White Stripes

So, next week, they are doing belt testing in Troy’s martial arts class. Troy’s been studying for two months now. And while he’s learned the moves, the steps, and the forms; he’s still undisciplined and underachieving. He has all of the ability in the world, but he has no inner motivation to make him try. It’s not like in the movies where someone is being bullied, and they start studying to defend themselves or to take the fight to their aggressors. Troy just has to want it on his own. But somehow in the gene soup, he missed the self-motivating gene that I have. So, he only gives it 25% effort, he doesn’t listen to instruction, and he refuses to pay his teachers respect or speak out when prompted.

There is a lead up to the belt testing the week before, where the teachers will test the students on the moves. They are looking for three things to prove that a student is ready to take the test. One, the student can demonstrate proper form when executing the moves. Two, the student can successfully perform the one-step at their level (a shorter series of moves in a specific order to counter an attack by an opponent). Three, the student can successfully perform the form at their level (a series of moves in a specific order). Troy has been able to do the last two quite well, but he’s still struggling a little with proper form.

While I don’t feel that it is egregiously bad, the instructors nonetheless refuse to give him a stripe for it. I feel like they’re holding him to a higher standard than everyone else for some reason. Because I’ve seen others get a stripe for a lot less clean attempt. Maybe it’s because of his effort level. Maybe it’s because he refuses to speak up when prompted. Whatever it is, they’re expecting perfection to move him on, and Troy is not motivated to achieve it. But the side effect of this decision is a no-win situation. Seeing everyone else in the class but himself get a stripe is demoralizing to Troy. Without the reward, he’s not likely to try harder. If they had given him a stripe for his form at his level and the one-step at his level, that might have motivated him to work on the proper form to get the third one. But they are rigid in the order that they will dole them out for some reason.

The other downside is that he only goes two nights a week. There’s a chance that the other kids are up there every night. Which means that they have a lot more chance to work on it with the instructors. So, I’m concerned that they’ll decide Troy’s not ready to test. Which not only means he’ll have to wait another two months to try again, but Troy will end up being the only white belt left in his class…which will demoralize him further, maybe to the point of quitting. So, I’m pushing him to practice with me at home. I’m not trying to live vicariously through him. I just want him to keep enjoying it and reaping the benefits of it. I don’t want him to quit on it or himself.