For many people gaining a Black Belt is looked on as the end goal or pinnacle of martial arts training, just as gaining a Bachelors or Master’s Degree etc is seen as something conclusive in formal educational terms. Martial Arts training is a one of the most unique educational systems around as it uses a system of mentoring, where one person oversees the development of another; this is why humility is talked about so often in the martial arts – it requires both the student and the instructor to recognize the relationship and work within it. In Karate this is referred to as “scared space”; the unique space on the mats where instructor and student meet and the real instruction and education takes place.

Every martial art has to be adapted for the individual – if you look at the variations in the way that different people throw their roundhouse kick, you will see “self-modifications” e.g. some with a slightly straighter leg, some who step to turn the supporting foot and spin less etc, all of these kicks are both valid and effective – they adhere to the concepts and principles of the kick e.g. turning the body with the kick, moving the knee past the target etc, but they are all executed slightly differently. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact it’s the beauty of Krav Maga – that a conceptual system allows for such physical variation(s). It is the instructor’s job to enter this scared space with that understanding and accept the individuals way of doing something (as long as it is based on sound principles).

Equally the student has to enter that space with the desire to learn. Gyms are full of individuals who turn up and complete their workout and wonder why they’re not seeing improvements. During my time as a personal trainer I have lost clients that never really got it – that I wasn’t the answer- because they wouldn’t follow the program(s) that were designed, or somehow believed that they knew better and followed their own path. On the mats, these are the people who think they can choose their own way to Black Belt and their rate of progression. I remember as a young Judoka, spending a good few years at Blue Belt, not particularly caring about the belt (I’m still a 3rd Dan Black Belt – and have been for years) as I always recognized how much there was to learn and practice at that level. I will never stop practicing my basic punches and kick because I know from experience that it is the development of skills not the accruing of techniques that was the distinction between someone who is good and one who is bad. My favorite throw at Blue Belt as a Judoka is still my favorite throw some 20 years later. There should never be a rush to acquire new techniques just a desire to improve overall e.g. don’t have a yellow belt front kick as a green belt etc, this is what time on the mats means. Also in a system such as Krav Maga we are constantly reviewing and adapting techniques at all level, meaning a green belt may have to re-learn or adapt their training of such a technique accordingly.

As we come towards a grading in December (a selection of Green/Black Belts will grade in March for Blue), students should start to look to work on skill development rather than technique memorization. I look more towards performances in stress tests and sparring than in rote learning of techniques. An understanding of the principles coupled with martial arts skills means that a Krav Maga students can create the solutions they need.