Two cement blocks stand in the middle of the floor eleven inches apart, with three granite slabs resting on top of them. The slabs, an inch thick, are about a foot long and four inches wide. One man stands next to the blocks and slabs, bouncing on the balls of his feet back and forth, building his adrenaline. His uniform is the purest of white, the wrinkles recently acuired from the hard testing before. Around his waist lays a black belt. His name is stitched on it, and along with it rests a gold star. Tightly stiched, the star represents his ranking beyond anyone in the audience. The silent audience. Their undivided attention rests on him. Three GRANITE slabs? Impossible. He finally stops moving. He drops down on one knee before the slabs, and swings his arm behind him. His hand is white from the pressure of holding it tight. Just before contact, he yells, and his hand sails through the granite like butter. Truly badass.
I got to witness this event, a black belt testing. I was not one of the audience, but rather one of the testers. This man, a master, was testing for his 7th degree black belt. We were joking about his awesomeness. He is ranked with Jackie Chan and Jet Li, according to our jest. But honestly, he is way more cool than both of them combined.
I have had the chance to meet severl masters in my training of martial arts, and in this process, my opinion of movie stars has changed. While the martial arts stars look awesome, to me they have lost the true meaning of the practice. Training in martial arts takes way more than just fighting or breaking boards, and while both are fun, they are only a portion of martial arts. The mental training is exhausting. To push oneself further and further everyday, to never give up, is difficult. Some people can't handle it and quit. Then there's the physical aspect, which is what martial arts is usually recognized for. The pain of muscle strain, to walk away from a class with muscle spasms and to push oneself to the extreme knowing full well that the chance of not being able to walk for a week is looming can be hard to deal with, yet all worth it. The emotional strain that comes with the two is too difficult to put in to words.
So why would one want to do martial arts? Good question. I sometimes wonder that myself. The karate kid might be one reason. Who wouldn't want to do a jump kick and land on the same foot?!? Totally awesome, right? Thats why I joined Taekwondo.
The ultimate goal would be black belt of course. To finally stand before the masters, and show them what you have worked for is rewarding. To sit at those tiny tables and drink the green tea, new belt in hand is completey gratifying. Walking away from the ceremonies, setting the goal of the next level black belt is even more worthwhile. The masters continue through this process time and time again, knowing full well that martial arts is their life.
Those who represent martial arts in movies and claim to be masters, never seem to incorporate the lifestyle that comes with being a master. A master is a person ANYONE can look up to because their mere presence demands it. They do their own stunts and still manage to go to class for a hard workout. They pass down their knowlegde to their students, in hope that one day their students will too incorprate that lifestyle.
And you know what? Those masters are truly badass.
