At the Applied Methods blog, there was an insightful post about the standards we apply to ourselves. Below is an excerpt. The full post may be read here.
Every dojo has its own rhythm, its own expectations, its own way of doing things. Mine is simple: if you train here, you show up. Not perfectly, not endlessly, not more than your life allows - just consistently.
Recently someone suggested that expecting this might be a “privileged stance that lacks empathy”, or that speaking about commitment somehow conflicts with the values of karate. The ‘dojo kun’ was mentioned.
That tells me something important, and it has nothing to do with training schedules.
It shows how easily a standard can be mistaken for a judgment.
In the dojo, commitment isn’t measured by how many classes you attend. It’s measured by what you do with the time you can attend.
I’ve taught people who could only train once a week because of work, family, or life pulling in every direction. They were some of the most dedicated students I’ve had. They showed up, stayed connected, and kept moving forward. There was nothing lacking in them.
But that is not the same as the student who could train but doesn’t, or the one who never shows up when injured to watch from the sidelines, or the one who talks about wanting to improve but never takes even the smallest step toward it. Those patterns aren’t about circumstance. They’re about choice. And instructors see that difference immediately.
