Have we forgotten about our most important students?
Before we discuss whether Black Belts are students, we need to ensure that we are referring to a student who has committed a number of years of effort into attaining that rank, or similar, depending on the styles equivalent.
The Black Belt is the most recognisable goal attainable in the martial arts. It is what the general public perceive as being the benchmark to attain if you study one of the martial arts. Due to this perception the focus in most schools is in creating students worthy of earning a Black Belt. This is where the problems begin, from the first day a new student steps into the Dojang their focus, whether directly or indirectly, is to achieve the goal of Black Belt. This is reinforced over time with the progression through the belts/levels. It becomes the goal for so many that once they have attained the rank there is nothing else. The total focus on getting to Black Belt can make that seem like the completion of the journey.
It also becomes clear that people consider Black Belts to be instructors; of course they have more experience. However that experience doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to teach. This only reinforces the mentality that there is nothing beyond Black Belt. For those people who want to continue to progress they often feel they need to go elsewhere. This is commonly when people leave to study other styles, mainly as they seek to continue to learn. Chief Instructors also make the mistake of getting the new Black Belt to help with teaching and it isn’t uncommon to have new Black Belts open a branch Dojang. Being a Black Belt and being an instructor are two separate roles and should be kept that way.
There will be students who want to teach and they will follow that path and there will be students who want to be just that. This is regardless of level or grade, a Black Belt should have just as much right to only train as the newest white belt. Having an instructors program that is not tied directly to rank as a requirement but more as a choice is a major part of being able to keep Black Belt Students.
Becoming a Black Belt is a major step in most styles and it marks the end of the apprenticeship. The achievement should be recognised and celebrated as just that. However, throughout the process of preparing a student for the Black Belt test a small focus should be on covering the idea of post Black Belt progression. It is our responsibility to give Black Belts as much if not more chance to train than a regular student. After all they have shown their commitment and respect by putting in many hours of effort. If you split classes according to rank for your normal students you should also provide a class that caters for the seniors, this may not be purely Black Belts but the highest couple of Kup/Kyu levels. This not only gives the Black Belts an environment to learn but also gives you a great atmosphere to motivate the senior coloured belts.
Another area that is commonly weak and results in unmotivated or quitting Black Belts is the curriculum. So many styles try to cram all the knowledge into the belts before Black that there is nothing to learn afterwards. Coloured belt material should cover all the base movement and motion mechanics required for your style. Then the combinations and exploration of more advanced techniques should be Black Belt material. Your curriculum needs to reflect to what rank you are happy to have students. If you only want Black Belts that may or may not stay, your curriculum ends at Black Belt. If you want to create Masters your curriculum covers material to that level.
Your post Black Belt material has to be not only exciting but also challenging. The new Black Belt has worked hard to get where they are and should only expect to keep working at that level. Make sure the material is based on ideas from your coloured belt requirement but also pushes their knowledge and ability to perform those requirements. Ensure that there is also a clear cut testing procedure for testing beyond the rank of Black Belt. After most schools provide a fairly clear map to get to Black Belt, why not have the same ready for the progression beyond.
The process in my Dojangs is simple in that the prospective Black Belt is often asked about their post Black Belt goals; they are pre-framed for the idea that there is much more to learn. They are given choices on whether they want to be an instructor or student and both are supported. They are provided with a clear curriculum and guide to post Black Belt progression that takes them to the level of Master. They are shown the path that can be a lifetime of challenges and learning.
Grandmaster Geoff J. Booth
So for a change this time GM Perry drops me at the Graz Hauptbahnhof or main train station where I am grabbing a train from Graz to Zagreb—crossing Slovenia. It is around 4 hours and time to work on the laptop. We stop in Dobova where about 15 border police in 3 groups go through the carriages, I imagine this the border crossing, the first group look at and stamp my passport, the second group ignore me and the third group stamp my passport again, not sure if I entered Slovenia and departed on go or they just were stamp happy.
Anyway I arrive into a dark and wet Zagreb just before Midnight to be met my Vlado, Martina and a couple of the local students. Vlado, Martina and I head into the city for a late night coffee to catch up before the activities get underway. The next evening the local students put on a Birthday party that included copies amounts of local food, is there any other kind, as well as singing and a card with chocolates. It is interesting to see how the locals celebrate birthdays.
The next day it is time to hit the mats with some testing and signature work with the local students before the weekend’s seminars.
World Tour 2015, Crotia: just 1 of the 5 training areas in the Combat Centar.
Another of the 5 training areas in the Combat Centar.
To add to my local sightseeing on Friday we head into the hills, well on the snow-capped mountain that overlooks Zagreb, well known for skiing and we meet up with some of the local students who are indeed enjoying the slopes for a traditional lunch on the mountain. I in general try to stay out of trip photos apart from the on the mats but just to prove I climbed up and froze a little on the snow covered peak I made an appearance.
