Written by Lead Instructor and DL Crew Member, Tahir Ahmad:
On 14th July 2023, my team and I had our DL Black Belt Grading. Here is a first-hand insight (in detail) into this amazing experience, and in the process, we also managed to break a few records as follows:
1. First one handed Black Belt Grading. 💪🏽😎
2. Youngest Black Belt for Adults Classes at the age of only 15. 💪🏽😎
Personally, I was meant to do my first Black Belt Grading back in 2018 but unfortunately, I got injured doing weight training. Then in 2019, my eldest son Tehseen, with whom I was training, got injured playing basketball, and so we had to postpone it again. And then Covid happened in 2020.
Then when the lockdowns finally ended, I injured myself again rupturing my achilleas playing football, which set us back yet again!
MORAL OF THE STORY – Self Defence training is much safer than other sports! Funny but actually very true! 😂
During all this time, I remember saying to Grek (Co-Founder of DL) that I have not been able to do my Black Grade and he would always lovingly reply by saying “you are beyond Black Grade”.
I knew what Grek was trying to say, telling me not to stress over it too much as my knowledge and skills were now beyond that of Black Grade….. but that niggling feeling never left me. Why?
Because I wanted the ‘experience’. The experience itself of a Black Belt grading is truly something else and it is more than just having knowledge and skills. It is also about having heart and demonstrating the strength and warrior spirit of not giving up. There have been previous stories of people throwing up during and after the grading because that’s how intense it is. And not everyone passes nor makes it to the end.
This is what I wanted to experience. The Black Belt grading within DL is designed in a unique way to replicate a real-life street fight where you need to defend against not just one but many opponents. It is relentless, designed to first tire you out with an intense warm-up and then push you into various scenarios, one after the other, where you need to not only demonstrate your skills but also your fighting spirit, testing you to see if you give up.
It is almost like proving yourself by going into actual battle.
So finally, when the rest of my team were ready to do their Black Belt Grade, I told my son Tehseen that we also needed to be a part of it!
We set a date for 14th July 2023 and gave ourselves 2 months to prepare for the fitness. We aimed to make our preparation training harder than the Black Belt Grading itself. We did this by doing the initial warm-up 50% more, as well as doing all the required scenarios for double the time normally set. So our preparation was tough and lasted over 2 hours each time. We therefore felt confident when it came to the grading, but we also knew that DL Founder Andy Norman and Co-Founder Grek often changed things up during the grading to keep you out of your comfort zone.
This physical preparation for the Black Belt Grading was a great experience in itself. This is the first part of the overall grading experience.
It needs to be mentioned that my second son, Eshan, had injured his right one before the preparation started and so we asked Andy whether he can still grade or not? Andy simply replied that the concept of the Black Grade is to replicate reality. Just as in real-life one may need to still fight and defend themselves with one hand, similarly Eshan can be the first person within DL ever to do his Black Grade one handed. This would mean that he will need to adapt his fighting skills accordingly. So this is how Eshan did his preparation.
Then the day finally arrived, and the team met half an hour before and we all prayed together. Being people of faith, we had done whatever we could ourselves in preparation, but we also wanted to make sure that we humbled ourselves before God Almighty and asked Him for strength and success. As we all sat in prayer together, I remember getting a real sense as though we were all about to go into battle as one unit. This feeling literally gave me goosebumps because although I knew it was not a real battle, yet it gave me a very strong idea of what it would truly be like. Anyone with a warrior spirit would certainly be able to relate to this.
For us, this was the second part of the overall grading experience…. i.e. the mental and psychological aspect of it all. This feeling alone made the whole experience so worth it for me!
Finally, we made our way to the hall and the Black Belt Grading began before Andy and Grek. And just as we expected, they also threw in some different scenarios to test us even more. It was physically demanding but our preparation was definitely paying off. Eventually, Andy and Grek called us all in and we sat down, drenched in our sweat from head to toe, and they said that they have seen all that they need to see and said that we have all passed! They were also very impressed by how Eshan had adapted his fighting using only one hand.
The whole team then bowed in prostration before God Almighty in gratitude understanding that without Him, nothing is possible!
This was the third part of the overall grading experience…. i.e. surviving and passing the actual grading itself, and the sense of accomplishment, achievement and recognition that comes with it.
Even though for me personally, my knowledge and skills were beyond that of Black Grade, I am so happy and grateful to have finally been able to experience the ‘journey’, which has proved to be about so much more. It is truly an incredible experience in so many ways, changing you as a person for the rest of your life!
Onto Black Grade Level 2….
As my son Tehseen and I have to date been with DL for 8 years, we should really be Black Grade Level 2 now. Understanding what has happened over the last few years, and knowing that we have the skills and knowledge needed, Andy has allowed the two of us to go for our Level 2 in a few months time in October’23. This will finally bring the two of us up to date, where we should be. So we both are now very much looking forward to this new challenge!
To all of our students (and to all non-students)…. I TRULY hope that one day you too will get to experience this profound journey…… the Road to Black Belt!
The ‘elusive’ Black Grade which is not achieved by most. As the famous saying profoundly goes, “What is a Black Belt? It is simply a White Belt who never gave up!”.
TRUE MORAL OF THE STORY – Never give up!
Well done to my whole team, I am super proud of you all:
- To my eldest son, Tehseen Ahmad.
- To my second son, Eshan Ahmad.
- To my best friend, Farhaj Malik.
- To my nephew, Akash Malik.
- To my niece, and now the youngest ever Black Belt, Alina Malik.
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