Earning a Shito Ryu Karate Black Belt

Almost a year ago, on
19 August 2006, my daughter Jessica tested for and was awarded her provisional
Black Belt (Shodan-Ho) rank in Shito Ryu Karate. She has been studying with Shihan

Roberto Alvelais at Pacific Martial Arts
for twelve years, since she was six. On 4 August 2007, after a year of teaching, acting as
a Black Belt and leader in the dojo, and technique improvement, Jessica tested again and
earned her full Black Belt (Shodan) rank in the JKO (Japan
Karate-Do Organization). She tested with two Brown Belts seeking their Shodan-Ho
and another Black Belt also seeking her Shodan rank. The test consists of demonstrating
increasingly complex knowledge of forms, one-on-one fighting, and answering questions
about the meaning and history of karate. Below are some photos of Jessica’s big day.
When she moves to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in ten days to attend
Carnegie Mellon University, Jessica plans to look
for a new karate dojo to join.

Images by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson (Copyright 2007)