Yes, of course karate is hard. Nothing worth doing has ever been easy, so why dilute karate as well?
All dojos must walk a tightrope between survival and tradition. We have to interest the students and challenge them without alienating them. And with attention spans fracturing like egg shells, bodies getting softer and weaker as all ages are confined to desks upwards of eight hours a day, teaching karate as it was meant to be taught has never been more important, or more difficult.
Ché and I teach children aged from 5, right through to retirees in their 60s. We run the gamut of reasons people join; bullying, ADHD, poor coordination, shyness, physical weakness, aging. Okinawan karate toughens the body, shines the spirit and strengthens the mind, but only if it is taught to the demanding standards that karate is famous for.
Of course we can't make our students run 5km before each class, as Chojun Miyagi Sensei used to do to his students. We can't have knowledge workers busting their hands by punching bowls of sand and rocks. Even if we had that luxury of time and space, we would only have five students willing to do it, and we love teaching karate to a wide variety of people. No dojo would survive if we taught like the old Okinawan masters did, but we don't have to do it to the same extremes to make a wonderful difference in the lives of our students.
Now more than ever, we must insist on the basics being done properly. We must demand that students learn to focus for longer than it takes to scroll a Youtube Short. We expect students to show mutual respect to others, the environment, and themselves. We can't let backchat slide, or laziness go unnoticed and uncorrected. The badly-tied belt must be fixed, the shoes neatly arranged on the rack: these are the details that help us learn conscientiousness.
We're not monsters – we can tell when a child is ill, or when someone is having a hard time in their life outside the dojo. But when parents bring their kids to us because they are at their wit's end because their child has the muscle tone of a noodle and the attention span of a magpie, they also need to trust the process. Because while karate will change your life, it won't happen overnight. It isn't a six week training montage, after all. But there will be change, with time and commitment.
Parents, and adult students – our only request is that you commit to the demands of karate, in order to see the rewards. There will be times when kids whine that karate is tough, that they don't want to go. With the allure of infinite scrolling and snacks, of course they would rather stay home. But then, they will also stay stuck where they are. We know that you understand the benefits, and you have our promise that we commit to changing lives through karate. We never said it would be easy, but it will be worth it.
Of course karate is hard, but that's what you're here for. To paraphase Seneca: fire is the test of gold – adversity the test of humans. The dojo is the crucible where we sweat, and we change. With time, commitment and enthusiasm, karate will pay back your effort with interest.
If you're interested in joining our dojo, click here for more details.
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