The best thing you ever did for yourself

Look at your adult friends and their children and ask yourself this:- how often do those people do something good for themselves? How often does their self-esteem get a major boost? How often do they get a real feeling of satisfaction?  How healthy are they? How often do they feel the matchless high of working hard for something and achieving it? Probably rarely, if ever, especially when you consider the adults.

Now look at your karate friends and ask the same question. If you have a half-decent sensei, and your friends are not terminally lazy, you should see a very different set of answers.

I fully understand why some Oriental companies insist that their workforce join together for pseudo-martial workout at the start of each day. The sense of togetherness, as well as the physical benefits of daily exercise are all-too-clear to me now after years of karate, and I see how daily exercise brings about a growth in mental and physical well-being that everyone should enjoy. Furthermore, karate classes bring about a growth in confidence and self-discipline as your ability and understanding improves.

Whether you're going for your yellow belt or your black, every single grading brings a sense of nervousness, and a great sense of achievement once you pass it. If you are not awarded your grade, once, twice or even more times; providing you are listening to your sensei and trying to apply his or her lessons, you will eventually progress to your next grade.

But, hard though you may work for your pre-black grades, none of them feels quite the same as your black belt. Why? Because in every style of martial arts the World over, a black belt is universally recognised as something special. It doesn't turn you into superman, but it does represent a lot of dedication, persistence, hard work, and self-discipline.

The average black belt takes 3-7 years to achieve, and in the UK at least, times in general seem to be rising. adding even more to the value of the belt. That's longer than it takes to get a University, degree - longer even than it takes to get a medical degree!

So when I attend a black belt grading and see adult men bawling their eyes out, I don't see that as a sign of weakness; I see that as a sign of the commitment and heart that these men put into their training, and the amount of effort it has taken to get that far.

If I had my way, martial arts would be part of the national curriculum. I see it provide so very many benefits to my students, and I think every child should have the chance to enjoy those benefits. Regardless of government policies, you have the choice whether to keep training, and whether to keep encouraging your kids to train. I think the greatest gift you can give to yourself and your family is to keep training and to train hard.

See you at your black belt grading!!!