Sensei Rodgers Black belt journey

Often as I teach the class I get asked how long did it take you to get to black belt? What did you do to get there? Was it hard. Too often we are not given a glimpse into how someone became who they are. This page is dedicated to show the notes, exercises and dedication I used to become black belt. I will post the notes and old katas so you, the students, can see what I did to get where I am.

One of the most common questions asked is how did you get to Black belt? What did it take? Was it hard?

The reality is that it takes dedication, time and patience.

I walked into my first karate dojo in July of 2005. I was older than most of the students there. I did not have any preconceived notion of what I was doing there. I walked in because I had a physical altercation where I simply could not apply what I had learned.

I remember being set up on a spot where I was told to stand. I remember not being very good at staying in the spot as I was drifting forward and backward. The Sensei made it simple and gave me one thing to learn at the end of the class. The next week I got two things. I took those things worked them for 5 minutes everyday. I was determined to master what I had been given. It is my personality that I have work something new.

I realized that there was repetition in the class and I started becoming good at remember what was going on.

It didn't take long to learn my first two katas and get my uniform. I don't think I had an idea that I would make it to black belt so I didn't save the first two certificates I earned.

Within three months I had earned my way to Yellow belt. I was becoming more disciplined, patient and confident in what I was doing.

With the Yellow belt rank came four new katas. I was so eager to learn them. I would film them and then go back and find my mistakes in them. It's here where I started writing everything down about katas, foot placement and started the fundamentals of Total 360 karate.

I remember taking the green belt testing and thinking it was not so bad. I can do this. In that moment I committed to helping other students and the Sensei with anything they needed. As a part of karate is about service I learned more about karate by helping. I was given assignments of warming the class up. Sensei would allow me to add exercises or stretches based on exercise background and certifications as a personal trainer.

I started focusing on what I needed to do each time and learned how to apply the best and most efficient use of my time in studying karate. The green belt rank was and to this day still is the hardest rank. The first kata Shiho hai was not that hard. It is the first kata in the Japanese system. I was able to put this together quickly. I was also permitted to learn bo staff. Again these movements came easy. I found myself starting to study 15 minutes a day as there was more material. This is the rank where I watched most people walk away from the class. I decided that I wanted to get through this rank. The next kata was and is the most challenging part of the art. Seisan is the signature kata and with that is an expectation of getting it right. This kata was not able just moves, you had to learn to breathe. I thought to myself I can breathe but Sensei would say good moves bad breathing over and over again. I could not get past the idea of bad breathing. I decided I needed a new approach and began learning yoga. I combined the use of yoga with what I was learning and started seeing what the Sensei was saying. This a pattern to externalizing movements away from the core and bringing them back in and they require a way of breathing. This is the part of the art that teaches karate students how to really absorbed and deliver strikes that are well beyond other arts. I slowly began getting the breathing right. I would sit at home for hours and just breathe. I would forget that I was working on a kata and would just breathe. I would be at work breathing. Over time I began to naturalize the karate way of breathing. The Sensei began letting me teach the class on a part time basis as he could see my dedication to the art. Because I had put so much time in, when it came time to take the test I do not even remember how I did. The movements were all second nature to me.

It was a while before I got the belt for brown belt. I remember concentrating on the bo katas. This was the only weapon I had been given and wanted to make sure I could master it. When the promotion came I realized I had done something special. Sensei Carpenter revealed that he does not often promote people to brown belt. Given that there was three of us at one time I felt honored to be in the group. Within the brown belt rank came to two katas that were very similar. These katas were rohai sho and rohai dai. These katas took me back to the origins of the katas as they were not overly complicated however they required work. The brown belt rank was a rank where I was expected to be a role model for the school. I could teach the classes, help the students and facilitate conversation about Chito Ryu karate. It's at this point that I realized I can make black belt. With this in in mind, I began studying for an 30 minutes a day. I would work 12-13 hour days at work and then go home and put in the 30 minutes. I would brave the weather and stand outside while the sun came up to work in private on my katas and techniques. I wanted to be the art. My body had changed from the first day in class. I no issues with knuckle push ups. I knew that I had to train myself to be in a position to battle for hours for my black belt test. I used my personal training to push myself to the limits and expected the biggest challenge of my life. Sensei Carpenter did not disappoint on this test. The test lasted at least two hours. I remember thinking just don't pass out. We did thousands of blocks, kicks and punches and that was just to get us to the katas. Once at the katas it was the most concentration that I had ever given to one thing. Once this was done then the sparring with the black belts began. There were four black belts that I had to spar against. I remember using my cardio to my advantage. I used speed and techniques to avoid standing "in the pocket" against the black belts. Most of them were over 230 pounds. When this test was over I remember falling on the floor in a pool of sweat thinking this was everything I had. It took me 15 minutes to get up just to get to my car. All of my training had paid off and I had taken the test.

As was the case with Sensei Carpenter, I did not know my results on my belt test for weeks. I had honestly forgotten that I had taken a test when he stopped the class and promoted me. The blue belt rank was not entirely hard with regard to the katas. It was more about learning how to apply the art. There was more sparring in this section. Decoding the secret moves if you will. Learning the locks, applications and bunakai of the art. I realized that at this point, it was truly about dedicating myself to the art. I could explain techniques, teach them and would teach entire classes on my own. While teaching wasn't the main goal, it really helped in understanding what the Sensei goes through and sees while teaching. This new perspective made me better and more open to positive reinforcement. Nesis was another breathing kata and while it was not as long as Seisan, it still took a while. Imagine learning two breathing katas back to back. I found myself pulling the kata apart and literally asking move by move what is the purpose. This really showed me the methodology of art and movement. I began really investing in the research of karate. This test I do remember as there were three of us testing. We were put on an island and pushed to see how far we would go. This was a great test and I remember thinking I gave everything I had.

It was weeks again before we found out if we passed. There was again three of us together. I remember one class Sensei Carpenter came in with a large box and there was a smile on his face and he told me to teach the class. About half way through the class he stopped the class and began the black belt promotion ceremony. I felt honored and accomplished that I had earned my black belt. Many people would stop at this point and say the journey is over. For me this is where the journey starts over. Black belt is not an ending it means you have a foundation and the question is "what are you going to do with it." Sensei Carpenter advised that me that my next rank would come when I have a black belt ready from my school. There was a lot of pain, dedication and training that went into getting to the black belt level but I would not change a single moment of it.