Starting fresh

Ten years of Karate.
That's how long it took for me to realise that I still suck at fighting.

Our class had its first sparring session in years.
And the outcome was a cat fight.

So I thought to myself.

Is this what my 10 years of training have come down to?

Am I just a white belt in disguise?

My head was exploding.

So I went on YouTube to see some videos.

I came across this.

And I was astounded by the beauty of it.

But then I reminded myself.

This isn't real.

So I decided to watch a real fight.

See the difference for yourself.

A fidgety run in, followed by a single punch met by a flinch and an intervention from the referee.

Just great.

It seems as though I wasted thousands of hours practising techniques

 and forms that I'd never use in a fight.

But I refuse to believe that.

Obviously I can't quit Karate now.

After all, this is my first blog post!

From here on, I will study Karate like no one before.

If it's not practical, I will make it practical.

If it's unexplained, I will explain it.

And when I am ready, I will once again step into the ring.
And this time I will win.

With honour.