This quarantine is a tough time for martial artists. Gyms and dojos are closed, and if you’re lucky enough to still have classes to attend, they’re virtual. Definitely better than nothing, but a poor substitute for the real thing. Ultimately though, COVID has reinforced a lesson that my sensei has been teaching since I first joined his dojo seven years ago: your karate training is up to you.
Training in the martial arts is a lot like working out, in the sense that you get out of it what you put into it. Sure, you can cut corners in the gym, but good luck getting rid of that belly flab – you’re only cheating yourself. The same is true of karate. Those who teach in the dojo talk all the time about how students should be supplementing their in-class training with practice at home. Lots of nodding heads, yet few actually take the advice to heart.
So now what? Now that there’s currently no in-person training whatsoever, what are you doing with your time? You have two choices: you can be bitter at how quarantine “made you lose momentum” and give up to pursue something else, or you can step up and maintain your training and workout routine in every way possible until you can get back into the dojo and gym.
If you need a little motivation from a workout perspective, there are tons of great YouTube videos out there, many of which require no equipment whatsoever to get through the routine. The MadFit channel has some especially great sets, in my opinion.
From a karate perspective, you can always be practicing your basics and your katas. At a minimum, don’t lose those forms you’ve been shown. You and your instructors put in a lot of time to learn what you’ve learned so far – don’t throw it all away by not practicing just because you’re not in a dojo!
I and several of my dojomates were supposed to grade for our Nidan – our second-degree black belt – in May of this year. That obviously didn’t happen, and it’s a bit of a bummer.
But you know what?
I look at this situation as part of the test. It’s a test of character. What are you training when no one is watching? Are you keeping up your conditioning and knowledge even when nobody else is putting pressure on you to work the technique?
If you walk around thinking of yourself as a martial artist, then I sure hope the answer to that is “yes.”
Wrapping it Up
I don’t know when my grading is going to happen, and frankly, it really doesn’t matter. I’ll just keep working what I know until we’re ready to get back into the dojo. Remember, you get out what you put in. It’s easy – human nature, even – to blame external factors for why your training didn’t work out, but there is no solace to be found there. When looking outside fails, look in.
For me, my goal is to come back into the dojo with the same – or better – physical conditioning as when I left, and with katas that are as sharp or sharper. Yeah, the sparring and bunkai are going to bit a little rusty, but it’s easy enough to shake the rust off those. It’s way tougher to try and re-learn 50+ kata forms.
How about you, are you still training or working out through COVID? What’s your personal goal for when quarantine is over?
