Now they admire and respect the decision I made to start taking Karate classes all those years ago. And it’s not just because I started a martial arts school. All those lessons in my class worked their way into real life. And most of my friends and family saw that. However, no matter what martial art you do, there are going to be people who mock you for it.
BJJ, Judo, Karate Classes
I had done Karate when I was a kid, but I decided to seriously restart when I was a teenager. Now, my friends and family were a lot of things. But athletic was not one of them. Anything remotely close to sports was usually subject to some ridicule. “So, you’re going to pay people to punch you? Let me know how that goes!” I had friends who would invite me over, but when I told them I couldn’t because I had karate classes, they would roll their eyes and say “oh yeah your (insert obnoxious screeching noises and exaggerated chopping motions.)
It doesn’t matter what martial art you’re planning on doing, chances are someone is going to tease you for it. I’ve even seen martial artists tease other martial artist! People often make fun of things they don’t understand. So the Jiu Jitsu guy will sometimes make fun of the karate guy. The karate guy might make fun of the taekwondo guy. It’s obnoxious, but I think it’s just human nature.
When People Start Mocking You
Being able to back up what you’ve got is really good motivation for diligent training. When someone does some exaggerated ridiculous motion, it would be nice to be able to pull off some kind of impressive and non-lethal technique. Obviously, I’m not saying you should go around beating anyone up who teases you a little. But what I am saying, is being able to do a beautiful kick over the persons head isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Think about the confidence that you feel in the dojo. Think about how it feels when you tie that belt that you earned and step into the training hall. Call upon this confidence if people are giving you a hard time. You are doing something challenging, active, and healthy. Pity the people that don’t have that in their lives
The Big Picture
All those people that mocked me for taking Karate classes back when I was a teen, they aren’t mocking me now. The martial arts that you are pursuing are doing so much more for you than you even realize. There are difficult situations I sometimes find myself in as a grown adult, and I find myself calling upon lessons that I learned in the dojo as a young 16-year-old girl. These lessons never really go away. They add to us as people.
Brennan and I both started taking martial arts lessons when we were kids. And we both found it so valuable, that we wanted to share it with his many people as possible. Kids, teens, adults, it doesn’t matter these lessons are universal. And any day inside the dojo with the uniform on beats a day at home depressed and thinking about what could’ve been.
I’m not saying martial arts are a cure-all, I just know the impact my training has had on my own life. And I do hope to share that with his many people as I can.