Saturday and the seminar was underway, topics on the mats included: Circles, Arm Bars, Hand Attacks, and Bag Fu for the first time. The day goes well with everyone getting involved and everyone enjoys the pain on the mats. Sunday is a bigger day with 9 hours on the mats, more hands on with S Locks, Arm Bar under, Turbo Topics and for a treat the Dan Bong. After the day group there was another seminar for Security/Military/Police and Bodyguards. A retired Army General dropped in and joined the fun and was very impressed with the ease of the techniques.
Seminar Day #1.
Seminar Day #2.
The plan for the week after the seminar weekend is to have the days for planning the future for the IHA here, as well as some sightseeing around the region. Once Valdo heard I visited 39 countries a plan was put in motion to tick off number 40. So we hit the road north towards Slovenia which is only just over an hour away, on the way we stop to visit a quite impressive castle, the Trakoscan Castle.
A castle has to have weapons.
So the weather is excellent and after taking a look at the castle we head towards country #40 and Slovenia, now this is where the fun starts, unbeknownst to either Martina or I, Vlado likes to run the fuel pretty empty before filling up… So we head to the border which is a small back road entry where when Vlado asks for a stamp for my passport we are told we can’t enter the country and have to use the main entrance on the highway, this one can’t handle foreigners like an Aussie. So we do a turn and as we drive away from the entrance up the hill, Valdo exclaims we may have fuel issues literally moments before the car’s engine stops..
The dread border on a hill.
When we left our intrepid heroes they were experiencing fuel issues on the Slovenia/Croatia border, now lets see what happens. Vlado feverishly pumps the peddle as he tries to restart the car, and at the same time we hit the crest of the hill, the car kicks back into life. The thought is the angle of the hill made what little fuel is left run to the back of the tank, so we cruise down the hill back to the Croatian border guard who tells us fuel is ‘only’ 8 kilometres away. So the drive safe and save fuel kicks in as we head for the nearest town with a petrol station. We make the town to find out that there is no petrol station and that the closest one is ‘only’7 kilometres away. About now you can forget doing a rain dance, there were 3 of us doing a fuel dance. The Diesel Toyota surprises us all as it chugs away and gets us on fumes to the next town, phew.
Fuel for the car and relief for the soul.
We get back onto the highway and cross into Slovenia with no problems this time, and I chalk up visiting country #40. A brief drive later we are in Ptuj where we grab a decent coffee with some of the local Kickboxing instructors. They were at the weekend seminar and are possibly interested in adding Hapkido to their school in the future. After a catch up it is time for another Meat Platter, I mean meal before we head back to Zagreb to catch the evening class.
It is a long drive back, but after visiting the park well worth it. My last couple of mat sessions are a chance to fix some small issues and then to complete the grading the local students have been undergoing with the news of who passed and who needed more work. I am happy to say that more than half the students passed and that overall the technical level here in Croatia is off to a good start under Vlado’s guidance.
Congratulations to the first IHA certified coloured belts in Croatia.
Of course I can’t complete my visit to Croatia without addressing the CGN Fabian challenge, and maybe even adding a pain face. Thank you to Vlado and Martina and the crew for making this an enjoyable stop with a combination of training, meat fests and sightseeing. Plans are already underway to have some of Team Croatia joining us at the ITS Australia in 2017, of course I will be back here in 2016 to keep the good work going.
Cro Ki Do Dobok.
Roman joins Team Pain Face.
A nice note as I checked out of my hotel, the front desk gave me a present of some local salt/pepper crackers and a bottle of homemade orange liqueur, just to thank me for the longer stay and putting up with some noise. Apparently some Korean guests were very loud, I can’t say I noticed them, still it was nice of the hotel.
Crackers and Booze from the hotel.
A sign on the plane, its German for Exit, but with 50 Aussies on a ITS flight it will be an AUSGANG.
Back into the friendly skies with 2 more flights, as I am on Austrian first I am connecting through their main city Vienna on my way to grab a Polish Air flight into Warsaw.
The next day it is time to hit the mats for the seminar, and I work on Arm Bars, Hook Punch Defence and Dan Bong to the delight of the local students. I also get the chance to tick off my first country for CGN Fabian’s challenge. Hello to the Hapki Combat Lederhosen, something I am not sure will catch on.
HAPKI COMBAT LEDERHOSEN
Day 2 on the mats in Austria and Kick Defence is the focus, then onto defence from attacks from behind and as a special extra I wrap up the day with an introduction to Turbo Topics which is very well received. It was a good couple of days and plans are already underway to return next trip. I have told GM Perry that if he ever finds his way down under he is welcome to spend some time with us. Monday is a free day and we enjoy a leisurely morning catching up with e-mails, then heading into town for another schnitzel. For a snack afterwards we visit an original bakery established in the 1500’s. A good coffee, lots of laughs and the Austrian snack round up the sight seeing. After that we head back to the Dojang where I spend a couple of hours working with GM Perry on some of our Advanced Dan Bong, Sword and Reversal Techniques. On our driving around I notice a logo becoming more familiar in Aus, Aldi is a German chain that bought out Hofer, but the change in names didn’t work here, so they have the Aldi logo with the Hofer name to keep the locals happy…
Established in 1569
Familiar logo, strange name
*Side Note* Austrians are a pleasant group, for example when one leaves a restaurant or café, they say goodbye to the entire place, with most inside responding politely. They also switch to English when it is apparent you don’t understand German and are in general helpful. Overall you get the idea that most are happy to live here.
