It makes us all better

On Thursday and Saturday I had my first experiences every sparring as a white belt. When I first "went through the belts" students started sparring at yellow belt. Quantum has since changed and has allowed high white belts (and the occasional experienced white belt) to spar with no contact in sparring class.

When you are supposed to be working straight line and distance techniques, you only have a few tools in your bag. Inside grappling and even closer in techniques such as hook punches are not supposed to be the focus at white and yellow belt. Strikes are supposed to be focused on the torso only. So, with not many offensive options, defense and footwork become key.

I had a couple of sparring partners comment about how watching us "recycled white belts" gives them a new study in footwork and an ability to really work on that with us. As we focus on our footwork but can make no contact, it gives them the opportunity to consider their own footwork without fear that a misstep will get them nailed. Another partner commented on how when trying to work straight line techniques, working with me showed him what he was leaving open in doing so.

Honestly, I never considered that I would be a useful sparring partner to my training friends as a white belt. Selfishly I guess, I assumed it would be all about me and me learning more about no contact sparring with others being able to use more varied techniques than I. I also kind of thought it was amusing to spar and say "you can't touch me (hee hee hee)". What an unexpected and wonderful surprise it is to witness the effect that myself and my training partners going back to our basics has on raising the level for the entire school.

I guess I won't "punch ya later" and we will all learn from it.

The belt just holds up your pants

....well, not exactly since have elastic or drawstrings in our uniform pants. However last week I was given the opportunity to really consider this idea.

I helped run a martial arts test at Lake Washington Girls Middle School last week. Running the test with me were a 1st degree black belt and a high red belt. In getting ready the night before I considered wearing my "travelling" red belt for the test. This is my back up belt that I have used for teaching outreach on days that I have forgotten my belt in the shuffle or need to show up for an offsite class at the last minute. My thought process was that since tests are formal occasions, should I not be in a formal uniform? And what about any parents who attended? Would they not think it strange that a white belt was testing their kids? It was nice to give this consideration and know that my teachers and black belts would support me if this is what I had chosen to do.

Then it occured to me that one of the lessons to learn in this process is that the color of the belt does not actually matter. It is the type of martial artist and the type of person you are that matters. As one starts to push up against black belt, one begins to consider reaching the point where you "walk the way" every day. So, as an 8 year practitioner and an advanced student on that day, I charged myself with wearing a white belt but BEING the strong and loving teacher that I can be for my students. It ended up being a lovely test.