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WINCHESTER, Ontario — Phil Dawson had been training hard for months, physically and mentally. He knew he would be evaluated by the examiner, but he wasn’t about to go easy on himself. He was ready to push and give it everything he had.

Wearing his uniform, Phil tightly wrapped his brown belt around his waist, declaring to himself: “This is the last time I’m wearing this belt.”

Phil has been training in karate since 2017, and has pushed himself harder than anyone else has pushed him. He doesn’t give up, no matter how much it hurts. He took extra training classes for the previous two months, and trained hard nearly each and every day. He developed a home training plan to supplement his classes – practicing hundreds and hundreds of self defense skills every day – sometimes even at work!

Phil also holds the title of Senpai as an assistant instructor at Wattie Karate and helps out at his 8-year-old son Jacob’s classes. They get to have fun together, working on their technique, with father leading son – passing on traditions of their home family and their karate family.

On the morning of the exam, Jacob wasn’t able to come, but he asked if he could call his dad before it began – early in the morning. A focused father was greeted excitedly by a very proud son for one of the most important phone calls of Phil’s day.

The exam began and it wasn’t easy. Right from the beginning, Phil had to push himself through over 1,700 individual strikes and 50 push-ups before he even started the difficult parts of the day. Board breaking, simulated attacks and defenses, explanation of techniques and advanced nerve attacks followed. Sweat poured from Phil’s brow – he wished he had a second uniform to change into. That was the end of the easy parts.

At senior exams like Phil’s, it’s common for other senior students to come out for the day to help by holding pads, serving as attackers, offering moral support or just joining in to have friends standing by on this challenging day. Some students came to help for Phil’s big day, and some came especially to help with the sparring. Phil went fight after fight as his opponents took breaks so he would be pushed – hard! After taking hit after hit (and delivering a few too), Phil finally got to take his beaten pads off of his sore body, after eight intense sparring matches.

Exhausted and sore, Senpai Phil was even more determined to make his way through the final section of the exam: kata. He had to demonstrate each traditional kata perfectly and with intensity even with his tired mind and body. If he made even a small error, the examiner would simply ask him to do it again, but not give any indication of what needed improvement. He simply had another chance to succeed – but with no help at all. He had practiced these kata repeatedly for months (some for years), but he still had to remain focused to maintain his balance, technique and power.

Phil was ready. He dug deep and put everything he had out on the mats. Phil had 10 kata to demonstrate, and hundreds of ways he could make a mistake – but he didn’t even make one! Seven hours of intensity, and he had done it.

Phil earned his last step before becoming a black belt. When he took off his belt he recalled what he told himself that morning, and he got to make the other most important phone call of his day. With Jacob back on the phone, a proud son heard a proud father proclaim, “I did it! I got it!”, with his fist held high.

Senpai Phil was awarded a belt which is half brown and half black – showing outwardly what he has become within: a man on the path.

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