Black, Baby!

On September 17th, I fulfilled a major dream of mine: I tested for and earned a black belt in Kenpo karate.

When I started studying Kenpo in 2006, I didn’t really have Black as a goal. I was looking for a cardio activity that would challenge my mind and body, and I wanted to learn how to defend myself. But after attending the AKKI camp in Las Vegas a few months into my training and seeing how the other black belts in the AKKI system moved, I was inspired to set a goal of becoming a black belt. I knew it would be hard work and require a lot of dedication, but it still surprised me how hard it was. Although I love it, martial arts doesn't come as naturally to me as it does to some I know, so I've had to work harder than some to gain the skills, and I have a lot left to learn. Over the four years I've studied the art, I missed class only a few times a year, regularly picked the brains of and tried to mimic superior artists and instructors, practiced mentally and physically almost constantly, taught other students for the last two years, and participated in as many extra seminars as I could. My dear family has been incredibly patient with my frequent absences, and I've felt the support of family and friends all along the journey. There's no other way I would have been able to test in every camp since that first one, which allowed me to gain a new belt roughly every six months.

I overcame my fears and many obstacles to attain this goal, including pushing through a couple of pretty wicked burnout periods and battling health issues. Was it worth it? You better believe it! Ben keeps teasing me that I will "rank and run," a phrase coined for a common phenomenon when people achieve the black belt status and then soon quit studying martial arts. But he knows I'm too addicted now to ever do that. Besides, this is only the beginning of my journey. I still have so much to learn! I'm incredibly lucky to have such great instructors, including Mr. Ryan Wheaton, Mr. Shawn Gough, Mr. George Thomsen, and of course the living legend, AKKI founder Mr. Paul Mills. My sincerest thanks to these fine gentlemen and to my other instructors and fellow students in the art. It's been a real pleasure so far!

Comments

[Jeanna]

I am so very proud of you! That was such an awesome experience to be able to share with you! Let's do it again next spring! Love you always. You inspire me.