My recent article, “To train or not to train. The choice is yours”, brought up a few comments about reasons for not training.
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Money seemed to be at the forefront, along with a dojo closing.
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I asked one person who commented – he said his home life is problematic and he doesn’t have time to get to the dojo. So I asked him if he trained at home. He said no.
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Then why pretend you practice karate? You don’t.
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You know how long it takes to run through a kata like Pinan Shodan? Thirty-five to forty seconds. You don’t have that?
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We all have busy lives. When I worked full time, sometimes fourteen-hour days, I still found time to run through a few kata in the bathroom at work.
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Come on. Stop with the excuses. What’s the point of commenting on my article about training if you don’t practice and already have an excuse not to? And don’t tell me about money while you’re still buying takeouts or scrolling on your phone for an hour every night.
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Throughout history, many people have become hugely proficient in their art.
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You know what they all had in common? They chose to dedicate their time to it. They showed up when it was fun and easy – and they showed up when it was tedious, hard, frustrating and tough.
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You have to be willing to pay the price. Because believe this: there is a price. And it demands payment from everyone.
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Look, if you can’t do it, I get it. But stop making excuses. If you can’t spare a few minutes training at home, then stop saying you practice the martial arts. Simple, isn’t it?
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As a teacher in the martial arts for decades – and in my profession too – I’ve heard every excuse under the sun. And quite frankly, if you can’t do it, I’m okay with that. Just stop pretending that you do.
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I don’t care if you’re a student or have no money – talk to your instructor about cost exceptions. If you can’t get to the dojo, practice at home. If your dojo closed, find another one. Whatever your problem is, there’s always a solution – you just have to want it badly enough. If you don’t, then just say you “used to practice the martial arts but don’t now”.
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There. How difficult was that?
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So if you’re still reading this and feeling uncomfortable – good. Maybe it’s time to stop making excuses and just get on with it.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo