Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: My Kung Fu Journey – My Shaolin Kung Fu Training Story at Tagou

Guest article by Yan Zhijun. For more information about the author and his website, see the bottom of the post.

Yan Zhijun (mid-air, center) with fellow Tagou students after a performance at the Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, 2000

How It Started

I was not a good student. School bored me. I was restless, mischievous, and had no interest in sitting still long enough to learn anything. My parents looked at my grades, looked at my attitude, and worried — genuinely worried — about what kind of future I was heading toward.

One evening they sat me down and asked a question I was not expecting: Would you consider going to Shaolin?

The idea had come through a connection in our town. Someone my parents knew had a child already training at Tagou. We visited that family, heard their story, saw their photos. Something about it stuck. So in 1998, at the age of sixteen, I packed a bag and headed for Dengfeng.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Guest Writer: What Parents Should Look for When Choosing a Martial Arts School

Article by Master Jaysen Ishida, taekwondo practitioner, dojang owner, and head instructor instructor of 9th Island Taekwondo. See bio at bottom of post.

The greatest benefits of martial arts are not always seen during class. Learning new skills helps children build confidence. Regular practice also teaches discipline and patience. These skills can positively influence how they approach everyday life.

Because every martial arts school has its own teaching style, instructors, and class environment, not every program will be the same. That is why parents should carefully consider these factors. It’s worth knowing what to look for before making a decision.

Here are the key things every parent should look for before enrolling their child.

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Melanie Gibson Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: Why Self-Improvement Starts With One Consistent Decision

People get into martial arts for different reasons, but I think most practitioners will agree that one of the benefits gained is some kind of self-improvement. For some, it’s gaining confidence when they master a new skill. For others, it is improving their physical fitness. For me, it was gaining control over my mental health problems in an accountable, productive, and ultimately fulfilling and life-changing way. That started with a single choice.

Frequent Little Black Belt contributor Dana Brown shares why self-improvement starts with a commitment and is sustained by consistency.

If you would like to contribute an article to Little Black Belt, please refer to the guest writer guidelines here.

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Melanie Gibson Class Diaries, Guest Writers, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: What the Mat Taught Me About Great Coaching

by Karina Whamond, Martial arts software

I started training in martial arts when I was four years old. At the time, I had no idea I was also beginning a lifelong education in what it means to be coached, mentored, and genuinely led by someone who cares about your growth.

Over the years I’ve trained in Taekwondo, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I’ve had coaches who changed the way I see myself, and a few who made me want to quit. What I’ve learned from both is that what makes a great coach isn’t just a set of professional skills, it’s a deeply human quality. And the markers of a truly transformative coaching relationship are just as relevant in a boardroom or a one-on-one session as they are on a mat.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership, Training Tips

Guest Writer: Another Case of Black Belt Burnout

Article by Will Newhall, Master Instructor and owner of Taekwondo Tutors
MOOTO Korea Taekwondo DO Black Belt Width 5cm Double Wrap Martial Arts TKD Judo Karate (Length 280cm(9.18ft))

If you aren’t aware, the blog owner recently made a post talking about how she is stepping away from doing taekwondo. As a fellow taekwondo martial artist I will say…

I commend her courage, integrity, and self-respect in making this significant decision!

I read her post on the topic and wanted to write about my own experience with black belt burn out as well. While I am currently practicing, teaching, and writing, I too felt burn out. A couple of times actually! I thought I might throw my hat in the ring and talk about my own experience with black belt burn out.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Injury and Recovery, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership

Pinned Post – I’m on an Extended Hiatus From Taekwondo (The Burnout Recovery Continues)

The History of the Martial Arts Color Belt Ranking System - Tri-City Judo

Y’all ready to clutch your pearls?

I have some news: I’ve stepped away from taekwondo training indefinitely.

Let me clarify–I stopped going to training classes at the end of December and have decided not to go back for an indefinite amount of time.

It’s taken several months and a few coaching sessions from my coworkers, also fellow trained coaches, to process my complicated feelings around this. The short version is, I wasn’t having fun anymore, I didn’t look forward to going to class, and I was starting to resent giving up time that I could be using to do something else.

The more complicated version is–this was part of the fallout of the extreme burnout I experienced in 2025.

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Melanie Gibson General Martial Arts, Guest Writers, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: What Happens When the Whole Family Steps Onto the Dojo Floor

When I was ten years old, I had the notion that I wanted to do karate. My dad surprised me one night saying he’d signed up our whole family for taekwondo, the lone martial art in my rural West Texas town. My small town had a strong sense of community, and taekwondo was a family affair for many people. While we didn’t train very long, the memories were part of the reason why I returned to martial arts as an adult. 

