Week 3 of 16 · Test Cycle 1. This lesson is part of The Black Belt Mindset, the character curriculum every new Mile High Karate student begins with, by Grand Master Stephen Oliver and Grand Master Jeff Smith. Every week stands alone, so a student can start with any lesson.
| Black Belt Success Skill | Unshakable Character & Personal Honesty |
|---|---|
| Black Belt Quality | The Creed of Grand Master Jhoon Rhee |
| Principle of the Black Belt | Integrity |
| Key Word | HONEST |
| Live the Creed | “I develop myself physically and mentally, based on the MILE HIGH KARATE SPIRIT.” |
“Strength in my body, honesty in my heart and knowledge in my mind.”
Grand Master Jhoon Rhee
The Big Idea
A true martial artist builds three things: knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart and strength in the body.
On this page: Read the chapter · Workbook lesson · For instructors: Mat Chat
Read: Knowledge, Honesty, Strength
In 1977, when I was a teenager running a small karate school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I got a letter in the mail. It was handwritten. It was from Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, the man many people call the Father of American Tae Kwon Do.
He invited me to come to Washington, D.C., for the summer. I could train for free at any of his eight schools there. And I could test for my Black Belt.
I still have that letter. It is one of the most important pieces of paper I own.
The next year, in August 1978, I tested in front of Grand Master Rhee and a board of his top Black Belts. I earned my 1st Degree Black Belt with one of the highest scores ever given. Nobody in that room handed it to me. I earned it. And I learned from the man who taught me what a Black Belt really means.
This week is about his lessons, and about the kind of person a Black Belt is on the inside.
A Boy from Korea
Jhoon Rhee was born in Korea in 1932. He started martial arts as a young teenager. He served as an officer in the Korean War.
In 1956, he came to America to train with the U.S. Air Force in San Marcos, Texas. He had very little money. He spoke very little English. But while he was there, he started teaching a few people what he knew. Some people believe that was the first Tae Kwon Do class in America.
He went to college in Texas. He started karate clubs at colleges. Then, on June 28, 1962, he opened his first school in Washington, D.C. More than 200 people came on opening day. Twelve of them signed up.
Twelve. That is how it started. Years later, he had schools all over the Washington area. He taught members of Congress. He became friends with Bruce Lee. As Grand Master Rhee liked to say, “Bruce Lee helped me with my punch, and I helped him with his kick.” He even worked with the boxer Muhammad Ali, who used a punch Grand Master Rhee taught him called the “Accupunch.”
He also cared about keeping students safe. In 1969, a student got hurt by a kick at a tournament. So Grand Master Rhee invented foam pads for the hands, feet and head. Those soft pads changed karate sparring all over the world.
He lived to be 86. He passed away on April 30, 2018. But his lessons live on, in every Mile High Karate class.
Grand Master Rhee’s Creed
A creed is a set of beliefs you say out loud and try to live by. Grand Master Rhee wrote a creed for his students. (Mile High Karate has its own Student Creed too, and you will find it in the box below.) Here is Grand Master Rhee’s:
“To build true confidence, through strength in my body, honesty in my heart, and knowledge in my mind. To keep friendship with one another and to build a strong and happy community. Never fight to achieve selfish ends, but to develop Might For Right!”
Let’s break that down.
Strength in my body. Take care of your body. Exercise. Eat good food. Get enough sleep. Train hard in class.
Honesty in my heart. Tell the truth. Be fair. Do what you say you will do.
Knowledge in my mind. Keep learning. Read. Study. Do your homework. Ask good questions.
Friendship and community. We are not here to beat each other. We are here to help each other get better.
Might for right. Your karate is never for showing off or bullying. You use your strength only to do what is right, like protecting yourself or someone who needs help.
Grand Master Rhee once asked, “What is so great about beating people?” For him, karate was never about winning fights. It was about building good people.
Why All Three?
Picture a three-legged stool. If one leg is missing, it falls over.
That is how knowledge, honesty and strength work. You need all three.
