We all know that saying, “Let’s kick it up a notch.” Basically, it means to try a little harder, to increase the intensity, to be better, etc. It’s such a common sense saying, but as one progresses in karate-do, we find that it becomes harder and harder to “kick it up a notch”. The better one gets, the more difficult it is to get better. One of the ways to motivate folks to hang in there, when the road to improvement gets tough is the periodic examination…but more importantly, the reward of a successful exam, is the attainment of a higher rank. Now, if one were to ask the average student how important rank is, the likely response would be, “It’s not that important.” If the truth be known, most students enjoy and treasure the new belt ranking, that, on occasion, they are able to earn. One may not look forward to the actual examination, but there is nothing like receiving and getting to put on, a nice, new, higher ranking belt. Let me say that this is nothing to feel guilty about. The Lord designed us to look forward to achievements like this, and each one represents another step forward. Even better, of course, is learning to improve oneself just for the sake of improvement and to make full use of your god-given potential.

When I was a brown belt, striving for a dan ranking, back nearly four decades ago, the training in our association could be very taxing, sometimes kind of brutal. We had a dozen or more dojo branches here on Oahu. Every dojo had its own sensei, brown/black sempais, and usual mix of color and white belts. Back in the early seventies, the Chief Instructor, Sensei Funakoshi, wanted to create a stronger Yudanshakai (black belt organization). To do so, he started a special training class for certain brown and black belts, open by invitation-only. On average, each dojo might be represented by one or two brown/black belts selected for the class. The special training group would meet on Thursday nights at the main dojo. This late-evening class was in addition to all of the normal classes we trained/taught in. Class would begin at 09:00 pm, ending somewhere around midnight. As brown belts, we were honored to be able to train alongside young senseis/sempais from the various dojos in very rigorous training led by the Chief Instructor himself. Class size ran from 30-40 participants. A typical class would begin with hundreds of punches, followed by hundreds of kicks to get warmed up. Over the three hours, we would practice the sprint-like step combinations characteristic of the KAH upper belts. Time would then be devoted to kata, and we’d always finish up with long periods of dojo-type and tournament-type jyu kumite. At the end of training, most of us would join in “warm-down” exercises, typically several hundred pushups, followed by five or six hundred sit-ups. Tough as it was, we needed this type of preparation and mind-set to be able to survive “friendly” sparring with our peers and some of our less than kind (when it came to kumite) seniors. We also needed it, to be able to successfully pass the higher kyu and dan exams. Small wonder that the average participant was in his twenties…with the older members being in their early to mid-thirties. I say “his” because back then, I only recall one woman invited to this class. She was in excellent condition, strong, fast, and able to hold her own in sparring with the men. Ultimately, she began a long career in law enforcement. Looking back, I can’t believe that I actually looked forward to participating in this elite training. It was definitely a different time, and I think that most of us trained for reasons beyond just improving our body, mind, and character. We did take something away from the training that is difficult to otherwise earn; overcoming bouts of great fear, learning how to take a full punch or kick, and instinctive response to attack….but there was a price to pay (as in blood and injuries).

Today, in our ministry, we train without the focus on tournaments, nor on being able to out-tough those around us. Membership is not limited to only the most coordinated, athletic, and mentally tough sempais. We don’t have to continuously carry bruises, black eyes, pulls, strains, and an occasional broken limb, like badges of honor. There is a time and place for such elite training, and I admire those young men (and women) who do so today, in karate, in ju-jutsu, in MMA, etc. However, I also believe that karate-do need not be exclusive, nor limited to an elite group…it can be inclusive, and of great value to everyone with the heart of improvement. Rather than being driven to defeat and dominate others (often, a great factor in sports endeavors), we can concentrate on defeating our own weaknesses and laziness. We can move off of baser attitudes/actions and move onward to a higher level of existence, one step at a time. It is a major step forward, to be able to take our eyes off of ourselves and shift our focus onto others instead.

When you train, do so with purpose and vision. Envision what you are trying to do with each move…not just the practical application, but the ideal movement (like the ideal swing in golf). Self-improvement should be a natural yearning from within, but if aiming for the next belt promotion helps motivate you, so be it. Most anything is preferable to mindless, unfocused training. I’ve often said that all of the preparation for an examination really occurs during the long months of dedicated training (the normal “cramming” we all do just before the exam, can be helpful, but incidental). By the same token, whenever you pass an exam and achieve a new rank, it does not mean that “you’ve made it.” It merely means that the examiners believe that you have the POTENTIAL to solidly represent that rank…think about it. I remember the moment when: I got my drivers license, when I received my university degrees, when I was commissioned, when I got married, when our first child was born, when I purchased my first home, when I first became a sensei, etc. I’m sure each of you remember similar moments of achievement/exhilaration. At each of these moments, however, I was unproven, only a novice…I had only the POTENTIAL to become a good driver, a good environmental planner, a good officer, a good husband, a good father, a good sensei, a true homeowner (took 30 years to pay it off!), etc. Unless you do your very best, you also run the very real risk, instead, of failing to live up to your rank…of being a poor driver/employee/leader/spouse/parent/teacher/homeowner, etc. Time will tell. Kicking it up a notch shouldn’t really mean just ramping up for an exam or promotion…Kicking it up a notch should really mean raising your attitude, thoughts and actions to show that you truly deserve your new rank. Short-term rewards are fine, but it’s long-term results that really count. If you can approach your training and your life this way, the tests (both those in karate and those in life) will take care of themselves…and you will continously be equipping yourself for the next level.