Last month, I cited our need, as instructors, to help our students discover their weaknesses or failings that we can then help them eliminate. That makes what we do valuable-and worth whatever we charge for it.
Allow me to relate an example, knowing that it might upset a few music fans, but I feel it is relevant to the subject. Most of you know that Bill Wallace was, just briefly, one of Elvis Presley’s Karate instructors, during the latter years of his life. Bill told me that Elvis’ martial art skills were approximately the equivalent of a Green Belt, although he had a high Black-Belt rank. I was struck by the fact that even then his true confidence-in that very deep place-was not fulfilled. I think that this was apparent by the evidence of Elvis’s later life and death. I wonder if his earlier instructors might have cheated him by not adequately challenging him. That might have changed history in Memphis and modern music as well.
At our school, we make that “time to discover yourself” our Black Belt test. All other exams are not really exams, but “mile markers,” which reveals students’ progress. The Black Belt test is an exam, however; and everyone knows at our school that any student will fail the exam if he or she doesn’t fulfill the standards.
We have created a six-month intensive program as preparation for that exam, and students must pass several evaluations during that period to continue the preparation sessions. Students must wait for the next six-month program if they fail any of those evaluations.
By conducting these periodic evaluations, we make every attempt to protect students from any situation that may lead to their failure. If we know that they lack minimum levels in technique, physical fitness or mental strength, then we ask them to wait until the next preparation program.
The final checkpoint is the Black Belt evaluation, conducted approximately two weeks before the exam. It is essentially a “cut test” to eliminate the probability of students failing a test for which they are not prepared.
“That makes what we do valuable-and worth whatever we charge for it.”
You can appreciate that this is sometimes difficult to implement and that families sometimes become upset. With careful explanations of our goals for their children and the purpose of the process, families readily agree to support our position.
The following is an example of such a discussion if the student is a child. An adult student discussion would be very similar.
“Mom and dad, as the instructor, I have two choices. First, I can give your child his Black Belt right now with no test because I have that authority. Is that what you want me to do?”
The answer is always, “No, I don’t want you to give my child his belt, I want him to earn it.”
The instructor then says, “Then, the next option is for me to teach your child how to achieve his goal. That requires that we lower the obstacle and empower your child to conquer it. If you give me that opportunity, then I know I can help him achieve his Black Belt.”
You can structure your program and provide your students with some intensity however you choose, however, make sure that you don’t shortchange them. Give them what they want from the experience of martial arts-real self-respect, the “down-deep” and “no-one-can-take-it-away” kind.
We may never really know what greatness we can accomplish for our students and communities until we provide our students with the kind of intense experience they deserve.
Douglas Adamson teaches Shorei Kai (an Americanized Okinawan Karate system), classical Okinawan weapons and a kali system called Pikiti Tirsha.
