#motovationmonday is a HUGE trend on social media, especially for gyms, dojos, or really just sports in general. Often times gyms or clubs post a photo with the quote written on it, or a general photo with a catchy quote as a caption to go with it.
In this post, I am going to look a little deeper at 5 quotes specifically aimed towards martial arts. Some are simple, others might have a whole other meaning. DISCLAIMER: These are just my opinions. This analysis is based souly on what I think these quotes mean. Maybe I'm Rright or maybe I'm wrong. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right?
"From white belt to black belt, you shape the tool. At black belt, you learn how to use it."
This one is simple to me, but that could be because I grew up with the understanding that black belt is not the end of the road. This quote simply means that all of your colour belts, no matter the order they may come in, are your practice. The time where you learn moves individually. Black belt is when you learn how to put those skills to proper use. Think of it this way: white belt to black belt is like a new born baby. They watch and learn from everyone around them. Black belt is when the baby starts to walk on thier own, talk on thier own and feed themselves. It seems like a weird analysis but it makes sense....right?
"Karate is like a mountain range. As you hike and climb you get to the top. Just to realize there is a whole new range ahead of you."
This quote could have a few meanings but the meaning I take from this is a simpler one. Each belt is a mountain range. All the learning and work you do during your belt is the hiking and climbing. Once you reach your belt grading, that is the top of the mountain. Than you get your new belt...and there is a whole other range to hike and climb and learn from.
"A karate student said to his master 'my kicks are horrible!' 'It will pass' said the master. The student went back and practiced and practiced and practiced and returned to the master days later and said 'my kicks are amazing!' 'It will pass' said the master."
This quote is a little bit longer than most but I think it is an important one. The just of thise quote is to say that we will have our good days and our bad. Yes, practice will make our techniques better but there will be days where we are completley off our game. It is important to recogniz that THIS IS OKAY! If we didn't have our bad days, what experiences would we be learning from?
"A black belt is a white belt who never gave up."
This has to be one of my favourite quotes. Students who have yet to achieve thier black belt or students who are at the beginning of thier karate journey may not understand this. The road to black belt is a long and bumpy one. There will be pain, tears, sweat, and maybe a little blood, but black belts are those who never quit dispite any of that. They are the students who pushed through and endured it all to achieve thier goals. No matter what road blocks got in the way.
"A black belt is not something you wear, it is something you become."
Okay, yes, you physically do wear your black belt but that is besides the point here. A black belt is so much more than a piece of material for your waste. A black belt is a personality, a life style. In our dojo for example, a student could be a master of the curriculum and be physically ready for thier black belt, BUT, if they are a bully (for example) there is no way I will pass them to thier black belt. There are teachers out there that don't bother to but thier degree(Dan) rankings on thier belts. Why? Because the important part is who they are as a person, not how many black belt ranks you hold.
I know this has been a different kind of post but I hope that reading this has either opened you up to new quotes or expanded your knowledge and understanding of ones you already knew. If you're lucky, it did both.
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