The Grading Opportunity
Once every three months we come to the time of year to grade and Paul Kelly has graded most of our students over the years, and he firmly believes grading is a valid part of your martial arts training.
Martial arts is a journey not a destination, your skill level compared to another student is irrelevant, but to entrust your martial arts training to an instructor whose job it is to develop your skill means that he needs to review your progress. If your quest is to get better and improve how can you evaluate this in a day to day class environment? This is the idea of a grading structure. The instructor reviews your progress and then is able to adjust your training or the curriculum to better develop the students.
Your personal development and growth as a martial artist means that you must develop mental strength as well as physical skill and so the stress of a grading is meant to pressure test you! A grading means you will focus on a specific moment in time and the stress that goes with that is meant to be a development tool as well. We don't come to the martial arts because we want an easy life. We challenge our bodies and our minds and because of this we create positive change in ourselves.
At Martial Art Concepts we pride ourselves on having a culture of development and support in our academy. We're not concerned about how good you are today, we care about how far we can go together tomorrow, next week, next year and further if you will take the journey with us. Support and be supported by your fellow martial artists.
Some people feel they shouldn't challenge themselves or are concerned about not succeeding but, as Bruce Lee said, concentrate on what you can do, not the things you can't. Martial art is for everyone with the right instruction. Grab it and be the best you can, grow, develop, build self confidence and self esteem and honour the tradition of all the great martial artists that went before. You should accept the challenge, deal with it, relish it and conquer it, after all, the real battle is with yourself, not with an opponent. In our academy you can challenge that possibility of not succeeding in a safe trusting and supportive environment. We can't battle test the art, nor would we probably want too. However, if we do not test it at all then we are little more than going through the motions. Simply put that's not the art that we aspire to or teach.
Grading is a positive development tool so please see it as that. Learn to conquer and beat this little challenge because winning little challenges prepares you for the big ones. A grading experience helps you to expand, to challenge life on your terms; I am stronger through the martial arts, mentally, physically and spiritually. Join me.
From the thoughts of Paul Kelly, Chief Instructor
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