I opened the Summer school weekend sharing my thoughts on the power of karate as a self-defence activity. Those of you who were there will remember that, in the main, I was referring to ‘defence from self’, the human weaknesses, lethargy, lack of self-confidence, lack of motivation, complacency, inflated ego etc. Disappointment, or rather overcoming disappointment, was another key area where enormous advances can be made in personal development through the regular practice of karate. As I said, losing football managers tend to say: ‘you learn more from your defeats than from your victories’ or as Rudyard Kipling wrote: ‘If you can meet with triumph and disaster, and treat those two impostors just the same…. you'll be a man, my son!’ We have a wonderful group of people practising at this club but, because we are a people orientated activity, when you don’t feel like practising, for whatever reason; practice. We need you. You need you. Keep moving forward on your path however slow your perception of progress.
