Tom Callos, Kicking. 2009, 48 years youngThe designer of the Ultimate Black Belt Test (UBBT), Tom Callos, is a lifelong martial artist --of some fair degree of accomplishment.
The UBBT is his on-line "school," --and it is enhanced by the collective energy of six years of experimentation / implementation from more than 150 serious, career oriented martial artists.
The program was conceived to offer alternative methods and innovative ideas for training, school management, leadership, and on "being" a Master Teacher, to the international martial arts community.
The UBBT is non-style specific, as Tom Callos does not teach participants the martial arts from a physical perspective. The UBBT deals with everything about teaching and being a martial artist that is not about kicking, punching, and grappling.
Out of the Dojo and Into The World
The UBBT is, typically, a 12 to 13 month program that asks members to perform approximately 26 (or so) tasks. The tasks include such diverse requirements as 1000 rounds of sparring, a day spent blind, 51,000 acts of kindness, the profiling of 10 Living Heroes, 100 hours of judo or jiu-jitsu, 20 hours with a pro boxing coach, and the repair of three relationships gone bad. You can read the full curriculum --ever in a state of flux --elsewhere on this site.
The UBBT is a mixture of athleticism and literature, as it is the story of what happens to participants --and what happens to the people in each member's "sphere of influence," that documents and expresses what the process is about.
The UBBT is an experiential journey in what it is to live as a martial artist in today's world.
The Particpant, The Community, The "Industry," The Methods, The World
This is a program that people use to change their own lives, in a way that they design themselves.
However, it is not just about the person "taking" the program, it is also about everyone in the participant's sphere of influence. Can a "black belt" use his or her own journey to dramatically affect the lives of people in one's "community?"
Yes, we have already seen it happen in a big way.
The UBBT is just as much about the "industry" of the martial arts as it is about personal goals and community involvement. This is a program specifically designed to influence the martial arts world. It is the opinion of the designer of the UBBT, that the gross commercialization of the martial arts world has left a gap that needs to be filled by something other than information on sales, marketing, wealth accumulation, and technical instruction.
In addition, because of the shear number of people represented by the UBBT movement (particpants, their students, members of students' families and communities, and fans of the UBBT following our work on-line), we are seeking to bring something to the world --something that represents the best-of-the-best of what the martial arts has to offer.
Redefining the Role and Work of the Master Teacher
From the beginning of the UBBT concept, the program’s designer has sought to bring “peace education” into martial arts classrooms –and to nurture a constructive dialog in the martial arts community about peace education and how to more effectively “teach” peace (alongside what we teach that is not peace) to young people. In 2007, Tom Callos developed a series of 10 peace education flash cards called “Peace is More Important than Punches.” The cards feature quotes from well known historical figures relevant to peace, for the purpose of opening a door of dialog about peace ideas in a way almost everyone can teach, understand, and talk about.
Since being published, the card project has taken on a life of its own (thanks to UBBT alumni Debby Young). They have been translated into Swahili –and a set was donated to the Kenyan Library project. The cards have also been translated, so far, into German, Spanish, and Korean.
The cards sparked an idea: What if every black belt, say 2nd degree and higher, developed a product, project, or tool for use in the international martial arts community –or for the general public –as a part of their testing curriculum? Even a set of flash cards designed to open a discussion about any important topic would be more than is required in today’s martial arts community.
SwahiliAnd beyond that –what if all Master Teachers were expected to “work in the world” on the behalf of peace, non-violence, health education, and other topics that promote compassion, understanding, and education? Could there be any more capable and fearless a group of men and women?
So, the UBBT has, unexpectedly, become a work-in-progress for redefining the duties and role of the Master Teacher in today’s world.
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