• John: “Hey Pete, I just joined Krav Maga”
• Pete: “What the F#$@ is that?”
• John: “It’s a combat/self defense system”.
• Pete: “Oh, you mean Karate?”
• John: “Kinda, yeah.”

People take up Martial Arts for many reasons. In my 4 decades in this activity, I have seen many people come and go, many schools come and go….mine as well. People join for confidence, self defense skill, fitness…or at least that is what most say.

Do you “KARATE” when nobody is watching? 

Truth is, many (not all, so if this HONESTLY does not define you, the reader, relax..), join for other reasons. They will say fitness, or confidence, or self defense, but more often than not, they join for other reasons. A few points:

1. Fitness: Unless you train your techniques, full ass, for 2 hours each day, you really don’t get fitness from martial arts alone. It’s from the push ups, planks, jump jacks, etc, involved in conditioning. That shit is easy to learn from any magazine, or looking in the window of your local fitness bootcamp class. No, you didn’t join Martial Arts for fitness.
2. Self confidence: To be self confident, we have to have self respect, and be 150% sure of our own worth, when looking in the mirror. This can not be shaken by gossip, and the court of public opinion. This takes a lifetime of putting yourself out there, getting dejected, and learning to honestly disagree with people’s dejection. You have to KNOW, you are the shit. Martial Arts will not give you that, for the whole 6 months to maybe 3 years you plan on training. No, you didn’t join Martial Arts for self confidence.
3. Self Defense: There is no Black Belt, UFC champion, BJJ God, 400 pound muscle king, that can see every bite, finger twist, hair pull, head butt or eye poke coming. ESPECIALLY in close quarters. And, none of the above, can escape the AGONY these simple antics cause. Try it. “roll” with the best BJJ guy you can find…but in the “scramble”, bite his nipple. Clamp down, and violently shake your head around like a rabid dog. Bet ya kick his ass. No, you didn’t join martial arts for self defense. Truth is, you already know how, just have to open your mind, make it less complicated, and be willing to fight like your life depends on it.

Do you “KARATE” when nobody is watching?

Most people join martial arts, because they want to recreate who they are. They want to roll play, and they want people to know what they do. This is a big reason why “martial artists” have a deep rooted hunger to “expose frauds”. They know they are not authentic in their endeavor, want the artificial self worth, and hate to see anything or anyone who may distract from that.

Do you “KARATE” when nobody is watching?

The only “authentic” martial artists, are those that are like the martial artists of old: They create their own shit based off what they have experienced, and put it out there for people to do, quit, love, or hate. Nobody is given a scroll of authority by God, to have the right to train, teach, or create. I can call myself a 56th Degree Lilly belt, camo stripe, PHD. And nobody can really do anything about it. Same goes for you the reader. Onus is on you to be any good at what you do, but again, that is in the eye of the beholder.

Mind you, stay confident and honest. Don’t make up a lineage that isn’t true. It’s OK to say it’s yours, you made it. And for God’s sake, don’t do what I did: Line yourself up with well known names/experts to increase your knowledge to pass on to your students, list those affiliations on a website, fail to come up with the huge price tag to complete the affiliation process, forget the password to the website to remove the mention of those affiliations you were forming, but did not form. Field day for your detractors….good training for your mental and emotional self defense. Lol 😊

Do you “KARATE” when nobody is watching?

Here's where we separate the martial artists, from the true frauds: Do you Karate when nobody is watching? When there is no school, no more attention, no more flashy uniforms, no more exotic terminology, no more audience, no more rewards….do you still train? For life? Do you do it, for “IT”, or do you do it for them, and/or the attention and recognition.

I started martial arts training when I was 8 years old. 40 years later at 48, I have NEVER, not trained minimum 3 times per week, maximum 5. Even when sick with COVID, I dragged myself into my training space/office in my house, and shadow boxed in 30 second intervals, at slow pace.

Big deal, I am sure others did even more. But my point, is do you really do it as a “lifestyle”. I’ve seen so many roar out to the masses about how their martial arts is “life”. Until that is, they have to resort to training by themselves in a room, with nobody to see them. Want to be an authentic martial artist? Train, create. Only thing that is true or matters, is the training.

What about you? Do you “Karate” when nobody is watching…???

Karate in Conclusion

Thank you for taking time to read "Do you “KARATE” when nobody is watching." I hope you enjoyed the article.

Sincerely

Grand Master Dave DeGrouchie
Founder: World Budo Alliance

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