Spring Promotion

On April 14th, 2007, we had our Spring Promotion ceremony. It wasn't a big promotion, but important non-the-less. Yusuf and David received their white sash, and Paublo was promoted to yellow sash. We were honored by the presence of Paublo's family, visiting from Mexico. It was nice to have them witness our traditional promotional ceremonies. One of my brown belts, Julio Aguilar also assisted me in the process. I'm always asked, if not questioned, about the methods I use to promote my students. Most Martial Arts schools periodically administer tests to determine the level of competency of their students, for the purposes of rank advancement. Since I don't teach the conventional "repetitive" method, I don't perform rank promotions the same way either. To me, it is important to create an individualize training program for each of my students. It's not a formal, written down thing, rather a mental observation and a more practical approach I use to teach. Every one of my students is a unique individual, with gifts and challenges in every level of their existence (i.e., physical, mental, and spiritual), that is, their trinity. My objective is not to teach them how to kick and punch, it's to get each of them to attain their highest potential and all of their goals - at every level of their trinity. If I can teach their minds, their bodies will follow. So, what does rank mean to me? It is the right of passage from one level of training to the next. When I see true progress in each of their areas of weakness or strength, and an understanding of my teachings and principles, along with the proper application of my methodologies, then they are ready for advancement. However, there is always the issue surrounding the white sash. In most schools, you start day-one with a white belt/sash, which signifies you as a beginner. In Gosikido, you must "earn" the right to wear the white sash, since it's only them that I formally accept you as a student. Many students have come and gone through my floor. Some came with great ideas about my style and their search for the coveted "black belt", to only find out that the price you have to pay is hard to give, since only through blood and tears will you ever achieve your goals. The trials and tribulations placed before us by God teach us how to persevere in life, and make us stronger individuals. If you analyze some of the great people in history, they really never focused on the trophy / recognition / reward, they focused on their cause. The accolades came after they achieved their goals. For if you focus on the reward, you will miss all of the lessons that life has stored for you - good and bad. It's all about the journey, not the destination.