Alone :(

[Karateka63]

I need a bit of advise, I love Martial Arts.

I have been involved ever since I was 4 years old taking TKD for 6 years and having to move by age 10 to get out of a not so healthy environment for kids to live in. Anyway by age 15 I convinced my mother to get me back into martial arts so long as it's a totally different style from the one I started in, I did my research and fell in love with Shorin Ryu.

I did this style for 2 years and got up to orange belt until the bad economy hit and they had to relocate. my sensai had assured me that the relocation wouldn't be that far away from my house.

(had to walk a half hour up there and was more then willing to walk.)

He told me that the dojo would be back up in running in no time and to keep sharpening my skills. Unfortunately alot of unjustifiable things happened shortly after this like finding out my family and I was getting evicted shortly and none the less I trained alone, Kata's , Yakusoko drills, Techniques all in hopes that everything will get better and it did for the most part we found a place up in reynoldsburg, house is awsome and we were only homeless for 2 weeks

but martial arts is a big part of my life almost as much as music is and since my mother can no longer afford martial arts lessons and barley any music lessons (I'm thankful for what she can dish out for me)

I have been training alone in martial arts and music practically since age 17 I am 19 years old now ever since age 18 I have become a baby adult lol trying to put priorities be4 personal interests, trying to get car, license, saving for collage, I'm tired of relying on my mom this makes me feel guilty witch is why I got a mulching job shortly after my 18th birthday getting 60$ a week. I guess what I'm trying to ask is "how does someone cope with just being cut off of something they love doing ?

I mean sure I love martial arts but doing it alone almost leaves no room for learning, sure I can practice kicks like there's no tomorrow but martial arts is 90% mental and 10% physical, it's all about the mind, little of martial arts actually has to do with the body and I feel like i'm losing that aspect of martial arts when I train alone plus with noone to train with it's getting super boring cuz there's nothing to learn training alone.

[Groinstrike]

That sucks, maybe put out a personal ad were you could get some training partners????

[Liver Punch]

Musashi trained alone for a length of time, and he turned out pretty good. If a large part of your trouble is keeping the proper mindset, it might just a matter of figuring out what works for you.

I don't know if you're much of a reader, but if you can get martial arts related books - from the library, or readings online, that might help. You know the books - it's the usual roundup: Book of 5 Rings, Dokkodo, Hagakure, The Art of War, etc.

Aside from that, you can always see if you can work for your gym dues at the Dojo. If nothing can be worked out where you've traditionally trained, and you aren't opposed to cross-training, check at other gyms and dojos - it never hurts to ask.

GS is right, you might be able to find a training partner to work with for a while, and a relationship like that could very well benefit both of you.

Beyond that, keep your mind and body sharp. Study, read, be active on this and other forums, watch video, and train as hard as you can. I find that brutal and self-imposed physical conditioning makes my mind strong in a big hurry. Most of all, good luck.

[Groinstrike]

LP makes good points, also don't forget to keep your body in shape, cross-training has its place. Maybe see if you have any friends who would be interesting in joining you???

[MasterPain]

I'm not much of a kata practitioner, but I think situations like this are exactly what kata was meant for. Some kids around here got a couple sets of boxing gloves and sparred at the park and in back yards. It's not a replacement for a good coach, but it's better than sitting in the beanbag chair eating cheetos.

[MasterPain]

As long as no one acts stupid and tries to hurt each other.

[Karateka63]

thx all for advise, I do have to add I have gone down the route of book reading but what I got going down that road was pages full of telling me how many degrees I should move my hands and feet and I could,t really figure out where my hands or feet were actually supposed to go much less what body muscle's I was supposed to use when the techniques were performed.

On a side note the philosophical side of martial arts displayed in books is both amazing and vary confusing

I read books like , The Doa of Jeet Kun Do, TKD Books, Aikido Books, Matsubayshi Books even Hapkido and they all had Techniques that were intresting to me but couldn't rap my head around weather I had truly been performing to techniques right.

