Take 1:

What Kind of Student Are YOU?

          Most new students enroll in karate out of wonder or curiosity.  However, after a short fun-filled introduction and the difficult task begins, they quickly understand what “karate will be the hardest thing you will ever do” means!  As I see it, there are three basic types of karate students.

          First, those who just love the training and can’t get enough of it.  These students train regularly and with great effort and focus.  They need no one to encourage or push them.  They are eager to learn, and willing to constantly push their limits and challenge their body, mind and soul to discover new horizons.  They are the ones who will benefit the most from this martial art … as I have.  These are the students who understand the phrase “You’ve GOT to love it!”  Karate is THAT hard!

          Secondly, those students who enjoy the training but do it mostly for the exercise and to keep in shape.  Although they will definitely get the workout they desire, they set limits on themselves that they, initially, are NOT willing to push or exceed.  They are more in the “maintenance” stage, happy where they are, and okay with staying there.  They have resigned themselves to the fact that the chances of attaining a black belt are very slim.  Yet, they love the workouts.  Training for them is a time for stress relief and forgetting the worries of the day – a time to reboot their mind and body!

          Finally, there are those who train because someone ELSE wants them to.  Yes, these are the children … and their parents!  The best outcome here is if the parents train WITH their children.  Instead of being a “sideline coach” or a “back seat driver”, they quickly learn and appreciate the energy, effort, and focus that their child exerts in training.  Very few of these students stick it out long enough to REALLY appreciate the incredible life-changing benefits that karate has to offer.  This, I understand and accept.

          So, which one are YOU?

          No matter which type of student you are, you have ALL taken the first step to “start YOUR impossible”!  (Remember this phrase?  Toyota used it during the 2020 Olympics, and again in 2024.). It matters not HOW you start – you can be an athlete or a couch potato.  It DOES matter how you END!!

          Through my 58 years of training and teaching karate, I have witnessed some amazing and heart-warming, as well as many disappointing and unfortunate results.  Karate dreams and careers have blossomed while others have withered.

          As I approach the end of MY karate career, I am truly happy and proud of what I have done and accomplished.  I took a dream, turned it into a passion, and turned THAT passion into my life’s work!  It has been this passion that has helped me to provide for my family and to enjoy many of the pleasures of life that we have experienced.

          I wish the same for all of you.  “Start YOUR impossible” today, find your passion, and make it work for you.  I HAVE BEEN, AND AM NOW, TRULY BLESSED TO HAVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU IN MY LIFE TODAY!!!

Written June, 2024

Revised March, 2025