Six area martial artists receive black belt ranks

Posted Friday, January 25, 2008

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Siler City, NC - Six martial artists from Chatham and Randolph counties received black belt ranks on Dec. 15, when South Eastern Karate held its winter promotion tests.

Certificates and belts were presented by Master Instructor Peggy Jolly, a seventh-degree black belt who has taught martial arts locally for more than 25 years. Other students from the three South Eastern Karate schools attended, along with parents and guests.

William "Chip" Pate, 45, of Pittsboro was awarded the rank of 2nd Dan Instructor, achieving his second-degree status about three years after receiving the black belt. Over the last few years, Pate said, he's spent more time teaching martial arts, which has been a real challenge.

"Being responsible for developing students means you've got to learn all sorts of details that aren't all that obvious at first," he explains. "And then, sometimes it's hard to find just the right way to teach and motivate such a wide range of people - whether they're adults or juniors, beginners or even higher-ranking students who have been training for decades longer that I've been training."

Other students received the rank of 1st Dan, or first-degree black belt.

Scott Suits of Liberty began working toward his black belt after making a new year's resolution to join his brother in karate training. The 45-year-old says there have been plenty of benefits along the way - confidence, physical conditioning and fellowship among them - but, like all martial artists, he's also had to deal with his share of frustrations.

"Most challenging is realizing that I'm not going to do everything perfectly or as well as I'd like to," he says. "There'll be certain kicks that you won't get, that my body won't do, at least not to my satisfaction. But you just keep trying.

"Many people have a misconception that when you're a black belt, you're like Superman. But that's not so. You do some things well and some things not as well. In reality, you're just starting to learn."

Cathy Sinclair, 58, studied a different martial arts style several years ago in California, but resumed her training about three years ago - largely to spend time with her son, Robbie Nancarrow, who received his own black belt during the came ceremony.

The Silk Hope resident has changed "a million ways" during her training, as she puts it - enhancing her stamina and cultivating a sense of confidence from the mindset and physical skills she's developed. "The challenge was amazing," she says. "I've done things I
never thought I could do, and that's been a real personal accomplishment."

Nancarrow, her son who now holds the rank of 1st Dan Junior - the rank generally awarded to all new black belts under the age of 18 - also studied karate briefly before relocating to Chatham County. He was attracted by the physical challenge, and the benefits of his training became obvious not long ago, when the 16-year-old broke his ankle skateboarding and faced a difficult recovery.

"Getting back to karate was hard, because my muscles had deteriorated and were so weak," he says. "But since I was in karate, I could work out and build my leg muscles up. If I didn't have that, it would have taken a lot longer to recuperate."

Blade Burke of Ramseur began his training after being impressed by martial artists on television. The 15-year-old wanted to imitate their high kicks and learn to protect himself. He soon learned that real martial arts can be different than what's produced in Hollywood. There's a lot to learn beyond the jumps and kicks, he says, including protocols and traditions that are still strictly observed.

But that hasn't stopped him from enjoying the flashier portions of his training - breaking boards with punches, elbow strikes and kicks. And sparring. "I like the contact and having to be on your toes," he says. "That's what I thought karate would be."

David Brewer, 9, began training mainly to get out of the house and has particularly enjoyed working on kicks. The Siler City resident says his favorite and best is the "front jump front," a two-kick combination requiring a high jump after the initial kick.

But the most difficult part of his training so far has been learning ten distinct forms - patterns of blocks, kicks and hand attacks used in training - some with several dozen separate techniques. "It's a lot of hard work," Brewer says, "because you have to memorize all of the moves. But, it pays off."

Master Jolly says she's been impressed that all of her new black belts have continued training since the ranks were awarded. Often, students stop after receiving their black belts, but that means they never enjoy many benefits of their hard work.

"Master Young Yu, my teacher in Greensboro, used to say that when you're a white belt, a beginner, you learn white belt things, and when you're a black belt, you learn black belt things," she explains. "Once students get to this point, that's when we can start to teach them the kind of advanced techniques they're ready to learn. I'm glad that all of these students will get this training and knowledge."

South Eastern Karate, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, teaches Korean martial arts to adults and children, men and
women, at schools in Siler City, Liberty and Sanford. Students range from 5-year-old white belts, or beginners, to new students and high-ranking black belts of retirement age. The schools' instruction in self-defense also emphasizes confidence, physical fitness and
self-discipline.