As for the Philosophical side of MA, some of it I understood and liked about the Philosophies of MA, and some I either felt like the information I was reading was contradicting itself or it just didn't make sense to me and I didn't know how to find the truth without asking a grand master or something.

for example: I read The Doa of Jeet Kun Do

some of what Bruce lee said made alot of sense but as I kept reading it, I felt it began to contradict itself and it frustrated me so much cuz I just wanted to understand.

He would explain the aspects of, "empty your mind"

then later I find out he meant empty your mind of absolutely everything,

no happy thoughts no sad thoughts, no fearful thoughts no emotion no thoughts what so ever??? but then I began to think......wouldn't that take away from artistic form of MA because in his interviews and in his books he also explains martial arts should be a combination of Science and Art.

Art is nothing without emotion or expression how would one be able to express him or herself as a fighter with no emotion behind them???

[MasterPain]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin

Read that. It explains the empty mind concept a bit more simply than Bruce Lee did.

Study the philosophy, and make up your own mind. It's fun to have the ideas of others, but there is no absolute truth in martial philosophy.

Aikido tends to be heavy on philosophy. A good Aikidoka could probably teach me a good deal about wristlocks, but I will never be a pacifist. They say there are no attacks in Aikido... I would rather crush my enemies, see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their women when I press charges for assault.

Most martial arts philosophy is Eastern. For a Western view, try Plato. Not martial you say? Plato wasn't his real name. Plato was his wrestling nickname. I like Musashi and Machiavelli.

[Shizentai]

Wow. I feel like I can relate to your situation quite a bit actually.

I too began training karate seriously around age 15, and furthermore I too was homeless by age 19. However this wasn't because of eviction, but rather, because a hurricane came and destroyed my city six years ago. I lost my house, I lost my work, my college was gone, I had no savings, no dojo, no food, no spare clothes and nowhere to go. I didn't even have my gi or my new blackbelt that I had been awarded no more than two months prior.

For the first two weeks I just stayed in a crowded truck stop with my parents waiting, hoping, praying, as one by one each of my family members came back from what seemed like liquid death. But then something funny happened in the third week... as the urgency of the moment waned, I began filling my useless days with kata. Much to my aunts' and uncles' amusement I would turn my back on the constant flow of devastation that had us all glued to the screen, and instead would train my heians and sentei again and again until I began to feel better.

It really is amazing what positive thinking can do.

Soon, with the great help of a distant contact I was out of there. I flew to a city on the other side of the continental US, and begged their local college to admit me. To my surprise, they did. There they had a swiftly growing karate club, with which I trained as much as possible. Because I was one of only five black belts at the time, the club asked me to teach for a small portion of their annual training camp, which was shortly before the end of the semester. Taken by surprise, I had no idea what I could possibly convey to a huge room of people that would help their karate.... So then, I just walked up to the front and said to them all:

"As I am still a novice, I can't teach you guys much waza. But I can tell you something I recently learned: Even if you have nothing, no money, no place to live, no work, no status, you can still have karate. Those other things are insignificant because they can be taken from you. On the other hand, if you train hard, then as long as you live no one can take away your karate. What a wonderful gift we all have been given! I hope that you will always treasure it."

Karateka63,

Now that you know pretty much everything there is to know about me, I hope you'll understand where I am coming from when I give you this advise:

Just get out there. I know it seems daunting to leave home and take that big step, especially if your life is in flux, but sometimes these are the best moments to ride the wave of change so to speak. If you are 19 and interested in college (as I'm guessing you are by your original post), then go out and do it! I know it is expensive, but there are scholarships, need-based grants, even loans if you must. Many colleges have karate clubs with which you can train for little to no money. Meanwhile, you can find a career that suits you, and better your life in the future.

I'm not trying to sound preachy or anything. I am just trying to give you encouragement, since I was once in a similar situation. You can do it! Just don't lose hope!

[MasterPain]

That's the best karate testimonial I have ever heard.