Progress, Promotion, and Recognition: More Than a Belt

In martial arts, progress is never accidental. It is built through countless hours of practice, discipline, and quiet perseverance — the early mornings, the repetitions no one sees, and the constant effort to improve not only technique, but character.

True growth does not depend on promotions or titles. A martial artist trains because of the journey itself — the pursuit of mastery, self-understanding, and continuous improvement. Long before any recognition arrives, progress is already happening in small, often invisible ways: stronger fundamentals, calmer reactions, deeper awareness, and a more resilient mindset.

Yet recognition still holds meaning.

A promotion is not simply about earning a new belt or rank. It is a moment of reflection — a pause that allows us to look back and truly see how far we have come. It acknowledges the effort invested, the challenges overcome, and the dedication sustained over time. Sometimes, we are too close to our own journey to recognize our growth without that external marker.

Recognition serves another important purpose: it helps set the direction forward. Rather than being an endpoint, promotion is a responsibility. It reminds us that the path continues, that learning never stops, and that each new level carries deeper expectations — not only in skill, but in leadership, humility, and service to others.

In the end, progression in martial arts is not measured by rank alone, but by who we become along the way. Promotions simply illuminate the path behind us while challenging us to walk the road ahead with renewed purpose.

The journey continues.

Mastering the Moment: A Martial Artist’s Perspective

“Live in the moment.”

We hear this advice everywhere. Let go of the past. Don’t worry about the future. Just be present.

Simple, right?

Not even close.

As martial artists, we quickly learn that true presence is not something you achieve by ignoring time — it’s something you earn by understanding it. Living fully in the moment doesn’t mean forgetting what came before or pretending tomorrow doesn’t exist. In fact, the opposite is true.

To live without anxiety or hesitation, you must first make peace with your past.

Every success.
Every failure.
Every awkward phase where progress felt slow.
Every triumph that reminded you why you started.

Your past is not a weight meant to hold you down; it is your training ground. Each mistake teaches awareness. Each challenge builds resilience. Each victory shows what is possible. Acceptance of the past removes regret and replaces it with wisdom.

But acceptance alone is not enough.

A martial artist who focuses only on the present without preparing for the future is unready when challenge arrives. In training, we drill techniques not for today’s comfort, but for tomorrow’s uncertainty. We prepare for situations we hope never come — the difficult moments, the unexpected obstacles, the “good, bad, and ugly” life inevitably delivers.

Preparation creates confidence. And confidence allows calm.

So do not forget the past — learn from it. Grow from it.

Do not ignore the future — plan for it. Prepare for it.

When you reconcile both, something powerful happens. The mind stops drifting backward in regret or forward in fear. You become grounded, aware, and fully engaged.

Only then can you truly live in the moment.

Only then can you master the present.

And in many ways, that is the highest level of training — not just in kung fu, but in life itself.

The Power of Being Heard

When proposing a solution, if the person in charge just says no and walks away, it will not make me want to propose other solutions. Growth and leadership thrive on dialogue, not dismissal. People develop confidence, creativity, and accountability when their ideas are heard, challenged thoughtfully, and responded to with respect. A strong leader understands that even when an idea isn’t right, the conversation around it matters—because engagement fuels learning, trust encourages initiative, and openness creates an environment where people feel safe to contribute, improve, and lead themselves.

Engage with others

We all engage differently with students. Some are more serious while others are more goofy. Some are chatty and others are more silent and interact with their body. 

It is awesome to see the interaction different black belt have with students in open training - like sihing Timchuck working with some of the young dragons. Or Sidai Csillag S who spent 40 minutes with a kid from the Lil Leopard program. 

Slow down?

 When we are trying to go deeper and understand what we are doing, we typically slow down so we can examine what we do. Or we ask someone else to slow down when they show us something. 

It is ok to slow down as long as we understand the pace of which our move should be in eventually. So slowing down to figure it out and the implementing the step in its normal speed incorporating what we learned when we slowed down. 

Especially when told to work on flow, we slow down. But our intention should be to get back to normal speed and continue working on the flow. 

Plans vs. Reality

I love to plan! But I do not like when plans change. 

This weekend I got sick and this derailed my training. I had lot of stuff I wanted to do before the next black belt class. But I accomplished maybe 20% of it. 

Now the plan is changing and focused on getting healthy so I can go back to plan A...

Am I in the best shape of my life?

 Easy answer- no. 

Why? Because I’m not going to be in a good shape as I was when I was 20. 

Ok. So relatively to my age - am I in the base shape? Am I in the best shape I could be?

Again the answer is no. 😅

Because I could have been in a better shape if I trained for 1 more minute today. And I can always get better. 

So am I in the shape I want to be? No again. I will always want to be in a better shape than where I am now.