Michael Khola shares family training from the perspective of the curious parent watching their child. Enjoy the article and be sure to check out the link to Simon Coope Karate School at the bottom of this article. If you would like to contribute a guest article for Little Black Belt, please review the guidelines here.

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Melanie Gibson Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Yes, Grandma, I am a Happy Girl

Premium Vector | Grand mother with child silhouette

Today would have been my sweet grandmother’s ninety-seventh birthday. It will be the first birthday where I can’t call or text her, and it feels weird. I’m wearing a shirt and sweater of hers in her honor plus a set of ruby and diamond jewelry that I’ve already incorporated into a memorial tattoo I recently had inked on my right forearm. And, just like my extremely organized and planful Grandma, I’m checking things off in my day planner and work to-do list.

Grandma was a deeply spiritual and introspective person. She spent a lot of time reading, thinking, reflecting, and writing. As I grew into adulthood I enjoyed and appreciated being able to talk with her on a level beyond superficial niceties.

In spring of 2022, I drove to Tulsa to visit her and Grandpa for the weekend. Grandpa had gone out to get us burgers for lunch, and my cousin and his family hadn’t yet arrived from the airport. Finding ourselves alone with a chance to chat, Grandma asked, “Well, Mel, are you a happy girl?”

And I said…no.

We had a discussion about the biggest thing at the time that was troubling me, which was my job. I have hinted before on this blog at how deeply unhappy I was with my job and how stuck I felt. We talked about that, how I felt trapped doing things I was good at and had built a reputation around doing, but I secretly didn’t enjoy and wanted to stop doing. She surprised me with the revelation that toward the end of his career at an oil company, my grandfather felt the same way. But, like me, he had responsibilities and couldn’t outright quit, so he spoke up for himself and found other things to do within the company that satisfied his interests.

Between my discussion with Grandma and a ton of counseling I started undergoing when things got really bad in 2021, I learned to advocate for myself. I took advantage of opportunities and changes as they emerged.

Today I have a great relationship with my direct leaders and my team. I’m doing almost exclusively things that pique my interests and talents and are helping me grow instead of keeping me stagnant.

On other fronts, I continue to practice managing emotions, thoughts, and feelings in a healthy and productive way. I’m back to taekwondo training after a prolonged ACL injury recovery, and have recently taken up a strength training series my partner and I do together at home so I can increase my level of fitness. I still haven’t quite hit the sweet spot on making the time for all my interests and hobbies, but I do what I can. When the MANY stressors falling onto me at once in the first half of this year got me near a breaking point, I spoke up and said I was burned out and needed a break and am continuing to recover and rebalance during the latter half of this year. That all came from making a commitment to myself to let go of anger and frustration around things I couldn’t change and taking action on things I could (something I still have to remind myself to balance because I am far from a master at it).

There are still things I want to do, goals I haven’t yet achieved, and things I’d like to change, but today I can honestly, whole-heartedly say, “Yes, Grandma, I am a happy girl.”

Melanie Gibson Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership, Work and Martial Arts

Dressing (Your Mind) for the Role You Want

                                                              Three stripes is for second Dans too

A few months ago for my birthday, I bought an Adidas taekwondo uniform with the signature three black stripes. I’d had my eye on that style since I saw some black belts, a father and daughter duo, wearing them when I first returned to taekwondo in 2013. For some reason I had in my head that, like those two black belts, I had to be a third degree black belt to wear that uniform–not because of the three stripes, which would seem like silly, obvious kid-logic, but because it was “nicer,” and I didn’t deserve nice things yet. And maybe I thought my grandmaster, who could fly off the handle at the most ridiculous things, would have some unwritten rule that certain uniforms were for certain ranks. (Woe to the branch school owner who wore a criss-cross quilted patterned dobok top to a test one time. Apparently those are for grandmasters only).

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Melanie Gibson Guest Writers, Mental Health, Self-Development and Leadership

Guest Writer: Train the Mind, Dominate the Moment

Someone asked me recently about the mental/emotional/spiritual aspect of martial arts. I’ve discussed it many times on this blog. But don’t just take my word for it. Today’s inspiring guest post is from Coach Matt Marcinek on how winning happens in the mind before you even set foot on the mat. If you would like to write a guest post for Little Black Belt, please review the guest writer guidelines here.

Everyone talks about toughness.
 “Push through.”
 “Don’t quit.”
 “Be mentally strong.”

But what if we’ve misunderstood what real toughness actually is?
 What if it’s not about clenching your jaw and pretending you don’t feel the pressure… but about being calm, aware, and honest when the pressure hits?

That’s the real inner game.
 And it’s the one I try to train every day—on the mat and in life.

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