You have to be your own doctor

Nobody knows the state of your health better than you do

So often people come up to me after a hard training session and they say, "Mat, that sensei was a real monster. He pushed me until I collapsed on my bad knee (or my back or whatever). I'm not going to be able to walk for a month!" You know what I say? More fool you!!!

Self discipline is one thing, and a very valuable characteristic to develop, but Jeez Louise, you gotta take care of your health first and foremost! If you're training with an injury, or a long-term condition, or you're overweight and out of shape, you simply have to act as your own doctor when you're in the dojo. Nobody knows your health, your medical history, or the way you're feeling at any given moment, like you do.

Senseis are caring people, and they would never want to hurt you, but they are there to teach and to motivate and to draw the best from you. If you have a reason to be careful during training, have a quiet word with your sensei beforehand to warn him, then train well within your limits. Like I've said before, you're in martial arts for the long term, not just till the end of the lesson...

I sometimes see people train their bodies to destruction, until they literally collapse with heart attacks, or damaged spines, or whatever. What fools! Nobody knows what they're going through except them, and they surely knew what discomfort they were in, yet they go on and injure themselves, in some cases, very severely. None of us wants to be seen as weak in front of our peers, and I know that we can get into that macho, tougher-than-you game in the dojo, but strength starts with the mind, not the body. A famous street fighter once said that he's seen men who would take on a room full of fighters without fear, crumble at the thought of a needle, or walking through woods in the dark. They were physically tough, but mentally weak.

Show your strengh sometimes, by being brave enough not to be the toughest in class. Your fellow students or senseis may even love you for it, for it will allow them to show their weaknesses without fear of ridicule too.

Part of what we teach in GKR is about asserting yourself; about saying "No, I will not be a victim of violence or circumstances." How much have you learned if you can't even turn to your sensei, who cares deeply about you, and say, "Sensei, I think I'd better take a break for today."?