A person with strength but no honesty can become a bully. A person with knowledge but no honesty can trick people. A person with honesty and knowledge but no strength may not have the energy to do the good they want to do.
Put all three together, and you have a Black Belt.
For a kid, it might look like this. You practice your kicks (strength). You study for your spelling test (knowledge). And when you get the test back, you tell your teacher she marked one wrong answer as right (honesty).
For an adult, it might look like this. You go to class even when you’re tired (strength). You learn a new skill for your job (knowledge). And you tell your boss the truth about a mistake you made (honesty).
Truth, Beauty, Love
Grand Master Rhee had another saying I want you to know. He believed the purpose of life is to be happy. And he believed the way to get there starts with telling the truth. Here are his words:
“When I am truthful, my heart is beautiful. When my heart is beautiful, everybody loves me. When everybody loves me, I am happy.”
Think about how simple that is. Happiness starts with honesty.
When you lie, you have to remember the lie. You worry about getting caught. You feel bad inside. That is not a beautiful heart.
When you tell the truth, even when it’s hard, you feel clean inside. People trust you. And people who trust you like being around you.
I have known thousands of students over the years. The happiest ones are not the richest or the most talented. They are the ones people can trust.
Black Belt Success Skill
Unshakable Character & Personal Honesty. Winning Black Belts know who they are and where they are going. They make choices by their own inner compass, not by what the crowd is doing. When friends push them to do something wrong, they don’t bend.
Honesty is more than not lying. It means looking for the truth, telling the truth, and taking responsibility for your own actions. “I did it. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.” Those are some of the strongest words a Black Belt can say.
Start today. The next time you make a mistake, say so right away, before anyone asks.
Live the Creed
Student Creed: “I develop myself physically and mentally, based on the MILE HIGH KARATE SPIRIT.”
Principle of the Black Belt: Integrity
Grand Master Rhee’s creed and our own Mile High Karate Student Creed say the same thing in different words. Ours begins: “I develop myself physically and mentally.” Physically is strength in the body. Mentally is knowledge in the mind. And the Principle of the Black Belt this week, Integrity, is honesty in the heart: doing what is right even when no one is watching.
His Lessons at Mile High Karate
When I moved to Denver and opened Mile High Karate on August 6, 1983, I did it with Grand Master Rhee’s blessing. I brought his lessons with me.
Over the years, he came to visit us. He taught classes at our Arvada school. He came to our Black Belt Extravaganza. In 2010, he came to our Black Belt Retreat at Keystone and led the Sunday leadership session for our Black Belts.
Imagine being a new Black Belt and learning leadership from the man who taught Bruce Lee to kick better. Our students never forgot it. Neither did I.
Today, every Mile High Karate student is part of his family tree. When you learn Grand Master Rhee’s creed, you are learning the same words his students have learned for generations. And every Black Belt in your school has a story about how they got there.
In Their Own Words
“Karate has taught me self control. I have learned to make sacrifices such as working on Karate instead of going outside to play. Karate has helped me to treat others the way I want to be treated. I am a better person. It has reinforced the lessons I learn at home about the difference between right and wrong.”
Joshua Thompson, age 8, Black Belt essay
From Grand Master Smith
Grand Master Jeff Smith also learned from Grand Master Rhee. He started as a junior high school student in Texas, at one of the college karate clubs Grand Master Rhee had started there. Later, he moved to Washington, D.C., and became one of Grand Master Rhee’s most famous students. He went on to become the PKA World Light Heavyweight Champion.
When I trained in Washington in 1976 and 1978, Grand Master Smith was right there on the floor with me.
Ask Grand Master Smith about Grand Master Rhee, and he will tell you, “He was a real master of teaching.” Grand Master Rhee did not just teach kicks and punches. He taught people how to live.
Grand Master Smith says the reason children should do karate is “so they can develop their confidence, their discipline, their respect, their concentration.” That is Grand Master Rhee’s creed in action. Strength, honesty and knowledge, all built on the mat.
