Do not be discouraged by a bad day

Nana Korobi Ya Oki--An ancient Japanese proverb that translates to 'fall down seven times, get up on eight'.  The simplest meaning: never give up.  In our dojo we have a Daruma doll (Mr. Daruma to the little ones).  Daruma symbolizes what Nana Korobi Ya Oki means.  Think of him as a Weeble-Wobble doll, every time you try to push him over, he always pops right back up. This too is what is being taught in our dojo--get knocked down, get back up.

When a student comes into class and has a bad day, we don't feel discouraged and think the student isn't cut out for karate or may not be ready to participate in class.  No!  There is no better place for a student to be who is struggling with focus.  Maybe the student is tired, or had a hard day in school, or needs a snack; maybe its something more serious like ADD, ADHD or even mild autism.  This does not mean that the student should not be there.  If the student is a distraction to the other students, we do not think of this student as a 'bad' student' or ever as wasting our time.  This students needs karate more than ever!

My instructors and I all share the same belief: We will never give up on our students even if they give up on us OR themselves.  We will always keep trying each class to instill the important lessons of karate in our students.  We understand that these lessons take time to absorb.  It is  said that it takes 21 days to make something a habit.  Since we don't have our students every day, think of this as 21 classes or about 10-weeks.

Our school is meant to provide students with a safe positive place where they can get back on track and be aware of what needs work--no exceptions.  Sometimes there may be setbacks along the way, but the momentum is always pushing forward with each class.  Like any profession, a karate instructor has bad days too, but it is our way--black belt way--to never give up on ourselves or our students.