Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01623

I think that today was the first day I could actually read the words on my black belt certificate without tearing up. I decided that I would make sure that this certificate would be framed expertly so I went to The Preservation Framer and picked out what I would like my frame to look like. The frame is thin and black with a black matte but also a thin line of a red matte. I wanted the red to remind me that I was a red/black belt for so long and that not only to stay humble in my further pursuits but also to remember that difficult things take time. Things worth doing take time.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01620

“Delay is not denial.”

Back in November of 2021 my Sensei told me that as I was dismissed from Black Belt Boot Camp after my pre-test. My photo of the day from yesterday was from last night at my last Boot Camp. My Red/Black belt has 21 stripes on it. Stripes can be earned each month at progress checks. So that means for 21 months I was an advanced red belt or red/black. But that isn’t my whole journey. I started at America’s Best Defense in January of 2019. That is when my Krav Maga journey began. My decision to pursue a black belt came on May 23, 2019 – 5 months into training. It has been a very long road leading to today where I passed my Black Belt Test.

I’ve never been the most athletic or physical guy. When I started Krav I could barely do 10 pushups in a row without hitting my knees. My blood sugars were not managed well and I barely cared. Now after nearly 5 years of training I can do 70 push ups in a row with a goal of 100 by age 50. My blood sugars have never been better in my life. I can run a mile in under 10 minutes, well, not today as I got a severe leg cramp at the 3/4 mark and had to have my leg worked on. But, I did not give up on my journey. It was a delay, for sure but it was my time today. Everyone is on their own journey and as my daughter is fond of saying, “Time is a Construct.”

So I have now earned my black belt in Krav Maga. I will never say, “finally” I earned it because the journey towards this goal happened when I was ready to face the challenges.

Some Final defense Drills.

Do I have 10 minutes of fighting left in me? Yes, yes I can get punched for 10 minutes. Oh man my hands are practically at my waist!

Tying that belt on for the first time!

I certainly could not do this alone. Everyone who helped me on this journey is so important. My family for their love, support and concern. Seeing my kids on their own journeys is amazing. I hope that seeing this accomplishment and sticking with it resonates with them for years to come. Sensei Brochu, Sensei Howard, Sensei Saunders, Miss Alex, Miss Jenn and Mr. Kyle for all the years of working with me. Your guidance and support have been critical in this. Master Garcia for founding the school and being an incredible example of hard work and dedication to martial arts.

With Sensei Brochu who has been there with me through this entire journey.

With Mr. Kyle one of my instructors who earned his 3rd Degree Black Belt today!

With Master Garcia our schools founder and an all around awesome guy!

With Sensei Saunders who facilitated Boot Camp with Sensei Brochu and has trained us several times over the years.

And a huge thanks goes out to my partner, Dave. Without his help I would not have got this far. He pushed me to become better in class but also outside of class. Training me to get my run down to 9:22. I’ll be keeping up with that to get stronger and faster.

We Made It, Dave!

To everyone who was a part of this Black Belt Test thank you all.

See you on the mats.

When we got home from the Black Belt Test I found that my family had laid out cards celebrating my success. And Andy had made lemon squares for me. This is what Andy drew for me. This kid has a huge heart. We’ll be having a big celebration tomorrow with brunch at Firefly in Marlboro. It was the one thing I wanted to do to celebrate. But, me being me, wasn’t about to put that out into the world until AFTER the test.