Black Belt and Beyond
Every Black Belt in your school was once a white belt standing exactly where you are. This week, go find out how they made it.
In your workbook, find the Black Belt Stories page. Talk with a Black Belt in your school. It can be a student, a teen, a parent who trains, or an instructor. Ask them:
- How long did your journey take?
- What was the hardest part?
- What kept you going?
Write down one thing they said that inspired you. Your instructor may also have a Black Belt read their Black Belt essay to the class or perform a form.
Listen for one thing: character. Every Black Belt story is really a story about honesty, hard work and keeping promises. When you hear how they did it, you will start to see how you will do it. And remember, the Black Belts who help you today are already living “and beyond.” They are giving back to the students who come after them.
In Class This Week
Key Word: HONEST
Instructor: “What do Black Belts build?”
Students: “Knowledge, honesty, strength!”
You will learn a three-move combination: punch on “knowledge,” block on “honesty,” kick on “strength.” Then you will spend one minute asking a Black Belt, “What kept you going?”
How a Black Belt Does It
- Learn Grand Master Rhee’s creed. Say it this morning, and every morning, until you know it by heart.
- Grow your body. Move every day. Eat healthy food. Get good sleep.
- Grow your mind. Read every day, even for 10 minutes. Ask one good question in class or at school.
- Guard your heart. Tell the truth, even when it’s hard. Keep your word.
- Use might for right. Never use your karate to show off or hurt someone. Use it to protect.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge: say Grand Master Rhee’s creed every morning for seven days, and each day do one thing for your body, one for your mind and one for your heart.
Say It Out Loud
I am strong in my body.
I am honest in my heart.
I am growing knowledge in my mind.
I am a person who uses might for right.
Words to Know
- Creed: a set of beliefs you say out loud and try to live by.
- Knowledge: what you learn and know.
- Honesty: telling the truth and being fair.
- Character: the kind of person you are on the inside.
- Community: a group of people who help and care about each other.
- Might for right: using your strength only to do what is right.
For Parents and Adult Students
The creed gives adults a simple daily check. Did I build my body today? Did I learn something? Was I fully truthful? Most of us are strong in one or two of these and weaker in the third. Pick your weakest one and give it ten minutes a day.
Parents, the creed works well at the dinner table. Ask three questions: “What did you do for your body today? What did you learn? Was there a time you had to be honest?” Praise the honest answer most of all, even when it comes with a confession. Children tell the truth more when the truth is safe to tell. This week, help your child find a Black Belt to talk with, and ask your child to tell you that Black Belt’s story at dinner.
Remember
- Grand Master Jhoon Rhee came to America with almost nothing and built a legacy.
- A Black Belt builds knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart and strength in the body.
- Karate is for might for right, never for selfish ends.
- Happiness starts with telling the truth.
- Every Black Belt story is a story about character.
Workbook Lesson: Week 3
Print the full workbook below, or answer these on paper. Young students can have a parent help them read and write.
1. Words to Know
- Creed: a set of beliefs you say out loud and try to live by
- Knowledge: what you learn and know
- Honesty: telling the truth and being fair
- Character: the kind of person you are on the inside
- Might for right: using your strength only to do what is right
2. Fill in the Blank
- Grand Master Rhee’s creed says: strength in my body, honesty in my , and knowledge in my mind.
- Grand Master Rhee said, “When I am truthful, my heart is .”
- Grand Master Rhee opened his first school in Washington, D.C., in .
Answers
1) heart; 2) beautiful; 3) 1962
3. Think About It
- Which of the three (knowledge, honesty, strength) is easiest for you? Which is hardest?
- What does “might for right” mean? Give an example.
- Grand Master Rhee came to America with almost nothing. What does his story teach you?
- Teens & Adults: Describe a time you followed your own compass instead of the crowd. What did it cost you, and what did it earn you?
4. Black Belt and Beyond: this week’s goal step
Black Belt Stories
Module 3: Black Belt Stories
Every Black Belt in your school was once a white belt. Talk with one this week and find out how they made it.
