Blackbelt

One of the 6th grade basketball players that I coach took her karate black belt test on Saturday. I got to see it.

The test took almost 4 hours and was extremely difficult. It would have been hard for adults, let alone 11 year olds. They had to demonstrate their form on kicks and punches, recite chants, answer questions and read their own essays in the middle of a crowded room in front of a panel of judges. After that, they had to break a board with their bare feet. Then they had to fight.

The first matches had each candidate (there were 3) go against 6 adult blackbelts in a row for about 30 seconds each. After that, they had 3 individual matches against the adults in which the first person to get 5 points won (contestants got 1 point for landing a blow to the opponents body, 2 points for a blow to the head). After that, the contestants fought each other and after that, they had to break bricks with their bare feet.

All three contestants were exhausted at the end, but this was as much a test of courage and willpower as it was about skill.

In a very moving and powerful ceremony, all three kids got their blackbelt. The last thing the teacher said to the kids was "this is just the beginning. You are teachers now. It is your job to share your knowledge with all of the new students, no matter how young or old they may be."

All in all, this was one of the coolest, most inspiring events I've ever seen.