Focus inwards not outwards

Don't worry about other people's karate - concentrate on your own performance

A student in my region has recently quit training. His reason? He didn't like the fact that someone four grades higher than him was given their next belt at a recent grading. On a number of occasions, I've seen students get really upset about the fact that other people graded, as if it made any difference to their progress. To be honest, I remember getting upset a couple of years ago, when a man who started training at the same time as I did, graded a month ahead of me, when, in my opinion, he didn't deserve the grade. I didn't know how hard he'd been working at other dojos. I didn't know that he practiced at home five mornings a week. I knew nothing beyond the couple of hours that I saw him each week, yet in my ignorance, I had decided that he was no more worthy of the grade than I was.

Your sensei is experienced at assessing people's readiness to grade, and he or she may well have sight of a bigger picture than you. Even if a student of the same grade as you, but with lesser ability, does grade ahead of you, it could be that your sensei is grading them ahead of you for a reason. Perhaps yours sensei feels that the student's confidence and karate need the boost, and that the student will grow into the grade - I've seen it happen so many times. Or perhaps, shock horror, there's something wrong with your karate or attitude that needs fixing before you're ready to move forwards. Maybe you're not quite as good as you thought, or maybe you are, but you're just a little (or lot!) too arrogant...

Rather than whining or getting upset about the progress of others, perhaps you need to take a moment with your sensei and ask,

"Sensei, what do I need to improve to be ready for my next grade?"

As for the guy who graded ahead of me, well, with each grading, he pulls further ahead of me. Of course, I'd love my sensei to say, "Mat, you're awesome, I'm going to triple grade you", but to be honest, I'm also glad that he doesn't. I'd never want to think that my grade had been awarded purely because I'd attended the right number of classes, or trained for the right number of weeks. I want my grade to be worth something.

And you know what? If I really want to catch up with my advanced classmate, there's no secret - I just have to train harder and practice more than he does, and check my etiquette and ego to make sure that I'm not getting too big for my boots. It's up to me, I can put up or shut up.

The last time he graded, I gave him a warm hug and a handshake, and I meant it. He's always got time for me - he helps with my kata, or my basics and he's a thoroughly decent guy.

So maybe if you support your classmates, instead of envying them, you might find yourself enjoying your karate more, and maybe even making faster progress.