What’s so important about all those colored belts?
In most martial arts gyms, colored belts represent a rank or level that the student has achieved through hard work and determination. While the order and the color of the belts might be different from art to art or school to school, one thing is pretty consistent. A Black Belt is an honor that is achieved through hard work and dedication. Black Belt is a goal of almost everyone who starts martial arts but it always starts with moving through all of the lower ranks.
Why do we test students? Most of the time, Belt Testing is an opportunity for a student to exhibit what they have learned in class and to show that they are ready to move up to the next rank Often this test is observed by family, friends and fellow students.
Moving through ranks by Belt Testing is one of the ways that martial arts develops character in students.
GOAL SETTING– In martial arts, students learn to set goals. They know and understand the requirements and set a goal to test to move up to their next rank. They learn that setting goals is important in all areas of life.
PERSEVERENCE– Students don’t always get it right the first time. Some students have to try more than others. Martial Arts teaches students to persevere even when it’s hard or challenging, they are inspired to do their best.
BRAVERY– It’s not easy to get up in front of a room full of people and demonstrate all you know. It’s not easy to be given a board break that’s hard or to spar with someone more experienced. In martial arts we teach students to be brave, to feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s a calculated risk and reward is great.
SOMETIMES WE LOSE– It’s important in life to understand that we don’t always win. Belt Testing often comes with mistakes, missed board breaks and forgotten material. When this happens, students learn that we don’t always succeed.
SOMETIMES WE WIN– Through the lesson of losing, being on probation or not promoting, we teach students to get back up and try harder. When they out-perform everyone at testing by ace-ing their forms the next time or breaking more boards than they think they are capable of, students learn the work ethic it takes to win.
At Cypress Martial Arts and Fitness we are intentional about seeing students be their best. Our philosophy for testing has always been to test the student when they are ready. Our goal is to set them up to succeed and see them become all they can be through martial arts training.