Most of my friends know that I retired from the United States Air Force after serving for 20 years. I wanted to stay in the military for a few more, but my wife convinced me it was time to hang up my uniform and come home. I am very grateful for the training and experience I received and my office is full of memorabilia; pictures, awards, plaques and references to the rank I achieved. One of the reasons I wanted to stay in the Air Force was to garner the next grade, Senior Master Sergeant. I spent the better part of my career making critical decisions, and taking key assignments in order to move up the ladder.
Rank is a big deal in the military. Of course, with higher rank comes higher pay and better job placements. There’s also a significant amount of authority and respect that comes with the top echelons. I started out as a “slick sleever,” the very bottom of the totem pole…almost lower than a second lieutenant. (Apologies to my officer friends, but you know I had to). A lot of years, tests and experiences later, I made the coveted senior NCO status. Regardless of the branch, enlisted and officers treat you differently when that happens because everybody knows how hard it is to get there. The day I pinned on those stripes was probably one of the best days in my career. As with most “pinning” ceremonies, my wife and kids were there along with all of my close brothers and sisters in arms. Anyone will tell you that you don’t get there alone; seniors have to take an interest in you, groom you. I was fortunate enough to have some “tough love” along the way, people who kicked my rump once in a while when I needed it. Others who helped me understand a thing or two about responsibility. And my family made sacrifices far beyond those of the civilian world in most cases. Like I said, it’s a big deal.
And leaving all that behind to start a new life as a civilian was pretty humbling to say the least. Imagine having a recognizable status based on rank alone regardless of the actual job you perform. A staff sergeant in the mess hall has the same status as a staff sergeant in the motor pool. Of course, there are job titles, medals and other things to set one apart, but rank is rank. So, when I started my first “real job” as a physical therapist assistant working at Mercy Hospital, I got knocked down quite a few notches. Most people have no clue of the level and depth of training, experience and responsibility ex-military have. They only look at the title of their college degree. But like so many other veterans, my life, training and work experiences were nothing like that of my civilian contemporaries. The letters after my name do not describe the whole of my past life.
But you know, titles and rank are also a big deal in the civilian world. We tend to grant a certain level of respect to someone with the title of CEO, even if we don’t know that person is the only employee in their company. Rank and titles are also a big deal in traditional martial arts. In my opinion, WAY too big a deal.
I’ve talked about martial arts rank and the belt system before. Suffice to say, it was conceptualized and put into practice by the founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano. At the time, beginners and novices wore whites belt and advanced students wore a black belts. Degrees and titles came much later. And all the different belt colors? That was a European idea…figures. Over the years, I’ve met folks who are not afraid to tout their martial arts rank, especially when it comes to the degree of black belt they’ve achieved.
Some have gotten into the practice of putting stripes on their belts, or they put stripes one their students’ belts. You see, it’s not enough let people know you are a black belt; you want them to know that you are a degreed black belt…a “master.” To the average person with little or no experience in martial arts, that’s probably pretty impressive if not intimidating. Because you know, someone who is a sixth-degree black belt can stop a bullet, take out 10 dudes with ease and punch a hole through the universe, right? And it continues to amaze me that fully grown, intelligent adults involved in traditional martial arts pay so much attention to all of that nonsense. It’s been my experience that people who feel the need to let me know their level of martial arts mastery early on are typically nothing close to the title they portray.
That said, I have been awarded certain levels of black belt in several styles. Along with my military awards, these certificates hang in my office. I received these from people with far more experience (and rank) as a testament. People I looked up to and respected who took the time to recognize my dedication to the arts I studied. I was humbled to receive them and honored to hang them in my home. And it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had anybody give me a rank certificate.
But those diplomas have nothing to do with any skill I may possess. And they sure as hell don’t help me get up every day and train. That’s on me. I wear the same belt that I’ve worn for 30 years. When people ask me about what degree of black belt I have, I simply tell them that I’ve been training for a long time. If I am doing everything I’m supposed to do, e.g. watch my diet, stay in shape and of course practice every day, then my skill will be properly represented. It has nothing to do with titles, stripes or belt colors. And while I have no problem telling people about the rank I earned in the military, I have a rough time trying to describe my status as a martial artist. One was about service to others and my country; the other is really about a way of life. Two very different ways of life.
If you ever come to our dojo, you’ll see we have senior students with black belts, novices with white belts and a few advanced students wearing a brown belt. Ask any of my black belt students what “degree” they are and they’ll shrug their shoulders and say, “I don’t know. But I’ve been training for x number of years.” And if you spend any time training with them, you’ll be able to ascertain their level of skill and competency. More importantly, you’ll discover how they have taken all of the arts that we study and have made them their own. No two individuals are exactly alike.
I’m very happy when they stay long enough and work hard enough to earn their black belt; but I’m proud and humbled that they continue to come and train. That’s what makes a dojo.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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