instructor goes around making simple corrections until all the students are on the right track. If the upper block is a required basic for the next belt rank test, what is considered knowing it?

Is it simply that the student can make the motion that resembles the instructors motion superficially or does the student need to have all the joints at the correct alignment? Does the student have to demonstrate 1, 2, 3 maybe 8 applications with that basic? Is the student expected to know the when and when not to of that basic or do they have to show they can use it reflexively during a sparring portion of the test? Maybe some of those things will be required by the time they are third degree black belts or maybe not.

Some of those students will over the next few years put in countless hours of training at home while others will only train when they come to class. Some of those students will spend countless hours in research and experimentation with a given basic and others will never give it much thought. In the end some arbitrary test will award some token of progress. Later down the road the student or customer if you’re the commercial sort, who has met the tests and payment requirements can be given a teaching certificate that amounts to the instructor or associations endorsement that said individual is a capable of teaching the system.

The belt ranking system is idealistic in theory but not in application. In these modern times the value placed on the mighty dollar helps sway the vote, helps that instructor look at OTHER FACTORS…in promotion, such as well the guy lost weight and came to class on time, sure he still moves like a Yak but he quit smoking and he is such a nice guy, I guess I can overlook his lack of skill and award him a brown belt that he can grow into. Sure the boys still young but I can give him a Jr black belt after all his mom is rich and wants to take private lessons. In the end, the belt ranking system does help put food on the table or pay the rent and all those other things but as far as maintaining some kind of standard of measurement of skill or knowledge forget about it. These days all it really does is promote inflated egos and overconfident, unskilled teachers.

A belt ranking system is indeed a tool but for what true purpose lol (greed, control, bait, etc)

This is an article written by Andrew Cauley that was placed on odeum entertainments Web site (www.odeumentertainment.com). Andrew had come in to observe several classes and he participated in an adult class to write an article about us.

Lead by Example, Follow by Choice

Michael Miller’s Kenpo Karate  Dojo teaches a martial art for modern times

I never thought I would get done in by a rubber ball, especially not while I was learning to defend myself during my first experience with Kenpo Karate. That green, squishy, bouncy ball kicked my butt all over the place, but thankfully, I wasn’t the only one.

“I hate the ball,” joked one student of Miller’s Kenpo Karate as we waited in line. Little did I know, but I, too, would soon come to hate the ball. Running across the gymnastic mats during some warm-up exercises, I thought nothing of having to do ten pushups on the dodge ball-sized toy after having easily dispatched thirty between a pushup bar and a set of the Perfect Pushup. This ball, however, was much more than met my eye.

Straining to complete even one pushup as the ball collapsed underneath my meager 150-pound frame, I heard a bit of laughter from the more experienced members of the dojo. I hadn’t realized how out of shape I’d gotten in a couple of months away from a gym or any workout equipment.

“I love it, those are my favorites,” said Michael Miller, the owner and head instructor of Miller’s Kenpo Karate. A fourth-degree black belt, Miller quickly dispatched somewhere between ten and twenty pushups on the ball with no more effort than he would exert tying his shoes before he put the toy away and plowed into what I was really here for: a lesson in American Kenpo.

American Kenpo, or “the art of logical and practical thinking,” as its creator Ed Parker was wont to call it, is a nontraditional martial art. This allows the art to be flexible and ever changing, a trait that can be observed throughout its history. A martial art form originating in Japan, Kenpo underwent several key changes on its path to becoming American Kenpo.

James Mitose forged this path and brought Kosho-ryu Kenpo to Hawaii, calling it Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu, Miller said. At this point, Kenpo was already becoming a sort of hybrid art, focusing both on attacking vital areas through striking and throws, locks, and takedowns. Later, Mitose’s student, William K.S. Chow, further enhanced the art by incorporating both the linear movements of Japanese styles and the circular movements of the Chinese arts, according to Miller.

American Kenpo as we know it was pioneered by Chow’s student, Ed Parker. A street fighter, Golden Gloves boxer, and black-belt in Judo, Parker addressed several issues that allowed American Kenpo to be more effective in street fighting situations, Miller said. After all, how much is a system based on the rules of the ring going to help on the street, where there are no rules?

One of the techniques we covered addressed an important concern: What should I do if I fall down?

I found this to be very interesting; in most of my experiences with martial arts, I wasn’t supposed to fall down, unless I was directing and controlling the fall. However, this was more of a lesson in getting knocked down and how to maintain control of the situation and get back on my feet. It was, in every sense of the word, a realistic tactic, and one that undoubtedly would prove more helpful that almost any punch, kick, or throw that one could be taught, especially for a novice or someone caught up in an actual down and dirty street fight.

“We know, in reality, the smart thing to do is stay on your feet,” Miller explained.

“If I go to the ground on the streets, there are no mats out there. There’s pavement, there’s gravel, there’s whatever else I’m dealing with. But we don’t know if someone’s going to knock us to the ground. So the reality here is, try to avoid the ground, but if you go to the ground, know what you’re doing, and get up. You’re not going to lay around looking for an arm bar when his buddies, cause you know he has buddies, are going to come up to you and kick your face in.”

Now that’s a reality check. This is the logic behind Ed Parker’s system, and the sort of practical situation in which it was designed to be utilized. There are no referees to break up the fight on the street, except for maybe someone’s steel-toed boot. No one is going to wait around while I make time to execute something fancy, and no one is going to blow the whistle if something isn’t fair.

