“Karate cannot be quickly learned. Like a slow moving bull, it eventually travels a thousand leagues. If one trains diligently for one or two hours every day, then in three or four years one will see a change in physique. Those who train in this fashion will discover the deeper principles of karate.” – Itosu Anko 1908
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So, what’s your story going be?
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Recently we had a family, a father and two sons, leave the dojo who had been with us for many years. Unfortunately they could only attend the dojo once a week. Over time they were improving gradually and progressing towards their ‘Shodan’, but over the last year we had seen a definite drop in enthusiasm. We talked to them and tried to encourage them to train at home, but we could sense something wasn’t right. And it was a blow when the father sent me a text message (?) to say they were quitting.
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Anything great requires hard work and sacrifice. It’s tough, difficult, challenging. It’s going to stretch you and make you dig deep on the inside.
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There is something very different about being a martial artist; it makes you different from other people, it sets you apart from the crowd. Anyone can go to a gym, a fitness class or a sports center to play a game. Martial arts training takes someone special, someone different. But after weeks, months and sometimes years, people lose hope that they will not reach their goal, they feel that the transformation is too far away and it will never happen to them.
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The result is that they sabotage the only way that ensured they were on this path, they stop going to training! The decision to stop is made in a second, and the sad thing is that all the hard work they put in for years is undone.
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There is no magic path to get on. Either you train or you don’t. Either you want it bad enough or you don’t. There is only one person to blame for your lack of progress and that’s you.
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The martial arts mimic life. Unfortunately for some people, it takes a long time to realize this. Then, one day, they realize that their martial art has extended itself into more than just the physical and mental. It becomes a way of life, a sense of wholeness, and a heightened awareness….. a connection. The philosophies and practices that drive the martial artist are lifelong; and a student will benefit from all that makes the martial arts the discipline it is.
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I’ve written about this many times….. Persistence. Whatever you do; persistence is the key for success in everything. When I first started my journey into the martial arts (a long time ago), I looked at people that were really skilled, accomplished and knowledgeable, and I admired them. When I talked to them about their journey; they said being strictly persistent has brought them to where they are.
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So congratulations to those who remain, who already have taken the steps and are well into their journey…… What’s your story going to be? 
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