Martial Artist Says: The Belt Doesn't Make The Warrior

By: Dr. Gary S. Goodman
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:25:54
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You’ve heard the adage that says the size of the dog in a fight doesn’t matter. What matters is the size of the fight in the dog!

A similar thing can be said of ranking martial arts students by belt level. It doesn’t matter what color of belt a warrior wears, what matters is how much warrior is wearing that belt.

For example, I’ve known intermediate students, people with blue and green belts who were tougher adversaries than advanced brown belts.

In fact, I’ve seen people LOSE confidence and fighting abilities as they’ve progressed through the ranks. In some cases, they changed their focus from combat to politics, seeking to please their dojo superiors in the interest of obtaining faster promotions.

Then, they’ve become victims of their own success.

They rose faster, like balloons filled with hot air, but they burst all too easily under pressure, while their peers, who took longer to rise in the ranks “own” every achievement and promotion, becoming stronger for the journey.

Have you ever wondered how people earn those stripes on their black belts? In many cases it’s based on perceived service to their dojos. If they volunteer to teach or to co-manage the business, especially without pay, they are rewarded with stripes.

So, is a 5th Dan Black Belt more meritorious than a 2nd or a 1st? Are they better warriors?

That’s doubtful, though they could be fine teachers, administrators and gofers.

The key to martial arts achievement is optimizing, and not maximizing. When you optimize, you get as much as you can with a reasonable expenditure of effort and resources.

This means you choose to achieve a blue belt or a green, or even a brown, and then take a break or retire from the training after that. You’ve learned to defend yourself and to launch a devastating counterattack, if necessary.

But going on to black belt would be maximizing and sub-optimizing for you. Given the added effort and commitment required, you might determine that the law of diminishing returns is setting in; that the more you put out, the less you get back, proportionally.

It takes wisdom to make the right determination for you.

Just remember, that the belt color doesn’t make you a warrior. Long before there were belts, there were warriors, and perhaps long after this relatively modern system is retired, there will also be warriors.

And their distinctions will be worn in their hearts and minds and not around their waists.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is the best-selling author of 12 books, over 750 articles, and the creator of numerous audio and video training programs, including "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant-a favorite among salespeople and entrepreneurs. For information about booking Gary to speak at your next sales, customer service or management meeting, conference or convention, please address your inquiry to: gary@customersatisfaction.com

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