How to Earn Your Fitness Black Belt

Today Thomas is earning his black stripe for learning his technique,” announced Master Williams. And as the onlooking parents including myself clapped their hands, a black stripe was taped onto his belt.

He looked at me with such a proud face and smiled just for a split second. But I saw it, and I knew what he must be feeling.

And while he was proud of his black stripe, he wasted no time asking, “What can I do to earn my blue stripe?” Nice!

We All Start at the Beginning

My son is only a white belt in his class which means he is brand-spanking new to Karate. He has a beginner belt in a beginner class. And anybody that knows anything about Karate knows that the ultimate goal is to earn that coveted black belt. But it’s a process; it takes time.

It takes years of learning disciplines, patterns, and postures. Not only do you have to learn them, but you have to make them routine so that you can defend yourself.
But here’s where Karate got it right.

Bite-Sized Victories

You don’t jump from a white belt to a black belt; there are many belts in between that you earn along the way.

So instead of focusing on your black belt, your goal is to earn the next belt up. Instead of setting just one ultimate goal, you are setting periodic milestones along the way WHILE…..wait for it…..you are LEARNING IT.

So Why Do We Try to Jump Belts?

Too often when it comes to fitness we try to jump from a “fitness white belt” to a “fitness black belt” while ignoring all the stuff in between.

What do I mean?
I mean too many times we enter the fitness arena with only one thing in mind – earn that black belt.

We set just one ultimate goal and forget to focus on the shorter-term milestones and achievements. We ignore the small victories that play a tremendous role in keeping us engaged in the process.

We also ignore the fact that to earn a black belt you have to not only learn the material, it has to become routine. Habits have to be formed.

So How Do You Do it?

How do you earn your “fitness black belt”?
You do it the very same way as Karate. You put in the time, you celebrate the small victories, and you let it become routine. That’s how you become a fitness black belt. By doing all the stuff in between.