I was a teenager when I started my Kempo training. I didn’t own a car; if I couldn’t get a ride from a friend, I would jog to the studio. The dojo wasn’t far away, but it was straight uphill. On a clear day, rare back then, you could see Mount Baldy looming in the background just a dozen miles off. No matter how many times I ran that slope, it never seemed to get any flatter. Regardless, eventually, I would round the corner and look towards the studio.
A Shift
Just seeing a karate studio can create a shift in your state; the anticipation of the training—the sweat, challenge, and camaraderie—brightens your mood and lightens your step. Every class was a chance to improve, to become somehow better than I was before. Each obstacle overcome is the process of fulfilling our destiny one little bit at a time. And camaraderie… It’s funny, many people think of the martial arts as a solitary pursuit, but those who have ever set foot in a dojo know that the people on the journey with you are what makes it all real. A good training partner will both challenge you and ground you.
And so it was. I walked into the dojo to be separate from life for a few hours. I shook hands and hugged my friends and compatriots in ways that we can’t right now. I warmed up in a space dedicated to martial arts, not a corner of my living room. We worried about getting punched, but we never worried about contagion.
Different Now
It is all different now. We all miss our dojos and that feeling arriving there.
But that was only part of the story—it was always only part of the story. Those who describe the martial arts as a solitary activity aren’t right, but they aren’t entirely wrong either. Training with a partner is better; there is no denying that. But understand: your training comes alive in the relationship between you to your instructor. That has always been true, but in the absence of other variables, it becomes more apparent and more striking.
We all miss the joy of arriving at the studio, meeting training partners, and making contact. But for now, we need to focus on ourselves and that connection with our instructor. Bring that into focus, challenge yourself, and rise to the challenges that your Sensei holds out in front of you. Use this opportunity to grow in all of the different ways available to you.
Your Personal Dojo
Eventually, we’ll train together again, and we’re all looking forward to that. But for now, move the furniture out of the way, put on your uniform and belt, warm up and connect with your instructor from your personal dojo.
