Black Belt Refection Essay
My Karate Journey
Anthony DiPette, March, 2008
I took my first karate class on November 4, 2002, just 2 months shy of being 40, and eager to learn. Sensei Spence was leading the class; we did warm-ups, some partner drills and lots of basics up and down the floor. Sensei Zangardi took me and another new student to the side and showed us all the basic punches and blocks. We joined back up with the rest of the class and did two self defense techniques. Class finished and we cleaned the floor before we all went home. At home, I took out a notebook and decided to start a karate journal. Looking at the first entry over five years later was a lot of fun, and interestingly, it started with the words “the journey begins”. How appropriate that statement has turned out to be.
I decided to start taking karate as a way to stay in shape while doing something I always wanted to learn. My Brother-in-law Vinnie, already a black belt, was visiting and checked out all the local schools for me. He selected Shorin Ryu Karate of Williamsburg after talking with Sensei Spence and he told me not to go anywhere else if I decided to train. He said things I didn’t understand at the time, like “avoid black belt factories”, “stay away from someone who makes his living doing this” and “find someone with a passion for the arts”. I owe him a lot for sharing his martial arts experience with me by selecting the best Sensei and school – one that I now have the privilege of calling my dojo.
I’ve gotten so much more from my karate training than a way to stay in shape. I had no idea that as part of my training I would be learning and talking about things like character, humility, discipline, patience, leadership, respect and focus. My senior’s who have gone before me have taught and demonstrated these qualities. Some were already Senseis, and some I’ve had the pleasure of training with during their journey to Sensei. Senseis Spence, Zangardi, Haynes, D.Williams, Wilson, Poland, S. Sage, L. Sage, Vlad, M. Williams, Massey, and Lord have all helped me learn and grow. I want to thank them for all that they’ve done for me, and continue to do to make our dojo the best of the best!
There are many I’ve trained with that have moved on and I only remember faces in my mind’s eye, and there are those committed karateka still training who are up and coming Senseis. Both of these groups have contributed to my karate by being great training partners and allowing me to give back by teaching them. I especially love showing someone a technique that they have probably seen a hundred times, but something just clicks at that instant, “the light bulb goes on”, and they’ve just increased their level of performance and knowledge. This still happens to me, and I expect it happens to all us who train by showing up and putting in the floor time.
This journey continues as I take a pause to write this and prepare for my upcoming black belt test. I know this test is nothing but a moment in time and the beginning of a new phase on the journey, as there is a never ending amount of knowledge I have yet to learn.