This week we were asked if we could grade someone to “Shodan” (a non member), who was a fighting champion, won many awards and championships, but did not want to do kata.
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Kata is a library of self-protection techniques in Karate. Each kata creator encoded their specific knowledge into the motion of the kata they made. Kata are not simply a record of techniques; each and every kata is designed to record the key principles and strategies of a complete fighting system.
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There are many black belts who do not practice ‘bunkai’. Or for those that do they perform unrealistic applications that make no sense, or are completely dangerous in the real world, preferring to rely on their tournament and competition techniques in the guise of self-defense. Bunkai is the essence of kata; the essence of Karate.
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“Kata without bunkai is like a ‘shamisen’ (3 stringed Okinawan guitar); Nice sound, but empty on the inside.” – Choki Motobu (1870-1944)
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Take this into your heart and mind. Truly understand that the martial arts are a journey to be experienced, not rushed through because you want the next rank. You should practice Karate without expectation of reward. Do it because you love the art, NOT because you want to earn rank that you think you should have. Keep your ego in check.
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You are never ‘due a promotion’. To obtain rank should not be your absolute goal. You rank is not an entitlement, nor is it a privilege.
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If your black belt did not cost you many years of your life, great physical and emotional pain, and the loss of important social activities, it was not earned.
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In short, if you did not work for it, then it is meaningless! And you KNOW it! In fact, it’s not worth anything. Instead of craving your black belt, and trying to take short cuts, WORK for it.
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“The student who knows ‘how’, will remain a student. The student who knows ‘why’ will become a teacher.” 
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 Photo of Chosei Motobu 3rd son of Choki Motobu
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