Black Belt Essay by Mia Goldstein

Mia Goldstein

What does Black Belt mean to me? There are countless answers, but my top three examples are:

1. Learning leadership skills that help me mentor other students.
2. Developing the strength and courage to defend myself in a situation where it is needed.
3. Achieving a long-term goal.

Earning my Black Belt means so very many things to me, but these   examples are just some of the reasons why I have worked hard for so many years to achieve my objective.

A Black Belt means learning leadership skills that can help me mentor other students. If another student that is one belt or many belts away is having trouble with their kata or technique, I would offer to help them because that’s what a true Black Belt would do. A true Black Belt looks out for what's best for the whole team. I would demonstrate the proper form and stances, and offer encouragement and support. This a what I learned from my mentors at Amerikick, From my early teachers, Sensei Alisa and Sensei Garrett, to my most recent mentors, Sensei Mike Recinto and Sensei Mike Infante, they have all exhibited amazing leadership abilities and helped me develop my skills too.

Black Belt also means having the strength and courage to stand up for others and myself in a situation when it is needed. If someone tried to attack my friends or me, I would be able to rely on my confidence and self-defense techniques to protect us. There are so many different techniques for so many different attacks. For example, if someone attacked you with a right shoulder grab, you can use step and chop, step and hammer-fist, or even a wrap around! Strength and courage to defend yourself comes with Black Belt.

When I receive my Black Belt, I will also be achieving a long-term goal. Earning my Black Belt in Karate has been my goal ever since I was four years old. After we started moving up in rank, some of my friends started dropping out. However, the more I progressed, the more motivated I became. I told myself that I would not quit Karate no matter what. I now realize that I was right for not giving up. If I had quit in the middle of the process, I would not be where I am today. After I get my Junior Black Belt, I will set a goal to get my senior Black Belt then first degree and so on and so on. To me, Black Belt means setting long-term goals and seeing them through.

I am very excited to be testing for my Black Belt, as there are so many examples of what Black Belt means to me. Learning to be a great leader and mentor to other students, developing the strength and courage to defend myself, and reaching a long-term goal are all reasons why I will be excited and proud when I am finally presented with my Black Belt.

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