The Black Belt Club is where Mile High Karate students commit to the long road to Black Belt, and the reading gets more serious with them. Each of the three Black Belt Club levels runs 12 months, six 2-month test cycles, and each carries a year of required character reading assigned by month. It is the second stage of the character development and leadership curriculum developed by Grand Master Stephen Oliver, following the 16-week beginner mindset curriculum.
Level 1: achievement and effective habits
Students start with Brian Tracy’s Maximum Achievement (months 1–6), a practical guide to goals, self-concept and personal effectiveness, then move to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey for younger students (months 7–12).
Level 2: personal power
Level 2 is a year of Tony Robbins: Unlimited Power (months 1–6) and Awaken the Giant Within (months 7–12). The theme is taking responsibility for your own state, decisions and results.
Level 3: courage, principled leadership and goals
The final Black Belt Club level turns outward. Students read Chuck Norris’s autobiography Against All Odds: My Story (months 1–4), then The West Point Way of Leadership: From Learning Principled Leadership to Practicing It by Col. Larry R. Donnithorne (months 5–9), and finish with Denis Waitley’s The New Dynamics of Goal Setting (months 10–12).
Reading by month
| Month | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | Against All Odds |
| 2 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | Against All Odds |
| 3 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | Against All Odds |
| 4 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | Against All Odds |
| 5 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | The West Point Way of Leadership |
| 6 | Maximum Achievement | Unlimited Power | The West Point Way of Leadership |
| 7 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The West Point Way of Leadership |
| 8 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The West Point Way of Leadership |
| 9 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The West Point Way of Leadership |
| 10 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The New Dynamics of Goal Setting |
| 11 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The New Dynamics of Goal Setting |
| 12 | The 7 Habits (People / Teens) | Awaken the Giant Within | The New Dynamics of Goal Setting |
Each book’s chapters are divided across its months, and the chapter numbers are posted on the Black Belt Club board each month.
On the mat alongside the reading
The reading runs beside the physical curriculum, not instead of it. Across the three levels, Black Belt Club students learn the traditional forms Chon-Ji, Tan-Gun, To-San, Won-Hyo, Yul-Gok, Chung-Gun, Toi-Gye, Hwa-Rang, Chung-Mu and Po-Eun, along with karate, Tae Kwon Do and kickboxing combinations, kama, bo staff, nunchaku and escrima weapons sets, and the musical form Exodus.
The Black Belt itself takes about 48 months of consistent training and ends with informal, formal and written tests and a three-day Black Belt testing retreat. Next stage: the Leadership Team curriculum.
Questions
What is the Black Belt Club at Mile High Karate?
The Black Belt Club is Mile High Karate’s Black Belt Training program. It runs in three levels of 12 months each, and every level combines forms, combinations and weapons with a year of required character reading.
What do Black Belt Club students read?
Level 1: Maximum Achievement (Brian Tracy) and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Stephen R. Covey / Sean Covey). Level 2: Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within (Tony Robbins). Level 3: Against All Odds: My Story (Chuck Norris), The West Point Way of Leadership (Larry R. Donnithorne) and The New Dynamics of Goal Setting (Denis Waitley).
Do teens read the same 7 Habits book as adults?
Students read either The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by his son Sean Covey, so younger students get the teen edition of the same ideas.
How is the reading scheduled?
By month. Each book is assigned a span of months within the 12-month level, and the chapters for each month are posted on the Black Belt Club board.
Start at Mile High Karate Thornton, 3979 E 120th Ave, Thornton, CO 80233. Call (303) 280-1839, or see class schedules and enrollment at ThorntonMHK.com.