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[SteveK]

Wrote this post and my computer crashed - will try again

Most guys I started with do not train karate/martial arts anymore - families, finances, careers etc all have had some impact - I have always trained because I love to train, I think you must fall in love with training - I love going to the gym/dojo, I like the positive environment, the mixture of people I get to interact with and the friendships you make by having something in common

A lot of fighters I know don't train once they stop fighting because they find other things to do - those that do train is because they want to keep in shape and for the same reason love being around the gym and environment and helping younger guys

Personally I think you have to fall in love with training and all that encompasses and not the belts / achievements and competitions etc (love the journey and not the destination)

I know some guys in Australia that have been training together for 30 years and continue to do so - get toghether every Saturday morning, bagwork, kata and run and they are in their late 50's and early 60's

I think a lot of those that stick with it are those that put back into, contribute in a positive way - many quit because they are not getting what they want but there is a stage when you get more by putting back and contributing (sadly an attitude that is not to common)

Osu

[ksan]

Originally Posted by SteveK

Wrote this post and my computer crashed - will try again

Most guys I started with do not train karate/martial arts anymore - families, finances, careers etc all have had some impact - I have always trained because I love to train, I think you must fall in love with training - I love going to the gym/dojo, I like the positive environment, the mixture of people I get to interact with and the friendships you make by having something in common

A lot of fighters I know don't train once they stop fighting because they find other things to do - those that do train is because they want to keep in shape and for the same reason love being around the gym and environment and helping younger guys

Personally I think you have to fall in love with training and all that encompasses and not the belts / achievements and competitions etc (love the journey and not the destination)

I know some guys in Australia that have been training together for 30 years and continue to do so - get toghether every Saturday morning, bagwork, kata and run and they are in their late 50's and early 60's

I think a lot of those that stick with it are those that put back into, contribute in a positive way - many quit because they are not getting what they want but there is a stage when you get more by putting back and contributing (sadly an attitude that is not to common)

Osu

losing more and more training buddies around you sounds too familiar to me. The reasons they quit all sound plausible. Achieved what they want or other commitments. They ussually make sense to them selves, i ussually dont argue because the way (back) to the dojo has to be found on their own for it to be a lasting return.

[SteveK]

Originally Posted by ksan

the way (back) to the dojo has to be found on their own for it to be a lasting return.

very profound and well put Ksan - repped from me

[ksan]

Thank you steve,

Osu
.......................

[SashaS]

Originally Posted by SteveK

Personally I think you have to fall in love with training and all that encompasses and not the belts / achievements and competitions etc (love the journey and not the destination)

That's the essence, I think. I love being in the state of (hard) training, that's it. Plus I love aesthetics of Kyokushin, which is why I came back to it from Muay Thai cause it turned into a pure sport - compared to karate's kihon and kata. For those reasons, IMHO, there are no possible achievements that will stop me in the future.
Thank you, SteveK!

[Sanshou_Jae]

Originally Posted by Dent

Osu!
I wonder if we shouldn't have several belts of each color available each day, and you get to pick one depending on how you feel on that day. Anyone can wear a black belt and realize it's not that special. OR representative of anything other than responsibility.

Some days you feel like a white belt, and others..... Well, I feel like that every day, so this method would give me just the excuse I need to wear one!

Osu!

At the Seido-Kaikan SoHonbu there are some higher grades train at the beginners class, and they wear a white belt. They can wear there own belt if they want to, so I asked them why do they wear a white belt? All of their responses were along the lines of sometimes it's nice to train with a beginner's mind.

I found it quite humbling to see strong higher grades have such a great mind set to their training and their martial journey.

[sandman]

Originally Posted by Sanshou_Jae

At the Seido-Kaikan SoHonbu there are some higher grades train at the beginners class, and they wear a white belt. They can wear there own belt if they want to, so I asked them why do they wear a white belt? All of their responses were along the lines of sometimes it's nice to train with a beginner's mind.

I found it quite humbling to see strong higher grades have such a great mind set to their training and their martial journey.

Osu!

I like that - thanks for sharing