How KarateForums.com Helps Us Persevere

[bushido_man96]

Today marks the 15 and a ½ year anniversary of KarateForums.com. Patrick has asked me to address the community, as a senior member of the staff. I see this as a great honor and a privilege to be able to address this great community on this day! Being online for 15 and a ½ years is quite the milestone, and it brings to my mind one of the most important qualities all martial artists must have: Perseverance.

First, a definition: Perseverance: steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement (Dicitionary.com).

Perseverance is a tenant that every martial artist is familiar with. Succinctly put, it’s the ability to endure. To endure in the face of physical challenges that push our bodies into previously unknown levels of performance. To endure in the face of struggles that challenge us mentally. These struggles come to us in varying levels at varying points of our training. A white belt starts out and must persevere through that first class, and then that first week, and then that first month. The white belt begins to gain confidence in the techniques and the material. They find enjoyment in this new activity. Training in the martial arts is one of those activities, however, where it can be difficult to share your early enthusiasm with your good friends and even family that fall outside the martial arts community. For some, KarateForums.com becomes a place for these excited, young martial artists to speak about their enthusiasm to other martial artists from many different points in their journey. We see this kind of enthusiasm in the Introductions and Getting Started in the Martial Arts forums all the time. It’s the courtesy and understanding of the great members here at KarateForums.com that makes these new martial artists feel welcome and appreciated and helps them to persevere.

As the martial artist goes along, a few months or a year down the road, more interactive work probably takes place with higher ranked individuals. It could be sparring or some other form of partner work. Now the novice practitioner experiences the abilities of those who have been at it longer than he has, those who have persevered for some time. This can produce a positive influence on the young martial artist to persevere, to become like those he looks up to. At times like this, perseverance comes more easily. KarateForums.com has always been a place that I’ve been able to come and share my successes. The members here are always offering words of support and advice on continuing the journey.

At some point in the martial artist’s career, we reach those stumbling blocks, those obstacles that create a new challenge for us. These obstacles can take many forms, from a failed testing cycle, to a competition loss, to sustaining an injury that sets back training for an extended period of time. Circumstances like these can have a negative influence on the martial artist. This is when the mental aspect of perseverance comes into play, telling ourselves to get up, to keep going, to endure through the hardships.

These obstacles can also come in the form of outside circumstances; after all, life does happen. The martial artist could get married, have children or change careers, all things that can have an effect on training. Obstacles such as these can have different effects on different people. Yet, we are martial artists, and perseverance runs through the blood in our veins. We will persevere.

In those times in our journey that we really need to dig deep and persevere, one of the best resources we have available to us is our fellow martial artists. Many of us have that training partner at our school or from another school that we can always talk to, who we can share our troubles with, who we can vent about our shortcomings with. Our fellow martial artists know our situation, having been there before us or there with us now. Our training partners will pick us up when we fall to the mat, they will lift us up with encouragement when we get down on ourselves for failing or for losing or when the wall in front of us seems too great to climb. No man is an island, and as martial artists, our greatest resource is each other.

KarateForums.com is, for me, and I think for many other members, a big contributor to that great resource for us, our fellow practitioners. KarateForums.com provides martial artists with a positive community where we can come together to speak of our successes and our failures. It’s a community where others will pick us up, where others will pull us out of a hole we’ve fallen into, where others will help us over the wall in front of us. This is due to our wonderful members. The members of KarateForums.com are the reason we get to acknowledge this 15 and a ½ year milestone.

For the 10+ years I’ve been a member of KarateForums.com, I’ve received support in times of struggle that have helped me pull through, over or around those obstacles that crop up during a martial arts journey. I know many other members of this community have received the same kind of support, as well. The membership of this community is such a positive force in the journey of a martial artist, because we know and respect the value of each and every martial artist, from the fresh new white belt to the experienced masters.

KarateForums.com is also an example of perseverance. Celebrating its 15 and ½ year anniversary today is a fantastic milestone. A community that has existed this long will have its share of peaks and valleys, and it has endured. By doing so, this great community helps us all to continue to persevere as martial artists. Thank you, Patrick, for the diligent work you’ve done over the course of these 15 and a ½ years in maintaining such a great community. It is an honor and a privilege to be able to address this community at this great milestone.

Thank you for reading.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Solid post brian! I feel like what you said was spot on

[Patrick]

Thank you, Brian, for taking the time to write so thoughtfully about the support that you have felt from the community. It means a lot to me to read it. We have been fortunate to have so many great members over the years, including you, that have helped others, offered them advise and made them feel welcome. It's one of the main things that has made this community a great place to be.

Happy 15 and one half birthday, KarateForums.com!

Thanks again,

Patrick

[bushido_man96]

Thank you for the kind words, Patrick.

[tallgeese]

That is exceptional, and true! I think it's a great way to look at the journey in martial arts as well as a look at why this community is such a long term thing for so many of us.

Well done!

[sensei8]

Well said, and very true!! Thanks for sharing that, Brian!!

[Wastelander]

Thank you for putting this together, and thanks to Patrick for keeping KF running!

[DWx]

Great post Brian and congratulations Patrick and KF on 15 and a half years!

I especially like this bit:

KarateForums.com is, for me, and I think for many other members, a big contributor to that great resource for us, our fellow practitioners. KarateForums.com provides martial artists with a positive community where we can come together to speak of our successes and our failures. It’s a community where others will pick us up, where others will pull us out of a hole we’ve fallen into, where others will help us over the wall in front of us. This is due to our wonderful members. The members of KarateForums.com are the reason we get to acknowledge this 15 and a ½ year milestone.

[Patrick]

Thank you, Noah and Danielle, and thank you for the amazing contributions that you have made over the years. Hard to imagine KF without you!

Patrick

[sensei8]

And of course, without all that Patrick's done, KF wouldn't be the best of the best forums...anywhere, imho!! Thank you, Patrick for all that you do, and all that you continue to do!!