Achieving the Dan

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Achieving the Dan
	It is generally acknowledged among martial arts instructors that only about one in every thousand students who begins to follow the Way eventually reaches the Dan or black belt level. These long odds reflect the difficulty of sustained training over a period of several years. But the dedicated few who succeed in achieving this recognition have reached a major milestone. They have mastered the basics of their discipline and are ready to begin a new phase in their lives as martial artists. As a student of Tae Kwon Do reaches the black belt level, he or she registers with the Kukkiwon, the headquarters of the World Tae Kwon Do Federation in Korea. It is at this point that a practitioner truly becomes part of the school, having earned the right through hard work to join the ranks of the leaders of the art.
A New Beginning	But while this may appear to the novice student to be the goal of training, the new black belt has learned enough to realize that this is really just the beginning of Tae Kwon Do training. Having gained a solid mastery of the basic techniques, the black belt must begin training again, relearning the art on a much deeper level. Although the black belt begins to work with the Bo, a simple wooden staff about six feet long, and continues to learn new empty-handed forms and techniques, the journey becomes more internal. The practitioner begins to test and extend the limits of his or her body and to develop a deeper relationship with the techniques so that the distinction between mind, body, spirit, and motion begins to blur. Some black belts may start working with new students, beginning a new cycle of learning, and adding the next link to the chain of learning that has been growing for thousands of years.
	Before all this can happen, though, the student must pass the test for the Dan. Preparing for this test will take each student to a new level of fitness, as he or she attempts to reach specific goals--usually in lifting weights, running, and other measurable standards--set by the teacher. The black belt candidate will perform all of the Gup level Pal Gwes and the first two black belt forms, execute several arranged self-defense techniques, spar with multiple opponents, and perform a series of challenging breaks, including a patio brick.
	Achieving the rank of First Dan is a significant accomplishment, about as difficult and rewarding as graduating from a four-year college. But like graduating from college, it is not an end but a beginning. As an English major has not read and understood every book, or as an engineer just out of school has never designed a machine or bridge, the new black belt has simply acquired the body of knowledge necessary to enter the world of the martial artist. Each individual must then decide what to do with this knowledge. Because getting this far is a long and difficult journey, some who reach this stage do not continue their study, but those who go on soon realize that the road ahead is longer and more satisfying than what lies behind.