I am a regular listener of the Martial Arts and Life podcast, and as such knew that the gentlemen who host the show, Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder have also written a number of books. Since I enjoy the podcast, I decided to explore the literary offerings of Mr. Kane and Mr. Wilder, and there were quite a few options to choose! I selected this particular book, The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results, as I am currently pursuing my black belt, and hope to test for it sometime this year. As such, I felt that not only was I the target audience for this book but that I could use some of the advice on offer in a very direct manner.
First off, I really liked the format of The Way to Black Belt. The book is broken up into eight chapters, with each chapter focusing on a discrete piece of advice (i.e. “Do not limit yourself,” “Understand strength versus skill,” and “Understand the Strategy to Master the Tactics.”) Each chapter begins with an introduction by an accomplished individual (usually but not exclusively a martial artist, from what I could tell). These contributors include people such as Iain Abernethy and Rory Miller, among others. The authors then delve into whatever the specific topic is for each chapter and include real-life anecdotes to illustrate their advice.
Each chapter of The Way to Black Belt also includes a student perspective. I especially enjoyed reading the student perspectives in each chapter, as I felt that by including commentary from someone who themselves was going through the process, the advice offered by the authors somehow felt more accessible and within my reach. Each chapter ends with a summary, an action plan and further suggested reading, both books and websites. Personally, I read the book on my kindle, but it appears if you have a paper copy, there is actually space in the action plan section for the reader to write out a specific action plan. Furthermore, I liked how the action plan allows for the reader to set out concrete, guided goals such as “what are three specific challenges you know you will face?” or “make a date to observe an advanced class” or “look for the common glue that puts your tactics in perspective, building toward a ‘decision stick’ that helps you utilize your art on the street or in the tournament ring successfully.” Finally, the authors included three appendices, one that defines common martial arts terms, one that gives a brief overview of different martial styles, and one (my favorite) that listed the authors’ top martial arts films with a brief explanation of why they liked each.
I would classify The Way to Black Belt as a “how to” book, although not necessarily in the classic style where a specific technique is described and through words and/or pictures the reader learns how to perform the said technique. Rather, this is more of a book about how to approach your training so that you can get the most out of it. I also liked how, where appropriate, the authors make special considerations for different types of students, like male vs female, old vs young, etc., so that the reader has the tools to tailor the authors’ advice to their specific circumstances, whatever they may be. This again makes the information in the book feel especially accessible even for those students who may not be young whippersnappers, or in prime physical condition.
Not only did this The Way to Black Belt expose me to some very useful advice about how to approach my training, and how to set both long term and short term goals, it actually taught me a few things about myself, and specifically how I learn. Prior to reading this book, I was familiar with the concept that different people learn in different ways, and I had even heard that some people are auditory learners, some are kinesthetic learners, and some are visual learners. Chapter three of this book, “Know how you learn,” really delved into each of the different types of learners. It examined how they learn, and (most importantly) how to take that knowledge and specifically apply it to your training. In addition to explaining the modalities predilections in a comprehensive but accessible way, the authors demonstrated how this plays out in a martial arts environment by giving an example: how someone of each category can best learn a new kata (form). Immediately after reading this chapter, and armed with the knowledge of my modality prediction, I applied it to my own martial arts training. Almost at once I noticed an improvement in my classes; I even spoke to my instructor about it.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I am clearly the target audience for The Way to Black Belt, and I certainly was able to take a lot from it straight away. While those martial arts practitioners with decades of experience under their black belts may not find this book as useful to them, I do think it has something for everyone. Although I do not formally teach, I do believe anyone that instructs others may also find this book useful, and it may not only give instructors new ideas about how to teach but may also refresh their perspective as to what is going on in the minds of their students. And, in my opinion, a fresh perspective is always a welcome one!
You may be interested in my last book review, a two-parter covering Herding the Moo and The True Believers, available here.
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MS. Vasel,
I really liked your review here. I really appreciated the perspective you brought here as a student approaching black belt. Now I’ll have to add to my collection. Thank you!