What does your Dojo/Club mean to you?

[Karate_John]

So this is a question I've been asked, as a student of Karate my answer today is this:

My club is like a second family to me, It contains some of the very few people I trust and respect. Trust and respect is huge for me, If i can trust you, I will go out of my way to help in anyway I can. My club is also the place I run away too, to forget other ills of the week, if just for a little while.

Now I've been with my club for around 5 years, some people I know longer. Some of you I'm sure have been with your dojos/clubs for decades. So now it's your turn. What does your Dojo/Club mean to you now?, also did it change with time?

[chrissyp]

I've changed schools many times, mostly due to finacial reasons.

But the two places i've trained the longest, my thai boxing and karate school, what they mean to me is this:

A path of personal enlightenment, a means to better myself, but more important then learning how to fight, is the friendship and fellowship I have recieved. So it all means family. I also help teach, and watching students grow and reaching them is very special to me, so it also means family.

[Kanku65]

Interestingly enough, several weeks ago in my Social Processes class, I was asked to describe my lifelong statuses, whether they be ascribed or achieved, and then make connection to which is my master status, and then elaborate on that.

The conclusion that I came to, is that my status as a martial artist is my master status. While I am a significant other, a son, a driver, a student... the one that drives all of those in my attitude, outlook, spirituality and confidence is my status as a martial artist.

Not to say that I'd be a total d-bag without martial arts, but I definitely wouldn't be the same. In fact, without being a martial artist, I wouldn't have been led into college, and the particular class that asked this of me.

MA wasn't always this important to me. As a child and a teenager, I can easily say I disliked martial arts.

Now, it's much of my life and I love and embrace every bit of it.

The people I train with are amazing. They inspire me continuously. Oddly enough, in many cases it's been beginners, whether they're adults or kids who inspire me the most. Sometimes it takes a beginner to demonstrate just how easy some things that seem more difficult can be.

Unfortunately, I cannot quantify how much my dojo means to me, I am neither a mathematician nor a physicist, however, the combination of the instruction given, and the spirit of the students have allowed me to achieve a passion so rich, that I can honestly say that the martial arts run my life in a very positive fashion.

[vaporman]

The woods is my dojo and its been the best for me last 5 years. It can get lonely and most people around here don't even know me because of spending so much time there, Even before practicing karate/MA training(on purpose). I am my own teacher and motivator and the woods is always there for me. Although a lot of people guided me in my path with words of wisdom and sometimes phrases that i only understood 3 years later.

[hammer]

It's a place to train until it isn't...but I like where I'm at now and I hope the dojo will be around for some time.

[Wastelander]

My dojo is definitely a second home for me. My dojo-mates feel like an extended family, and my Sensei is also a friend (we can keep those roles separate, though). It's a place where I feel safe from all the other troubles in life and I can focus on bettering myself, working out my frustrations, and sharing my passion with others.

[bushido_man96]

I'm an instructor at my school, so for me, its a place to go help and teach people what I enjoy doing. Hopefully along the way, I'm able to become a resource for them.

[vaporman]

''It's a place to train until it isn't..'''

Sounds like first hand experience? Care to share?

[hammer]

''It's a place to train until it isn't..'''

Sounds like first hand experience? Care to share?

This is coming from a person who switched schools...sometimes that has to happen, and thinking of the dojo as anything beyond a place to train makes those transitions difficult.

It doesn't mean that one can't be dedicated to the school or the instructors...being more detached has actually made being a dedicated student easier because it doesn't feel like an obligation.

[vaporman]

Thanks hammer Thought you meant training in nature..

As for dojo do you guys consider a rented school gym or public place a dojo? Being in a small town with small town surroundings an actual real dojo like in Japan or dedicated to MA training only is an hour away..On the plus side the instructors around here are top notch.. Would you guys wait for a real dojo or go with what you have? The reason i gone solo is to be able to give 100 percent(At a moments notice) regardless of time frames or what not. Eventually i might come out of my shell when the time comes. One thing though someday il have a personal dojo built the way the mind sees it, Even thought of making it public but legal issues are likely.

Those that have your own dojo how did you do it legally in case someone gets hurt or decides to sue or something? Maybe there's a thread on here sorry if i missed.Thanks