Onto Flight #2 Bangkok to Frankfurt with Thai Airways, this time on the Airbus flagship the A380. It truly is a giant aircraft and amazingly quiet in comparison to the 747. The flight goes well and I land in Frankfurt just after 5am, clear the minimal customs – queue raised customs eyebrow on my almost full passport – before heading to the Lufthansa lounge to grab a shower and coffee. I was lucky and the guy at the lounge entrance saw my Flyer status so he sent me to the better First Class/Gold Level lounge. Refreshed I head to my next flight this time on the smaller 737 with Lufthansa as we take the short hop into Graz, Austria where I am met by GM Perry Zmugg.
LUFTHANSA ARE NICE TO THINK OF A COFFEE AND SOMETHING TO READ IN ALMOST EVERY LANGUAGE AT EACH DEPARTURE AREA
It is good to catch up with GM Perry (Sin Moo 9th Degree) and we head into Graz, first stop a Bio Organic market to pick up some Vegetables, Breads, Cheeses, etc. It is a perfectly clear day, and at 10 degrees warm in the sun. After the shopping we head into the centre to take a walk around, grab a schnitzel for lunch and revisit the Schlossberg (The fort on the hill in the centre of town). We catch up over a coffee on the top of the Schlossberg and then meet up with his kids for dinner at their favourite Chinese restaurant.
Bio Organic Market, Euro style.
There is a plate under that schnitzel
The Eagle at the Local Chinese restaurant
Check out the next post for the seminars.
Onto Flight #1 Sydney to Bangkok with Thai Airways. The 747’s are getting old with a lot of them now 40ish, they are truly one of the most dependable work horses of the skies even if they are currently being replaced with newer 2 engine jets for less noise, less fuel and more safety. Still Thai airways do a good job with their inflight service and I expect to be able to while away the 9 hours putting together the outline for the world tour trip report, the maps and miscellaneous stuff. I also have been put a challenge by CGN Fabian where he will do 500 burpies if I succeed. Challenge accepted, a picture of me wearing some country specific clothing in each country I teach Hapkido. I am lucky the open seat next to me stays that way so that gives me more room to stretch out for the flight. Arrival into Bangkok is smooth and I get the shuttle for my hotel into the city. The next couple of days are open, so I work on the maps and other world tour prep I can do, enjoy a few nice meals and enjoy some downtime. I returned to one particular restaurant where I think they thought I was a Critic from last time, and the chef not only cooked me a special menu (talk about stuffed), I got a special desert. Apart from that meal, I also enjoyed visiting the new Robuchon location that opened recently in Bangkok, I normally enjoy the location in Vegas each trip. After chatting with staff, I get a card from one of the senior guys who is actually just visiting for quality control and get told to show it to the one in London for a treat…
Fine Dining at Robuchon Bangkok
Fine Dining at Robuchon Bangkok
That’s about 80 Aus Cents to cross the road
Nice of them to have a special seat for a Hapkidoist and his Cane
“The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see. ~ G.K. Chesterton”
When it comes to World Tours the year in between does seem to do some magic form of time reduction. I have only just finished the counselling from the last trip, and now I get to lap our wonderful globe yet again. Yes it is time for the 2015 World Tour; first stop the land of Smiles (Thailand), simply to break up the long haul into the Euro Zone. So its an early morning jaunt down the highway in the awesome Thrifty mobile, actually they normally sting me with an old clapper, this time I have a newish Nissan Pulsar so its a comfortable trip. I am not sure if I am getting better at this traveling but not only do my bags seem noticeably light, the packing came together rather too smoothly. Let me qualify that a little, its not the clothing or toiletries that is the challenge, its the DVDs, Dan Bongs, Black Belts, Certificates, Passports and ancillary items that the International family seek. It is easy enough to buy another Toothbrush, but to have an embroidered Black Belt for that student testing for X degree.. You get the idea. Hello airport, a quick drop of the car and up to check in, that goes smoothly, I manage to get a seat with no one next to me which always makes for a smoother flight, and I am off to customs to be scanned. If you have flown internationally in the last year or two you will know that they have smart gates that work off your chipped passport, they are currently trialling the same system for departures as well, just not in Sydney this time. Formalities done, I take the 2 km walk to the lounge, they really need to finish this entrance, its close for Qantas but a trek for Star Alliance flights. The Air NZ lounge is undergoing major renovations (since Nov 14) and is due to open in a couple of months so I get to enjoy the Singapore Airlines lounge. The lounge has space for probably 100 and there are 5 of us in there, lots of room.