A New Breed

What I love about this new breed of martial artist

is that nobody really cares.

Everyone just shows up and does their own thing.

We all understand we’re here for different reasons,

and that it’s okay to drift off into little groups,

to do the things you like to do,

the way you like to do them.

We all have the internet now.

We all know who’s being honest

and who isn’t.

Some of us are better than others —

and that’s okay.

That was never the point anyway.

We don’t care where you came from,

who you trained with,

or who you used to be loyal to.

That stuff doesn’t matter anymore.

And we don’t have to train like the fight is coming.

For most of us, it never was.

That’s not why we stayed so long.

We stayed for purpose.

We stayed for growth.

We stayed for belonging.

We stayed because martial arts are always there for you.

You can train all year.

You can push hard for a while,

and pull back when life gets busy.

And when you step back onto the floor,

the dojo welcomes you every single time.

Train every day.

Train a couple times a week.

A few times a month.

Even a couple times a year.

You’re not really paying tuition —

no matter what it says on the contract.

You’re paying a membership fee.

A fee that comes with belonging.

Belonging to a place

where the shared goal isn’t to win,

or dominate,

or prove anything —

it’s just to get better.

Show up.

Train.

Be honest.

Don’t pretend.

Everything else sorts itself out.