For the exercise, we fell (carefully) on our bottoms, then assumed a ground position that sort of resembled sitting Indian style, only tilted to our sides. With our feet together, our knees bent, one leg laying on the ground and the other in the air in front of us, we guarded our faces with one hand and rested the other behind and beside us on the ground for support. The benefit of this position was three-fold: it provided stability and protection to all vital areas, made it easy to gain leverage, both for attacks and movement, and allowed for us to get up easily when the time was right.

This was the drill: we were to protect the side of us that was vulnerable to the attacking leg of our ‘opponent’ (if the attacker was to switch legs, then all we needed to do was sort of flop the position over, which was easy to accomplish and another benefit of the position) and when the attacker moved toward us, we would use our legs like springs to push ourselves away. Immediately afterward, we would kick our opponent’s leading leg, immediately pushing ourselves away one more time. Afterward, we would stand back up, but the beauty here is in the details.

While explaining the last portion of the exercise, starting with the kick, Miller asked an important question:

“What if I missed?” What do you mean, miss? You’re a black belt, I thought.You aren’t supposed to miss.

“You see, I look at ‘what ifs,’” Miller asserted. “In Jujitsu, there’s no ‘what ifs.’ In Kenpo, there are.”

Sure, maybe a good black belt like Miller wouldn’t miss, but it was always a possibility. And the cold reality was, a person like me could very well miss. After all, I had just been put in my place by a rubber ball. This, in my experience, is what set American Kenpo apart from other martial arts: it’s willingness to change, to adapt, both to the student and the times, and take the present situation on it’s own terms.

Parker said that comparing a traditional art with a modern one was like comparing checkers with chess. I was beginning to see why; it wasn’t just a blind set of rules to follow, at least not at Miller’s school. There was a real pragmatism to what we were learning, and reasoning behind it. We were encouraged to think about what we were doing and ask questions. Miller likened the evolution of American Kenpo to that of technology.

“Do you still go to the nearest phone booth when you are leaving the grocery store and need to call to check up on your mother, or do you have a cell phone?  You see, as times change, so should the art to fit modern times. American Kenpo is modern and always will be because it is constantly evolving.  Traditional styles never change.  They are taught the same way today as they were hundreds of years ago,” Miller said.

Another facet that distinguishes American Kenpo is that it also allows for the personal expression of each individual. After all, it is a form of art, isn’t it?

“Each Kenpo student who learns the system develops his own unique style and continues to grow the system through his own interpretations, knowledge, and experiences,” Miller said. As a result, Kenpo is not only a style, but it creates styles.

“With Kenpo, we teach you how to think. Don’t listen to what I say and take it as gospel, there’s no such thing. Listen to what I say, think about analyze it, dissect it, put in your own experiences, your own knowledge, your own education, come up with your own ideas; that’s what this is about.”

Miller’s classes are tailored both to the age group they are focused on and to the individual. Before each of the classes I had observed, Miller walked around speaking with each person about their day, and during the lesson, he often helped students personally with each exercise, addressing their needs on a personal basis.

As a former CYS caseworker, he has experience working with children and addressing their needs in addition to his years of teaching Kenpo. His classes are broken into age groups that correlate with child-development stages (Little Dragons, ages 4-6; Kenpo Kids, 7-9; Junior, 10-15; and the adult program), and he tailors his instruction to not only teach Kenpo, but also to improve basic skill sets that each age group is prime for, but with a focus on the art of Kenpo. And you wouldn’t know it watching one of his younger classes; as far as I could tell, they were doing Kenpo the whole time. And as far as they could tell, they were too, and it’s because they were, but they were also developing coordination, their overall health and stamina, respect, dignity, self-control, focus, and as a result, self-esteem.

Basic techniques are taught in every class, regardless of age, and of course all classes focus on physical fitness. However, maybe even more important is the focus on personal character traits that directly relate to the program.

“I teach all my students, regardless of age, to have humility, integrity, dignity, and respect.  I won’t stand for any student disrespecting what I have taught him,” Miller said. “Focus, self-control, self-discipline, respect, kindness, and self-confidence are taught in each program.”

“I’m passionate about what really matters in life,” Miller said. “I believe in being kind to others all the time, doing good deeds, helping those who are weak and doing any community service we can do to make a positive impact on our community. One of our main mottos is ‘Lead by Example, Follow by Choice.’”

And come to think of it, every student there displayed this sort of leadership by example. Everyone was friendly, kind, and respectful, and though there might have been a few laughs when I couldn’t do a single pushup on that ball, there were also plenty of pats on the back and words of encouragement. And as soon as that happened, I wanted to go back and try it again. It seemed to me that that’s what it was all about: getting back up off the ground, because inevitably, we all get knocked to the ground, and getting back on the ball, not because we have to, but because we want to. And when we have the help and encouragement of those around us, we follow by choice.

If you’re looking to gain self-confidence, better fitness and well-being, stamina, flexibility, better focus, or maybe you’re looking to improve your overall well-being with a program that will teach you self-discipline and personal integrity, then contact Michael Miller at Miller’s Kenpo Karate Dojo at 443 East Main Street, Suite #1, in Bradford, PA. To schedule a free one on one lesson, you may contact Mr. Miller at (814)368-3725.

By: Andrew Cauley