The Other Delta Force
In math and physics the symbol for “change” is the Greek letter delta: Δ. It represents an amount of change or a kind of change, over time. We are all changing. All of us. All the time.
We change based on the conditions we are in, and the choices we make. If we choose to take on healthy, worthy challenges, and strive to achieve, then we will change in a healthy, worthy way. We are all different. Different sizes and shapes, ages and abilities, experiences and aspirations.
But we all train together. And each of us, in some way, will change for the better every time we train. We get stronger, faster, more flexible, more confident, more skilled in self-defense, to look good, to feel good, to go beyond the ordinary.
As in battlefield intelligence analysis, we care about the delta. What is changing? In what way? Why?
There are no “participation trophies.” If you don’t try hard, you don’t get results. Simple. If you do it right, everyone in the group has a positive delta: improvement day to day, trending up over time. In some ways, in some arenas, there will be winners and losers. But in sincere group training everyone comes out ahead.
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Post copyright © 2025 Jeffrey Brooks, MountainKarateNC.com, Yamabayashi Ryu, Mountain Karate Dojo, in the mountains of western NC.
Photo by Tarleton Brooks
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Read True Karate Dō by Jeffrey Brooks
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series