What should you expect now that you have made the decision to train Goju karate?  In order to relieve some of the anxiety that most students face on their first class day I thought I would mention some of the feelings that you may encounter.  You may have feelings of being out of place!  You may have feelings of being goofy! You may have feelings like you will never be able to do this!  You may have feelings of embarrassment!  You may have feelings of not wanting to come back because of all of those other feelings!  Rest assured, everybody in your karate class has had at one time or another all of these feelings.  Just remember, you have taken on another family of friends at this school.  They do not see all of these feelings negatively.  They see you as a classmate and they are willing to help in any way that they can.  We are a family and family members help each other.  Karate is about becoming a better person.  There is no better way to become a better person than to help and serve others...fact!

Will it be hard?  Nothing worthwhile in this life is easy!

Will I give you your belt after a test if you did not earn it?  No!  Ask your classmates!

What is expected of me outside the dojo?  At a minimum you will be expected to keep what you learn to yourself and to represent our school in a positive way.  You will be expected to be a model citizen.  You will be humble in your daily life.  If you cannot learn to do these things I will choose not to teach you.

What about school and grades?  Remember, you cannot train your karate if your grades do not meet your parents expectations and my expectations.  If you are having trouble with one or more of your classes in school let me know and help will be offered to you. 

How often do I need to come to class?  At every opportunity or otherwise you will fall behind in your training.   Like anything worthwhile, you must be committed.

Remember, this is not a team function.  You are not competing against the person beside you rather you are competing against yourself. You progress at your own pace.  There will be times that you will think that you just cannot do this.  At that point you will have to choose to overcome those thoughts and make yourself move in a positive direction.  Do not let these thoughts cloud your path of success.

And a final thought, the word "can't"  is not a word in our school!

Welcome to your new family!

Brock Sensei