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| Rob, about to set off home after Sunday morning training. |
This past weekend I had a friend from N.S.W. visiting the dojo. It was a long way to travel to practice karate, expensive too, and it's not like Rob isn't already an accomplished karateka. So, you may well ask, why would anyone do such a thing? Well if you want specifics you'll have to ask Rob that question, but from my perspective, he was doing something that is entirely necessary if you want to add any depth to your understanding of karate. I'm not talking about visiting me (heaven help us!) no, what I'm talking about here is stepping out of your comfort zone and being prepared to take whatever comes as a result.
Had Rob turned up with ten of his closest friends and training buddies, I doubt he would have discovered much over the weekend that was of any use to him; and certainly, I would have had less of an opportunity to help him look in the right direction. So, for me, overcoming the apprehension connected with being a
'stranger in a strange land', is a necessary element of discovering your true nature. How different Rob's approach to karate is compared to the, fly-in fly-out, holiday makers visiting Okinawa (and now the JKA in Tokyo), and how sad that some of you reading this will have already taken the easy route, the path of comfort and convenience that is proving so popular these days.
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| Karate has always been a solo activity sometimes done in the company of others |
I'm not sure what value Rob got from his visit, again you would have to ask him that question; but for me it was good to see him again, and to see how much progress he has made since we last practiced together in Okinawa a little over two years ago. It was great to practice with him again, to socialize a little and to meet his lovely wife for the first time. Rob trains mindfully and with great diligence, and makes no excuses for any of his physical shortcomings. It's refreshing to meet a karateka who didn't issue a whole menu of reasons for why he couldn't do this or didn't know that. Rob owns all of his karate, the many good parts, as well as the few poor bits.
It was a pleasure to have him visit to dojo and to share a little training...
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