Training on our own and holding classes online is not what any of us were expecting.
It is a great test of spirit, and meeting that test is a great statement about our commitment to our art and to each other. We never missed a class as we transitioned to meet the new conditions.
Our schedule has not changed. Our all-ranks classes, advanced classes, senior class and kobudo classes continue. The online format gives us a chance to shift perspective, collaborate in a new way, and include friends from far away we would not ordinarily train with. We are all sharing energy and knowledge – and our lives – in a way we would probably not have done without this strange turn of events. We appreciate each other.
I have been teaching karate since the 80s. It seems I have led more than 15,000 classes over the years. But this new way of leading a group, remotely, with no contact, and all the other differences from live training – is as new to me as it is to most of us in martial arts.
The world is different. You can’t cry about it. You adapt. It’s working. I congratulate our members and our friends at a distance who are committed to training – who continue to stay strong and focused through this strange time.
This is a true test. Let’s continue to test positive for sharp focus and strong spirit.
***
Post and Photo Copyright © 2020 by Jeffrey M. Brooks, author of The Good Fight – The Virtues and Value of the Martial Arts.
Jeff Brooks is a 40-year practitioner of karate; for 20 years was a writer for high profile public figures in business, government, media and the arts; after that he turned to crime, working as a police detective, federal investigator, and law enforcement instructor in multiple disciplines. He is the author of several books and hundreds of published articles on martial arts.