The Omega Karate Student Creed

For over a decade across my teenage years I studied and practiced Karate and Tae Kwon Do.

Shawn Blanc Karate Kick, Circa 1995

Martial Arts isn’t just about kicking wooden boards held by your cringing, fellow fighters. It’s also about becoming a better person. A true Martial Artist has physical goals as well as internal values: speed, skill, flexibility, and the ability to take a punch; honesty, integrity, perseverance, and respect.

Every day at Omega Karate we would recite our student creed — reminding ourselves that yes, we wanted to be like Bruce Lee, but we also needed to grow in character.

  1. I will avoid anything that could harm my mind or body.
  2. I will practice honesty and integrity in all my doings.
  3. I will show respect to myself, my instructors, my parents, my fellow students, and my Do Jang (the Karate studio).
  4. I will alway honor my word and my commitments.
  5. I will see all my tasks to the end.
  6. I will use Karate for self-defense only.

It’s been nearly another decade since I last tied on my Black Belt, but, because of these values, I never really took it off.

The Omega Karate Student Creed