- The Black Belt I talked with: ________________
- How long their journey to Black Belt took: ________________
The hardest part of their journey was: ______________________________
What kept them going: ______________________________
One thing they said that inspired me: ______________________________
A Black Belt essay, performance or story I heard in class, and what I learned from it: ______________________________
One way my Black Belt story will be like theirs: ______________________________
5. Activity: The Three-Legged Stool
Draw a stool with three legs. Label the legs Knowledge, Honesty and Strength. Under each leg, write one thing you will do this week to make that leg stronger.
6. Home Challenge: Learn and Live the Creed
Say Grand Master Rhee’s creed out loud every morning for seven days. Each day, do one thing for your body, one thing for your mind and one honest thing for your heart (like owning up to a mistake before anyone asks). By Day 7, say the creed to a parent from memory.
Do it 7 days in a row. Track each day (Said the creed / Body / Mind / Heart). When every day is done and a parent signs off, turn it in for an attitude stripe.
7. My Self-Talk
Write your own “I am” sentence using the words knowledge, honesty or strength. Example: I am honest in my heart.
8. Live the Creed
Say the Student Creed out loud every day this week. Then write about one time this week you showed Integrity.
For Instructors: Week 3 Mat Chat
A 3–4 minute line-up lesson built on the Hook, Teach, Story, Ask, Commit formula, with a discussion guide for every age on the mat.
Objective: By the end of this Mat Chat, students will be able to name the three things a Black Belt builds (knowledge, honesty, strength), explain “might for right,” and say what an honest Black Belt says after a mistake.
Prepare:
- Write “Knowledge • Honesty • Strength” on a whiteboard, or tape three labels to the floor.
- A copy of Grand Master Rhee’s creed to read from, and the Black Belt Stories page to send home.
- Recruit one or two Black Belts or Leadership Team helpers to answer “What kept you going?” after the chat.
The Mat Chat (3–4 minutes)
Hook (0:00–0:30). [Touch your head, then your heart, then make a muscle.] Students, do what I do. Touch your head. Touch your heart. Now make a muscle! Those three things are what a Black Belt builds. Knowledge in the mind. Honesty in the heart. Strength in the body. Picture a stool with three legs. Take one leg away, and what happens? (It falls over!) Today we make sure all three legs are strong.
Teach (0:30–1:30). This week’s Black Belt Success Skill is Unshakable Character and Personal Honesty. Character is the kind of person you are on the inside. A person with unshakable character knows who they are. They follow their own inner compass, not the crowd. When friends push them to do something wrong, they don’t bend. Our key word is HONEST. Being honest means more than not lying. It means telling the truth, being fair, and doing what you say you will do. It also means owning your mistakes: “I did it. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.” Those are some of the strongest words a Black Belt can say. And here’s why you need all three legs. A strong person who isn’t honest can become a bully. A smart person who isn’t honest can trick people. Put all three together, and you have a Black Belt.
Story (1:30–2:30). These lessons come from Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, the Father of American Tae Kwon Do. In 1956, he came to America from Korea with very little money, and he spoke very little English. In 1962, he opened his first school in Washington, D.C. More than 200 people came on opening day. Twelve signed up. Twelve! From there, he taught members of Congress and became friends with Bruce Lee. Years later, he sent a handwritten letter to a teenager running a small karate school in Tulsa. He invited him to train in Washington for the summer and test for his Black Belt. That teenager was Grand Master Oliver, and he still has that letter. Grand Master Rhee taught him that happiness starts with honesty. In his words: “When I am truthful, my heart is beautiful. When my heart is beautiful, everybody loves me. When everybody loves me, I am happy.”
Ask (2:30–3:15). What three things does a Black Belt build? (Knowledge, honesty, strength!) When is it okay to use your karate? (To protect! To do what’s right!) That’s called might for right. What do you say when you make a mistake? (I did it. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it!) Now, close your eyes. [Give them 10 seconds.] Thumbs up if you can think of a time telling the truth was hard, but you did it anyway. You don’t have to share. That was a Black Belt moment.
