The Mysterious Case of the Three-Year-Purple Belt

Many years ago, I knew a 10 year old student who kept his purple belt for a full three years.

That's probably four times the amount of time someone should be to keep a purple belt.

*Not an actual image of Billy

(This is a true story, by the way)

Let's call him Billy. Billy was a good kid.

• He wasn't disruptive.

• He wasn't disrespectful.

• He was learning everything he needed to learn: kata, techniques, sparring, that sort of thing.

So why the three years? That's a long time. Did his Sensei have it out for him? Did his karate teachers, for unknown reasons, just want to hold him back?

Not quite.

So what was the cause?

Missed Classes.

And I'm not talking about one or two.

Well, I am. It started out as one or two missed classes: he had a sore throat one day, a totally normal reason to miss class (please don't come when you're sick). Then, he was tired (from being sick). A week later, he 'just needed a break'. Okay, it happens... A week after that, he's going on a 2 week vacation. When he comes home, he's busy unpacking, and tired from vacation.

Billy just missed two months worth of class. Surprise. Didn't feel like two whole months, did it?

When you want something, you have to work for it. When you want a promotion at work, or a new car, or a new video game, you have to work for it. When, at karate, you want a grading, or to win a tournament, or to get your black belt, or to be a Senpai (class assistant)... you have to work for it. And if you don't, you won't get that thing you wanted.

Don't get me wrong. Everyone gets sick, everyone takes trips. Missing class occasionally and with the intent to get back to it isn't an issue at all. It's letting them snowball into weeks and weeks of regularly missed attendance that turns into a problem.

Suddenly, in all of his absences, Billy had missed so many classes he had forgotten his kata (which he needed to know to grade up, which meant he couldn't grade at all). He'd forgotten how to do a jumping front kick, and he could no longer spar without losing every round, because his reflexes were no longer as sharp.

Momentum is a big deal for kids in karate.

Sure, Billy is a purple belt. But his best friends, Nate and Ben were also graded to purple belt on the very same day as him. But Nate and Ben come to class every week without missing a beat, and Nate and Ben are now three belts ahead of Billy.

Would suddenly being outranked by your peers make you want to come to class more often? Probably not. And what is Billy going to do?

He's not going to say: "Hey mom, I'm upset my peers have surpassed me, and worried that I won't be able to catch up, and that may make me feel inferior in my skillset," Because Billy is 10, and doesn't have the words for that sort of thing yet. He's going to say something like...

• I hate karate.

• It's so boring.

• It's so dumb.

• I never learn anything.

• I'm tired/sick/my head hurts/I need a break.

Because again, Billy is 10, and those are the words he knows how to use.

I'm not trying to be a downer. Yes, some kids have to miss class occasionally. But a sport they enjoyed, learning something that is good for them, quickly turns into a chore when momentum is lost. Because nobody wants to watch every friend they have get something they don't have when they feel like they've been doing that thing (karate) for just as long... or longer.

The Instant Black Belt

I once heard a story of a man who joined a martial arts school. This school had a contract (which our dojo does not, by the way), and the man actually read the contract word for word.

When he read it through, he realized something interesting: it guaranteed a black belt within two years. It never specified attendance, or any learning requirements, or anything else.

So as an experiment, the man joined. He paid his dues every month. And he never once showed up for class.

So he never got his black belt, you say. Because he didn't learn anything,

Incorrect. The man showed up exactly two years later, showed his reciepts for his dues, and the Sensei (begrudgingly) handed him a black belt.

A black belt is earned. It's worked for. In fact, that goes for every belt we have, even yellow. If it isn't worked for, we could hand them out like candy on halloween and every person alive can say they're a black belt now.

So, did this guy from the story earn his black belt? Nope.

Did he have the skills a black belt has? Nope.

Did he do one single thing to get what he got? Nope.

If your attitude is well, but he paid for it... I can help you right now. Amazon is a lot cheaper and easier than working for something. Here you go.