Shodan: A Symbol of Hard Work and Commitment

By: Jill R. Goldberg

I don’t think anyone truly understands when I say karate saved my life.  I was 25 years old, 5’7”, 230 pounds, and completely depressed.  I had Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain, chronic fatigue disorder, and I barely left the house, let alone my bed.  I lacked confidence, discipline, drive, and I was unemployed.  Now, less than 3 years later, I am faced with the prospect of earning my black belt in Shotokan Karate.

I got a part time job about then, around the same time that my parents started working out at Warren Levi Karate.  “Purely for fitness,” they said.  After a few weeks, Warren began introducing karate into their routine, and they were thrilled.  They asked me to join them, and I decided to try it out.  After the first two weeks, I was hooked.  I joined in my mother’s private lessons, and by the end of the first month, I was practicing moves in my room nightly.  About a month later, I applied to graduate school to become a teacher.

Slowly, my confidence began building.  I had never been good at sports, and yet I found that these moves were conquerable.  Sensei Warren would introduce a move; a set of blocks or strikes, that at first seemed unmanageable.  We would try and try again, and slowly we would master each move.  If one week a kick was weak because of lack of balance, by the next week, I would be able to do it better.  A year later, I began my observations for my masters in teaching.

My body began changing around the time I picked up a second day of training per week.  I was losing weight and feeling much better every day.  My mother and I kept training and practicing, and raising ranks in belt colors.  The aspect of discipline became more and more apparent.  We needed to bow twice, once when entering the dojo, and once when stepping onto the floor.  We bowed to our instructor as a sign of respect, and when he told us to do something, we did it as quickly as possible.  As time went on, we talked less and less during instruction, and listened to and followed commands more and more.  There was syncope in my life between the respect commanded by my sensei, the teachers I was observing, and my professors in school.  There was no doubt that my training in karate improved the discipline I had for teachers in other areas of my life.

On mornings I have karate, I jump out of bed and quickly dress.  There are few days when I sleep very late.  I have been an elementary school teacher for 2 years, and I always complete my work on time.  Overall, I have lost over 60 pounds, and feel significantly better.  The drive that karate has given me in everyday life is apparent.  My students have the discipline for me that I have had for my teachers.  Karate has added motivation, discipline, and confidence to my life.  Obtaining my black belt is a symbol of the hard work that I have put into karate, and the rest of my life.

One of my beliefs as a teacher is to instill in my students a love of lifelong learning.  One of my friends recently asked me if I was going to quit karate after receiving my black belt.  My answer to her was that I would never quit karate, because as you can see, karate saved my life.