“Some people aren’t loyal to you…. They are loyal to their NEED of you….Once their needs change, so does their loyalty.”

Loyalty is a very important aspect in any relationship but especially so in the martial arts between a student, their instructor and their dojo. 

Trust and true loyalty take years to build and loyalty towards an instructor or dojo is easy when things make sense and you are getting what you want out of your training. 

But right now, true loyalty is being tested to the maximum. With the spread of the Covid-19 virus, many schools and dojo have had to close because of the restrictions placed upon us and for the safety of everyone. No one knows when martial arts schools and dojo will be allowed to reopen. Will you be loyal to your dojo?

Many instructors pour their heart and soul into the dojo and martial arts schools, many of them do so without profit, except for the idea of teaching people life skills through martial arts. This keeps instructors motivated to open the doors again.

True loyalty is when you get no personal gain from a decision made but support it anyway. You base your decision on your values and not your own ambition. 

Loyalty is a two way street. A good instructor will do his utmost to help their students improve and gain knowledge, and good students should always trust their instructors judgement, and try to remember at times there may be a bigger picture. 

In martial arts you need to trust your instructor and believe the decisions they make are for the greater good. Martial arts is not about kicking and punching, its about people.

Being loyal does not mean blindly following a teacher or organization, it is to follow your own passion with respect to your teachers and mentors.

You must practice loyalty towards your family, friends, dojo, instructor, and most importantly, yourself. ??