Black Belt Essay
Maia Cormier
I started karate right after I turned five years old, and now, eight and a half years later, at 13, it is one of the most important parts of my life. When I was little I remember trying all kinds of different sports, but none of them quite stuck. Karate was the first thing I tried that I really loved.
I can still remember the very first time I went there and Shihan saying “Karate people don’t sit down when they are tired.” That stuck with me, and over the years I have learned that it’s true. Just because you’re tired or don’t feel like going one day doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go. It’s just that much more reason to go and to try your best even when it’s not your best day.
Karate has taught me many things over the years but one of the most important things that I use the most is perseverance. Perseverance is always trying your best and never giving up even when something is hard or slow to success. That is what Boot Camp is all about, always putting in the effort to try even when you’re tired. Boot Camp isn’t just
something that you decide that you’re going to do one day, it’s something that you’ve been working for, for years. Sometimes people think that if they ever learn how to do something, that they will understand it right away and it will just click. But that’s not how it or karate works. If you are going to get something it’s better that it takes time because that means you are putting in the effort to do it and to do it right, that’s what karate is all about. In my time at The Dojo I’ve met a lot of people in my classes, but very few of them have stayed as long as I have. I think that this is because people think that karate is easy and takes no effort, but that’s not true. It takes time, effort, determination, and dedication to make it this far in your journey.
I think the best decision I ever made in this sport was agreeing to join the Demo Team. When Shihan Henry first asked me about it at the beginning of September in 2023 I was skeptical about doing something like that. But I agreed to go to a practice just to try it and see if I enjoyed it, with no pressure to join the team. All it took was that one hour and I was hooked. It was a very different vibe from what I was used to doing with the instructor making all the decisions and you just going at really whatever pace you wanted, to have it be a more student-led fast paced class. But it was fun and that was part of the challenge, having to adapt your speed and skills to match what you are doing as a whole group or with your partner(s).
I remember the weeks leading up to my first performance at the Black Belt Test, I was overwhelmed. In just two short months I had been asked if I wanted to join, joined, learned part of a new form, learned a weapon, and got used to performing at a faster pace. For barely 12 year old me, that was a lot of stuff. Over time though it got easier and easier to keep up with the pace and learn new skills, and now I don’t feel as stressed before the performances because I know that I’ve done it before and I can tell myself that if I’ve done it before, then I can do it again.
Karate has been an important part of my life for so long now from getting my Junior Black Belt at 9 to getting my Teen Black Belt at 11 and now going up for my Adult Black Belt at 13. Karate is an important part of who I am.