snowturtle

Sensei8, I enjoyed reading your post and it lead me to this question, why are politics viewed as negative? A lot of positive change can come from political discourse. I'm just trying to play a bit of the devil's advocate here

This is a very interesting topic. I agree with the previous statement, "respect is free". I do my best to respect the people in my life (karate, friends, family, work). However, like trust, it very hard to get back once it has been broken. One of the lines in our dojo kun is "karatedo begins and ends with courtesy and respect". I believe there is more than one way to look at this statement. The first is to apply it to the martial artists. I take the view that if karate begins and ends with respect, there is no start or finish, respect must be reciprical to all ranks. However, like trust, once it has been broken it is very difficutt to earn back. IMHO, The way respect manifests itself, ie) bowing, titles, lining up in rank order, is the courtesy aspect. For me respect also includes respect for the art and for the senseis, the ones who have gone before. Without this a dojo is a just a place to work out and hit things, like cardio kickboxing (which is absolutley fine, if that is what you are looking for.

Martial Arts training is different for all practitioners. It has been my experience that orange belt can be a difficult level to get past. You have some knowledge, but the training becomes more difficult and the gains take longer to notice. Ultimately, it comes down to love of the art and balancing priorities. My humble suggestion is to not look at trying to make money from it - that is a long way away and won't hold your interest if that is the only reason you are training. Instead, go back to class for at least a month and see if your interest and passion is sparked again. If finances are an issue, perhaps you could make a deal with the sensei to do work around the dojo in exchange for payment. Best wishes in your journey, where ever that takes you.

I travel 45 min to my dojo. it's about a 90km commute. But I live in a small town in a rural area, so I would have to drive that distance to do just about anything. If I am coming from work though, it is a 5-10 min drive depending on traffic in the city. I have travelled 1.5 hrs to do quality weapons training and I travelled across the country for my last grading - 4hrs by plane .

Hello all. I was reading through this forum and think it sounds like great place for martial discussion. I have been training in GoJu Ryu for nearly 10 yrs and have been a black belt for two years. I look forward to having many meaningful martial arts conversations.