For me, black belt is mastery of the basics. 4 or more years learning and perfecting the actual movements builds a necessary foundation. Then you have the surprise factor after black belt: all of those extra interpretations! General advice while teaching: preview some advanced interpretations, but don’t give all your secrets away too early. 🙂

Last weekend, I practiced all of the katas and wazas I know. I didn’t miss a beat. It’s a good feeling to know what muscle memory can accomplish. Of course, teaching for nearly a decade 4 or more times a week will do that, but it also risks burning you out. I think you have a great, appropriate schedule for a lifetime in the martial arts.

There will be a day when I teach publicly again. You know what I do publicly now. Turbo provides me with the opportunity to learn new combinations every two months. The best analogy: it’s like a new kata every couple months, and I have dozens of new combos and ideas (not to mention the constant fitness factor).

There are other things I’d like to say, but for now, in response to this post, I’ll simply reiterate: variety, variety, variety!!