Modesty, Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self- control

*I have some catching up to do, so I'll start with the oldest and work my way down the line.*


The Tenets of the Black Belt: Modesty, Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control

Do you remember when I told you about Austin and Jackson starting the Ultimate Black Belt Test?? The gruelling months that were ahead for them in keeping up with the requirements for reaching a black belt in Mixed Martial Arts? remember all that? Well....it's time for an update.

A few of the requirements that Austin had to fulfill over the past 8 months were:

Preform and record 1000 acts of random kindness
Execute and record 100 push ups and 100 sit ups every day
Journal about your training
Walk/run 1000 miles (Not a typo....1000)

And a whole bunch of goal setting, personal victories, etc..

He finished it, and it ended up making a nice, thick, three ring binder full of accomplishments.

But that was not the end of the test........oh noooooo.......that was just the BEGINNING! Then he had to show his skills to finish up the UBBT and try to earn his black belt.

Austin had to fight 50 rounds, with fresh opponents switching in and out every 3 minutes. Yes....50. As in 5 tens...as in the number of cents in 1/2 a dollar.......as in the number of states in the good ole' US of A. 50!!!!! (she screamed)

Using the skills that he has aquired over the past 6 years in sparring, Jiu Jitsu, muai Tai etc, I watched this kid go 50 rounds . I watched him push himself harder than he ever imagined possible. I watched as he became so exhausted that he could no longer "think" through his moves, but his training just took over and he just "knew" what to do.

I watched him get knocked out,(yes...knoocked out) come to, get some water, and then tell his coach, "No coach, I can finish".

Then he went 7 more rounds to finish. His coach walked over to me and said" That belt's gonna fit when I put it on him." For a mother this was almost too much to take. But for Austin, this was his goal. It's what he set out to do, and he intended to finish it. And he did. And I was there to watch.

At 16, he has earned his black belt in MMA. This is the youngest age at which one can achieve this goal, and in fact, this school has only ever awarded 2 others in it's history.

Austin, we could not be more proud of you. You have proven that you possess the character and the skills of a black belt, and we knew that you could do it. Truly amazing accomplishment.

Congratulations Austin! We love you!!
Cheers!

Melissa