Academy News
A–Attitudes of Success
Black Belt Excellence is the attitude that nothing is going to stop you from reaching your goals. It’s the mind set that if you can believe it you can achieve it. We teach our students to use Black Belt as a standard of excellence in every area of their lives.For instance, our young students are taught to ask themselves throughout the day, “How would a Black Belt do this?” How would a Black Belt act in school? How would a Black Belt pay attention to the teacher? Would a Black Belt complain about homework or would a Black Belt get it done first without a word?
For our adult students, we ask, “How would a Black Belt conduct him or herself at work? Would they be gathering around the water cooler, gossiping and complaining or would they stay positive?” Essentially, this attitude is one that asks the question, “If every student were just like me, what kind of students would they be? If everyone in this office were just like me, what kind of office would this be?” And, of course, “If everyone in this family were just like me, what kind of family would this be?” Our students are taught strategies of leadership as part of their training. We call this Black Belt Leadership.
Black Belt Leadership teaches our students how to set and achieve worthwhile goals. Of course, the goal for all students is to earn their Black Belt. That takes about three-five years and can be a pretty daunting goal if you look at all the training and time it will take. However, we take that big goal of earning a Black Belt in three-five years and break it down into short, accessible goals. In our school, you start as a white belt. White belt represents courage; the courage to make goals and commit to achieving them. Every two or three months, you strive to advance to the next belt color. So while three years for a Black Belt can be intimidating, two to three months to your next belt is highly motivating. Black Belt Leadership teaches our students to set high goals and then lay out a plan and pattern of short term, easily obtainable goals that keep them moving towards their long-term goal.
These principles of success are taught to all of our students in every class. The more you think about this the more you realize that the martial arts is the only activity for your child where this type of personal development is a central component of the curriculum. There are no benchwarmers in our school. The only score board is a measure of personal success in life, not on a playing field. Because you want the very best for your children, you can easily see and understand that martial arts is the single most valuable activity for your child’s personal and physical development.
