To late?

[Jaert3]

ok so i came back from japan about 4 days ago after being in the 9th skif world championship , and when i was there , i was embaressed of my self after seeing the performance of japanese students in kata , i knew that i need so much more improvement

i didint win any matches in the championship , but the whole championship was a wake up call , i then decided to become better and better in kata and kumite.

now i know this is weird but , i then started getting this annoying feeling that its to late , i am now 14 years old and will turn 15 in the 24th of december , i have a 1st degree black belt which i have since about a year now (my score was 98/100 in the black belt test which was given to me by hirokazu kanazawa) , you might wonder what i mean by to late , well what i mean is , even if i do become great in kata and kumite , from now on any achievement of mine in competitions wouldn't have any value because of my age , because i have this thought that the older you are the less the value of your achievements is.

and as lame or whatever it might seem , i like to be noticed from a crowd of others , and now its to late and i will never get that feeling again , i ones went to a gojuryu championship and in kumite i got first place and everyone started telling me how great i was and that made me so happy and confident , and from now on , noone would care and it just wouldn't feel the same.

for example if i start focusing more on improving my kata and kumite / start practicing gymnastics or whatever , it wouldn't be special , I wouldn't be special , because i would never settle for being just good or normal.

also it took me 7 years to get the black belt because the first sensi i had never made any tests , she (yes she) waited untill for example all the green belts are at the required level and gave them all blue belts (which i definetly hate) , so it took me like one year just to get the yellow belt , and that still makes me angry because in other places students get belts much quicker which allows them to practice on much advanced things at a younger age and i keep thinking that i should of gotten it earlier and started practicing at a high level much earlier and maybe then i would of ben way better.

so now i keep thinking that many years were wasted , and that wake up call came to late , i am having this sort of regret and i am now feeling as if its not worth it to start improving my self and practicing other things.

because if you're like 15 or 16 it would be a pretty normal/expected thing to be great at something like in martial arts , and now i've missed any chance i ever had to stand out from the others.

please take this seriously , because this is very important for me right now , i really need to listen to what you have to say

[Killer Miller]

I use to tell all my students, and now I'm going to tell you the same thing.

"If you can not lose, then you can not win!"

Learn from your mistakes and let that become your driving force to make you even better next time. Also, the more experience you have in that venue, the better you will become. You are only 15 and you still have your entire life to become great...

You certainly have the proper training for it. Learn from it and learn with it as well.

- Killer -

[Jaert3]

I use to tell all my students, and now I'm going to tell you the same thing.

"If you can not lose, then you can not win!"

Learn from your mistakes and let that become your driving force to make you even better next time. Also, the more experience you have in that venue, the better you will become. You are only 15 and you still have your entire life to become great...

You certainly have the proper training for it. Learn from it and learn with it as well.

- Killer -

i think you got me wrong , i wasn't embaressed of my self for loosing , i was embaressed of my self for not training enough.

[Sohan]

I am 40 years old, and I hardly find my achievements in competition, whatever the sport, to be without value.

Your obsessive need to be "special" and to "stand out from the others" at such a young age indicates you lack the maturity to achieve mastery in martial arts. Certainly you should give your sport training your best effort and let any accomplishments you achieve speak for themselves, but you must first discover the intrinsic rewards of participating in martial arts or you will eventually find your achievements empty and without lasting meaning.

With respect,

Sohan

[Smitty]

I am 40 years old, and I hardly find my achievements in competition, whatever the sport, to be without value.

Your obsessive need to be "special" and to "stand out from the others" at such a young age indicates you lack the maturity to achieve mastery in martial arts. Certainly you should give your sport training your best effort and let any accomplishments you achieve speak for themselves, but you must first discover the intrinsic rewards of participating in martial arts or you will eventually find your achievements empty and without lasting meaning.

With respect,

Sohan

Well said.

[Shotokan-kez]

Sohan there has really said it all. You are never too young, you need to be happy and mature within yourself. Keep training hard and it will come. You need to learn that if you can tell yourself "wow i did really well then" and "i feel special just for doing this", it won't matter what anyone else thinks.

Of course it's nice to hear other people say that but what does that matter? You are only 15 you have your whole life to "get better", it's constantly about learning...don't give up!

[setboy]

NO ONE masters anything by your age.

[cathal]

Many great masters and champions began training when they were in their twenties and thirties. Don't worry about the time factor.

[Killer Miller]

It would still be the same quote for both. If you did not train enough, then you obviously lost. Also, it was a mistake and the meaning behind the saying is basically is to learn from your mistakes, don't get upset by it, and correct your mistakes until you are a winner...

- Killer -

I use to tell all my students, and now I'm going to tell you the same thing.

"If you can not lose, then you can not win!"

Learn from your mistakes and let that become your driving force to make you even better next time. Also, the more experience you have in that venue, the better you will become. You are only 15 and you still have your entire life to become great...

You certainly have the proper training for it. Learn from it and learn with it as well.

- Killer -

i think you got me wrong , i wasn't embaressed of my self for loosing , i was embaressed of my self for not training enough.

[ps1]

Jaert3,

I know that your feelings are very real to you. I respect that very much. But I will ask you just one question. When you were in Japan and saw the amazing performances, were you only impressed by the children? I've always been more impressed to see a well aged master perform a phenominal kata.

My point is this. It's not too late. In fact, it may just be too soon. Perhaps your fears (which are very normal) aren't that it's too late. Perhaps, as you are maturing, you've begun to realize that it will take much longer than you expected to become a true master. Or, more importantly, that such a thing doesn't really exist.

Ultimately, what will make you special and stand out, will not be the number of back flips you can perform or the thickness of the board you break. It will be the blood, sweat, and tears you pour into your art. It will be the contributions you make and the people you touch becouse of it.

Remain strong and keep your focus. We all acomplish great things in life. But few ever realize it or live long enough to see them come into fruition. That does not mean they were not worthwhile. Stay focused and great masters will one day call you a colleague.

Good luck in your great journey.