THE SAGA OF THE BLACK BELT

The ultimate dream of most people starting karate training is to obtain a black belt. Black belt for most people means a ticket to becoming a 'superman', who can just knock off anybody with one finger jab, or a whirlwind kick, or simply papad chop, oops sorry a karate chop. Almost every person who wants to take Karate training dreams of being a black belt.

Many parents, whose children have trained at some other class, come to me. "My child is a 'brown belt' from xyz institute, I don't want the child to wear a white belt again, can my child appear for a black belt exam?"Or, "How much time does it take to get a Black Belt?" It seems as if the Black Belt is more important then the training in the art of Karate. I tell them to go buy a black belt from the sports shop, why do you need to go through the trouble of the training in the art.

What is the enigma of a black belt? What significance does it carry? Or is it just the glamour projected by the Hollywood and the Bollywood that contributes to the invincibility notion that a black belt potrays? Let us understand the roots.

The Roots

The roots of the martial art of Karate can be traced back to Okinawan. Okinawan is one of the bigger islands of the chain of Ryukyu Islands to the south of Japan. These chains of islands were an important trade link to the mainland and China. Along with the trade an exchange of culture, traditions and arts was inevitable.

The main population of the islanders was fishermen and farmers. The islanders were oppressed by the local lords and also banned from carrying weapons, leaving them helpless. Those were the times of wars and to preserve life was essential. Due to these factors the martial arts from China were practiced by a selected few in secrecy by the locals.

They would practice at night to avoid being detected and be punished. These practitioners of the secret art would wear a pajama and a sash to hold their pants up. As the practice continued for months and years the 'Sash' would become dirtier and dirtier and finally would become black after years of training.

This dirty black 'Sash' was a resultant of years of hard work and the progress in the art. Even today if you observe the gradation of the Belt system in the Martial Arts they progress from white to black belt, from lighter to darker shades. This signifies that the Belt system in Karate is ONLY a symbolic representation of the person's progress in the art. But the saga of the belt does not end there. These practitioners of the art did not stop training once the "Sash" became black (like in modern times most people stop training thinking that they have learnt the art). For them the color of the sash did not matter. They wanted to understand the art at the deeper levels. They wanted to unravel the mysteries of the universe through the art. As a by-product they could perform feats which the average man could not accomplish. Hence the stories and legends of invincibility prevail till modern times.

The Understanding

Well, they progressed in their training and many more years passed. The art and the man were one. The 'Sash', a piece of cloth would start tearing apart because of its use to hold the pants up and also the years of sweat, mud, blood, etc. The inside white of the cotton would start to show through the ravaged sash, and the years of wear and tear. The sash would be white again. Through the years the practitioner emerged a different person. The one who has "Known" through the art. The one who has understood the roots as well as the flowering, through his own experience.

The white belt signifies the purity and innocence. When the child is born he has no ego, that's why all children are beautiful. The beginners white belt signifies the innocence of the child who is not aware of his innocence. The white sash...progressing to black sash and beyond... and finally completing the cycle of coming back to white sash. This was the final home coming. The masters white belt signifies the innocence of the Buddha, who is aware, through the practice of the art. The cycle is similar to the cycle of life.

Those reading this article, I hope will understand the people who brag about belts and the teachers who sell or give away belts to lure more students. I leave this to the judgement of the parents, practitioners and lovers of the art to understand the significance of the art as well as the belts.

Remember belts are just symbolic representation of the individual's progress in the art. What is important is the essence, the fragrance that the art offers through the expression of performing the techniques on the canvas, and the canvas is the universe.