After spending a day watching a training camp followed by a tournament, I found it fascinating and that I would like to give it a go. I got to see all the coloured belts training and focused on what the white belts were doing – I couldn’t see why I couldn’t do that and everyone made me feel so welcomed. I never thought about where it would take me or what I wanted to get out of it. So the following Wednesday night I turned up to the Scout Hall at Graceville for a night of training that would take me on a great journey, ten years and I’m now a third degree!
I think it is important to have a mixed training experience because a great part of our training is self-defence. What are the chances of any encounter being just a stand-up, throw a few punches scenario.
What keeps me training is the fact you can never get bored. You are never able to really get so good at anything you don’t need to keep going over it and so you are always pushing yourself to do better. Being able to share this with the others in the club also makes it so much better, enjoying their achievements along with you really highlights that feeling of a family rather than just some people you train with once or twice a week.
One thing I hope never to say is…”I used to be a black belt ” or “Yeah, I used to train Zen Do Kai, but that was years ago”. I can’t imagine not training or just having it there. Having it in the family helps to enjoy it even more as you are always supported, which is great. I can’t wait to the day my daughter asks to come to training, I look to the higher ranks too to see their enthusiasm and am greatly encouraged by this, to know it just doesn’t stop or die down. I think the harder decision would be why to stop training, rather than why keep training.
