Indiana Martial Arts
Martial Arts Indiana
Martinsville Martial Arts
Martinsville Karate
Martinsville Indiana
Taekwondo Tae kwon do

Black Belt Paper Excerpts - Matt Gaunt

On people who display kunja, in reference to his college football coach, Coach M.

The values Coach M. holds dear become ingrained upon his athletes, changing them. The same can be clearly be seen in the martial arts. The moral values that instructors, or even that particular art holds dear become impressed upon their students. Under Coach M, freshman football players come in as boys, and as seniors, leave as men. Everyday, after practice, Coach M. would gather the players and speak to us. Oftentimes he would read us poems or quotes about courage, fear, honor, confidence, honesty, adversity, and any number of things he thought we need to know to become men. Frequently his eyes would water up and his voice would become choked up with emotion as he read and talked to us in the fading light. It wasn’t until my junior year that I truly began to appreciate what he was doing for us. On Old Gold day that year I met an alumni who played for Coach M. This former player had one of his daughters with him. As we talked his child, who must have been in kindergarten, started pulling on her father and whining. The father looked down at his daughter and told her to remember “the rule” sternly. The child pouted, but immediately stopped. Laughing to myself I asked the man what “the rule” was. He replied, “Do nothing to embarrass yourself or this family.” I was a bit stunned. Coach M.’s sole rule for his players is: Do nothing to embarrass yourself, your parents, this team, or the university.” I consider how much coach M. had to have influenced this man to have his family rule based off his teachings. I thought of all the families who are being influenced today by a man only their fathers know and whom they’ll probably never meet.

On control and confidence

By necessity practitioners learn to control not only their bodies, but their minds. When practicing with other martial artists, students learn control. Exactly how much pressure is needed to keep from applying a technique too hard, or when to slow down a strike to avoid actually landing it. Likewise, students learn to control their emotions. It would be foolish and wrong to let something so fickle as rage, hate, or anger control them during martial arts training. Emotional control is vital for proper learning and safety. This self-control carries over into daily living as well. I don’t believe I’ve encountered a martial artist who let “flash” emotions guide them. They meet every situation with a level head and look at it from almost every angle before deciding……

...One’s confidence is yet another area where a practitioner will experience change. One builds their confidence with every step made during their martial arts journey. With every successful technique completed, every strike blocked, and each belt test passed it grows. One ahs to have confidence in themselves and their abilities when practicing the martial arts. At first, a student might discover they are no longer frightened to walk alone home at night. Then the student notices that he or she have become more assertive: looking people in the eye, speaking up more, and answering questions in class when once they would have remained quite. Eventually, their confidence seems almost to hang around them, just by looking at them anyone can see that they are ready for any situation life throws at them……

...Martial arts have had many positive affects on me. Physically I’ve learned how to defend myself, something that may save my life, the life of a family member, or even some random person’s life some day. I’ve been able to keep myself physically fit by practicing the martial arts during the winter and spring months, which helped keep me in shape for football. But there are only physical benefits. Emotionally and spiritually are the areas where the martial arts have truly impacted my life the most. I’ve learned to respect people for who they are. Before my involvement in the martial arts, I was respectful to others merely out of courtesy. Many of the best qualities in people remain hidden. The same can be said of people in the martial arts. One never really knows who is a martial artist and who is not. And one never really knows what a stranger has to offer that change your life….

...I’ve [also] learned how to control my emotions. I used to let passion guide my responses to the various attacks thrown at me. I used to believe that if a person attacked me it would be the last time they would do so. Now I’ve developed, or would link to think that I have, a moral “light bulb” that keeps me self-evaluating my actions as a martial artist. I look back and think about the freshman I was when I began to study the martial arts and cant help but laugh and shake my head. I wanted to learn Hapido because it was interesting, but I found it interesting for all the wrong reasons. It was to defend myself by “learning how to beat people up.” That goal in any martial arts, let alone Gentry Martial Arts, is just about as far from the ideal philosophy as one can get. As I studied for my 3rd kup I began to realize that I was headed in the wrong direction. I was, and still am, embarrassed that it took me as long as it did for me to grow out of the mortal combat like “finish him” attitude, and embrace the values that Gentry Martial Arts teaches.

My realization of how wrong I had been for about half the length of my training forced me to seriously evaluate myself. Am I really worthy of this black belt? Can I ever consider myself morally sound enough to be called kunja? I would like to think so, but is that just wishful thinking, or have I changed enough? I don’t know. I do know I’m a better person because of hapkido and my study of the martial arts.

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Last modified: September 10, 2006