Commit (3:15–3:45). Here’s your seven-day challenge. Every morning, say Grand Master Rhee’s creed. Each day, do one thing for your body, one thing for your mind and one honest thing for your heart, like owning up to a mistake before anyone asks. By Day 7, say the creed to a parent from memory. And find a Black Belt and ask how they made it. Their story shows the road to your Black Belt, and beyond. What do Black Belts build? (Knowledge, honesty, strength!)
Call and response
Instructor: What do Black Belts build?
Students: Knowledge, honesty, strength!
Key Word: HONEST
Discussion Guide
Aim: Help students see honesty as strength, not weakness, and connect the three legs of the stool to everyday choices. Students should leave able to name one honest action they will take this week.
Little Dragons (ages 4–6)
- Show me: where is your knowledge? (Head!) Your honesty? (Heart!) Your strength? (Muscle!)
- If you spill your water by accident, is it okay to say “I did it, I’m sorry”?
Kids (ages 7–12)
- Which leg of the stool is strongest for you right now, and which one needs more work?
- What is a time someone could use karate the wrong way, and what would “might for right” look like instead?
- Grand Master Rhee opened his school and only twelve people signed up. Why do you think he kept going?
Teens and adults
- Describe a time you followed your own compass instead of the crowd. What did it cost you, and what did it earn you?
- Grand Master Rhee said happiness starts with truthfulness. Where do you see that at school, work or home?
- What makes “I did it. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it” hard to say, and what happens to trust when someone says it?
Listen for:
- All three legs matter; honesty keeps strength and knowledge from being misused.
- Honesty includes owning mistakes before anyone asks.
- Might for right: karate is to protect, never to show off or bully.
- Following your own compass even when the crowd goes another way.
Follow-up questions:
- What would one honest thing for your heart look like at home tomorrow?
- How do you feel inside after you tell a hard truth?
- Which Black Belt in our school will you ask for their story, and what will you ask first?
Coaching cautions
- Do not ask students to confess lies or mistakes publicly. Keep personal examples silent (thumbs up, eyes closed) or optional.
- If a child names a sibling or classmate as “the liar,” redirect gently: “We only talk about our own choices here.”
- Keep “might for right” clear and age-appropriate: protecting yourself or someone who needs help, then getting an adult. Do not invite stories about fights.
If the room is quiet: Have each student touch the leg of the stool (head, heart or muscle) they want to grow this week, then call on two students who chose the heart.
Into the Mat Drill
- Mat drill: Creed Combo: teach a three-move combination where each strike matches a word (punch on “knowledge,” block on “honesty,” kick on “strength”), shouting the word with each move. Then pair each beginner with a Black Belt for one minute to ask, “What kept you going?”
- Leader role: A Black Belt or Leadership Team helper partners with beginners after the chat and answers, in a minute or less, “How long did your journey take, and what kept you going?”
- Open next class: Open the next class by asking volunteers to say Grand Master Rhee’s creed from memory, and ask, “Who talked with a Black Belt? Tell us one thing they said.”
Black Belt and Beyond: Module 3: Black Belt Stories
Checkpoint: Pre-frame Black Belt during class; identify “A” students and parents
- Have a current Black Belt read a short Black Belt essay or give a 1-minute performance.
- Share one student or parent testimonial about what training has changed.
- Talk about existing Black Belts by name: where they started and what they overcame.
Adult and parent tip: Parents: at dinner, ask what your child did for their body, their mind and their heart today, and praise honesty most. Adults: pick the weakest leg of your stool and give it ten minutes a day.
Teaching tip: Teach the creed in three parts with a hand motion for each: touch your head (knowledge), your heart (honesty) and flex your arm (strength). Little kids remember motions before words.
Download the complete books (PDF): The Black Belt Mindset · The Workbook · The Instructor’s Manual
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Train 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.