A few days ago I was sitting at my terrace with some friends talking about
warrior ways whilst having a glass of wine. I like to have a good glass of wine now and then and especially when it is a Spanish red wine.I was looking at colour of wine in glass and appreciating different aromas of it.
I realized that black belts instructors are much like wine and most students are like common guy who takes a glass of wine now and then.
In my opinion a first dan (shodan) is same as a young wine, from a very recent year without time to mature in old oak barrels. It’s flavour is nice, light and easy to drink. It is a good wine to start with when you don’t have a clue about wines. It will not give you a headache and a limited number of glasses won’t make you drunk.
The same thing goes for 1st dan instructor. It’s a good technical instructor, easy to learn from and a great start when you take up your martial arts study.
This instructor will need time in old oak barrels to mature but he will as his training continues and he keeps going on path that leads to master ship. The only thing that could get in his way is his own ego. The moment he thinks he is a great wine; he stops learning and steps out of oak barrel. A good instructor as well as a great wine needs time, lots of time and patience.
As instructors we first of all need to be like an outstanding grape, ready to be moulded into a fine wine. Next we will need an outstanding dojo with a great sensei who can turn us in a young wine , but this instructor has to have expertise of master wine maker to take us to level of a GRAN RESERVA. To accomplish this he needs us to give all we have and more. Not only 95% of our dedication is needed but 105%. Only this way he can get all flavours out of wine.
But you must remember that time is needed. You can take best machines, best grapes and best wine maker, if young wine doesn’t want to go into barrels they will never become a GRAN RESERVA.
Spanish wine comes in different classifications. We have young wine which is classified as DENOMINACIÓN DE ORIGEN which guaranties it’s origin, one level up is CRIANZA, a wine that already has had some time in barrel, a RESERVA which is a “master level wine” and finally a GRAN RESERVA which is top of bill.
