I remember going to see the original Karate Kid movie at the theater with my Grandmother. As an 11 year old kid training in Martial Arts, most of the time on my own, I really connected with Daniel San. I was so excited when Mr. Miyagi turned out to be a Karate Master...it renewed my belief that there were hidden masters everywhere and that there was a possibility of my finding a Master who would take me under his wing and train me in the way of the warrior. Mr. Miyagi was the Master I was searching for. He was wise, tough and a hero at the same time. Looking back at my training as I write this, Mr. Miyagi has been the measure I have held all of the Master's I train with to.

I really loved the original Karate Kid movie, except the part when Daniel San asked Mr. Miyagi what belt he was and Mr. Miyagi said, "belt no matter, only to hold up your pants." I was devastated because at that point in time in my life I was consumed with earning a belt...any belt...and the idea of earning a Black Belt was just a dream, a dream that was slowly fading away with each day.

What made the whole thing worse was that my Grandmother leaned over (at that exact moment) and said, "See it doesn't matter what belt you are!" I know she was trying to make me feel good but I was like, "Uuhhh...that's not what I wanted to hear Grandma". I wanted to earn a belt that showed I had worked hard and deserved it, not a crappy leather belt from some store that didn't mean anything. I wasn't even looking for a Black Belt, a yellow belt would have been fine by me.

One thing I am extremely passionate about as an instructor, is making sure that I provide my students with the ability to test and earn a new belt on a regular and consistent basis. The reason I am so passionate about testing is because I never earned any belts while studying martial arts as a kid until age 14. I want to make sure that my students never have the gnawing feeling that I had...that maybe they aren't good enough or like they have to beg to test for their next belt. I truly believe the color belt system found in martial arts (when supported by a strong curriculum and disciplined hard training) is one of the most powerful tools for building confidence, teaching goal setting and as a reward system for hard work.

At the time, I was like "Thanks a lot Mr. Miyagi!" but looking back and being an instructor myself, I say "Thanks a lot Mr. Miyagi, you made me a better instructor!"

I am really excited about seeing the new Karate Kid movie. I hear through the grapevine that it is great!