Written by One of the many requirements of the black belt test is to “seek out a master”. Basically what that means is I have to find a master (6th degree or higher) and conduct a mini interview. A few weeks ago Master Joe Lembke visited our dojo and gave a seminar. I thought this would be a great opportunity to get this requirement out of the way. I asked Sensei if I could interview Master Lembke before the seminar and he said yes!
During the interview Master Lembke brought in Sensei Carl Denny to answer some questions too. I asked multiple questions. One of which being “Do you have any tips for me to stay motivated during the black belt test/my karate journey?” This was the main question I wanted to ask them because in the past I have struggled with motivation. They both had similar answers and told me that If I feel like I’m losing motivation, I need to find the source of the problem. There is always a reason for losing motivation or feeling burnt out, so finding the source will help you eliminate it. This really stuck with me because I had never thought about it like that before.
Another question I asked them was “what have you gotten out of karate?”. Master Lembke told me that he had gotten a lot of discipline out of training in martial arts. I related to this a lot because I feel like I have gained a lot of discipline for karate as well.
Overall I had a really great experience interviewing Master Lembke and Sensei Denny. I also had a lot of fun during the seminar!
