Today, I'm Beaming

I'm only a part-time martial arts school owner. Teaching the martial arts isn't my full time job, but it IS my full-time passion. And today I'm BEAMING because two women who NEVER even would have considered taking karate have become members of my dojo, not only for what they could GET from their martial arts membership (fitness, confidence, etc.), but because their dojo membership enables them to GIVE and express and connect and participate in the world, using martial arts as the vehicle.

Our two newest members told me that our dojo's emphasis on community service and our online project portfolio truly set us apart from other martial arts schools. It's apparent that the service projects that we do as part of our training make a big difference in the kinds of people that we attract, and it's a big part of why those people stay with us.

No one seems to care too much about how our students perform at tournaments, even though we more than hold our own in competition. Because of what we do OUTSIDE of our dojo, we have a GREAT reputation in the neighborhood and the city — and man, does that feel GOOD.

So people don't join our dojo because they want to side-kick a mugger in the throat. And I'm OK with that. (Now, I'll try to teach them to do exactly that while they're here, but apparently it's not the thing that gets people to walk through the door for the first time.

I love my art. In the dojo, I'm a real stickler about tradition, etiquette, form, timing, generating power, and the proper application of technique. The stuff we do has to MEAN SOMETHING, and it HAS TO WORK. But at the end of it all, I'll take 50 students who are committed to changing the world over 50 kata & kumite champions — every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. And if I happen to make kata & kumite champs out of them along the way, well that's a bonus I can live with!