Sensei Rod Lindgren
A friend asked, “when is the best time to start studying Karate?” He had heard that you have to start training in Karate by the time you are 5 or 6 years old, or you will never be any good at it. To him, that meant there is no point in even trying to do it at his age. I told him I didn’t look at it quite that way.
Karate is not a destination. It is a journey. The goal is not a black belt or high rank or championships or anything bestowed from external sources. The goal is knowledge of one’s self; self-mastery.
It is a mistake to compare yourself to others. There is only one person a Karateka is in competition with, himself. Each day, he should strive to be better than he was the day before. He will stumble and have bad days. We all do. These “bad days” can be more educational than the good days. This is true if he is 5, 15, 30 or 60. The more diligently he works, the greater his skills will be. His benefit is dependent upon his own effort. His fellow students are there for their own journey. He is not in competition with them. They are lucky to have each other to practice and grow with.
Even if you physically cannot do certain things because of the ravages of time on your body, you can still learn and benefit. You might even create a replacement skill for one that you cannot perform. People have overcome all kinds of weaknesses in their Karate journey. The journey is unique to each person, greatly effected by the individual’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
Fact is, age can be an asset in the study of Karate. Many children in Karate classes are there because their parents want them to be there. Some kids want to be there, and are very motivated. Other kids want to be there, but they do not really understand. Hopefully, their understanding will increase with time. All of these kids have the potential to become very skilled Karateka, but nothing is guaranteed. You get out of it what you put into it. A very small percentage of kids that start Karate training will stay with it and become skilled Karateka.
As an adult, you make a conscious decision to study Karate, with a goal of some sort in mind. This mental focus can be a source of strength and motivation in your training. The goal might very well change as your journey progresses. This is normal and expected.
So, when should a person start his or her study of Karate? Now. Now is all that really exists. You cannot go back and start 10 years ago, and the future is just a concept. The best time to start is Now.
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