Cho Dan Essay Written By Curtis Barnett

[HAEDONG]

The Creative Path of a Martial Artist
Awareness, Balance, and the Responsibility of a Black Belt

무예인의 창조적 길
의식, 균형, 그리고 검은띠의 책임

Cho Dan Essay written by
Curtis Barnett
Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu Haedong Kumdo
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Cho Dan Essay
Shim Sa Date September 19. 2026

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Through travel, open-mindedness, patience, and humility, practitioners of any martial art are subject to developing unique creativity, which can open the door for a higher state of awareness not only externally but internally as well

I can only speak from personal experience, but in my youth, my family would often have to move from country to country or state to state due to my father being a Captain in the Air Force.

Though at times it could be hard emotionally having to move so often, the constant travel, meeting new people, seeing new places, and learning of new cultures truly encouraged and developed open-mindedness.

Often, when being in a new location, you are forced to be creative and inventive to get through or accomplish basic daily needs.

You begin to pay attention to detail a little more, understand the nature of people, places, and things, and you reach a higher state of awareness because reaching your goals may depend on it.

This same construct of creative development I noticed with my early childhood travels, I also found direct correlation with training in martial arts.

My earliest memory of this concept of creativity came from flipping through the pages of my father’s Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kun Do book.

The concept of being like water and to flow, I took to understanding that I must be creative and open-minded not only in my training, but in life as well.

Adapting this concept in my life gave me a higher and more acute awareness of all things, especially those found in nature.

For example, a creative martial arts mind can see a tree and understand that as above so below, and know that the roots of that tree can be equally as long, brilliant, and important even though they are underground and not seen. Understanding that balance and its importance is vital in relationships, health, and decision-making, and can greatly affect mental health and quality of one’s life.

Balance is in all things, even in how the body and mind influence each other.

If the mind can conceive, and you truly believe, then the body can achieve! The continuing partnership and sometimes struggle of mind and body is one that people, especially martial artists, will experience their entire lives.

I have had to rely on this concept during my training in martial arts. After having both hips replaced, my body changed significantly.

The techniques I used to be able to do with ease suddenly became a frustrating struggle.

It was at those times that my mind encouraged my body to not give up, to find another way, to be creative and patient with training, and to respect my body when it shows that it is tired.

The mind pushing the body when it feels like giving up, the body continuing to go even when the mind can’t see the end- this special relationship is one that the martial arts practitioner will experience with difficult techniques, hard training days, not meeting the teacher’s approval or expectations, and many other scenarios that occur daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly with training.

When the body and mind choose to work together, all the challenges that are faced can be accomplished.

Through meditation, breathing, and positive self-talk, one can relax the mind and reach a focused flow state that allows the body to accomplish anything it sets out for.

I believe understanding this concept is paramount for anyone seeking to reach the status of what would respectfully be considered or labeled as black belt.

The black belt is the gatekeeper of knowledge. The insurer that legacy, accuracy, technique, and purpose are passed down to the next generation.

The black belt acts as a selfless guide to the student. Being a role model, a source of motivation and inspiration. Guiding, correcting, and instilling discipline and structure when necessary.

The black belt serves as a selfless vessel that passes on the knowledge given to them.

They are representative of theory, trial and error, accomplishment and failure, and lessons learned, and they have the responsibility to not only accurately pass that down to their students, but to ensure that their students pass the very same lessons and methodology down to the next generation as well.

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■ Commentary on Curtis Barnett’s Cho Dan Essay
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Curtis’s essay sincerely demonstrates how travel and exposure to different cultures developed his open-mindedness and creativity, and how these qualities eventually became deeply connected to his martial arts journey.

His experience of continuing to train after undergoing two hip replacement surgeries is especially meaningful. Rather than surrendering to frustration when his body could no longer move as it once had, he patiently searched for new ways to continue.

This shows that creativity in martial arts is not simply the invention of new techniques.

It is the ability to accept changing circumstances and discover a new path through which the body and mind can work together in harmony.

I was also impressed by his reflection on the visible tree and the unseen roots beneath the ground.

Martial arts is not composed only of outwardly visible techniques. The mind, patience, humility, and proper awareness supporting those techniques are like the roots hidden beneath the earth.

Only when the roots are deep and firmly established can the visible techniques possess true strength and vitality.

I highly appreciate Curtis’s understanding that a black belt is not merely a personal achievement or position.

It carries the responsibility to preserve the knowledge and tradition received from one’s teacher and to transmit them accurately to the next generation.

Achieving a black belt does not mean that training is complete. It marks the beginning of deeper learning and greater responsibility.

Drawing upon his extensive martial arts experience and the wisdom gained through the challenges of his life, I look forward to seeing Curtis grow as a leader who will properly transmit the techniques and philosophy of Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu Haedong Kumdo in Georgia.

I hope Curtis will fully demonstrate his experience, dedication, and understanding during his upcoming Cho Dan examination,

and I encourage him to approach the examination with calmness and confidence.

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Grandmaster Kim Jeong Seong
Founder, Jinyoung Ssangkum Ryu
President, United World Haedong Kumdo Federation