It is a long day outside, you have been at work all day, and the sun is beating you down. You get home only to realize you have karate practice today. You look at the schedule and see the class is outside.
What do you do?
For many, they do not even get a chance to read the workout because they are not in karate. Some have not taken the first step to come to a martial arts class or decided to go outside. They have not committed to a lifestyle. Some will stay home because they do not feel well. For some, the schedule and million other things they have to do will keep them from coming.
Sensei remembers those days in Savannah, Georiga, during the summer. There was no air conditioning in the gym. We would be standing one foot apart, trying to keep up with Sensei Carpenter. The commands, the counts, the exercises, and just when you thought it was going to end, the class would go faster. The karate class would start in the summer, and within 15 minutes, I was covered in sweat. I would drink over a gallon of water, to stay hydrated.
Why put ourselves through such a class during summer. Why be a part of this?
Karate students are a different breed of martial artists. Karate students have learned how to fight through uncomfortable things. Karate students remind themselves of what they have done to get where they are and what they still need to do to move forward. In a recent class, I told the students “it’s hot, it’s sunny, but it is the work you put in during the summer that shapes the rest of your year.”
Summer classes are the backbone of training for the year. Karate students challenge themselves and push themselves to their limits. As we keep grinding and fighting, the temperatures start changing. The sun starts coming down earlier, and the workouts seem to get a little easier. Did anything change, or has our mental fortitude won the battle?
I see the faces of students when we are outside working, and everyone is sweating. Students are thinking about how did Sensei come up with this workout, and what is the goal?
The goal is to make you better than you think you are. Every workout designed by Sensei Rodgers he has completed. All the sweat your facing during class, the Sensei has done before you.
On most days before class, Sensei Rodgers completes 90 minutes of karate training before teaching a class.
Know the seasons will change, and you will change with them. Commit to the hard work now, and your belt test will be easier in the Fall. Sensei Rodgers sees who is pushing themselves as hard as they can during the summer and remembers for the tests, in the Fall.
Tomorrow's results are today’s work.
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