ARTICLES

Like Riding a Bike

By Jim Shepard   

Eight years. Eight years since my last kiai, my last tobi-mei-geri, my last step inside these dojo walls. Deep inside my head, little bits and pieces of it remained: I always would breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, I could count to ten in Japanese, and in my one single high school fight, I came out just fine. As young as I was during my training, I’ve always known that Karate was a positive influence on my life. But how much could a 13-year-old karateka really learn? That question was gnawing at the back of my mind for all those years, and I knew it was time to return.

The feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed me. The dojo was just the same as when I left- same color walls, same style carpet. Familiar faces abounded- if just a little older. There were tiny cosmetic differences… patches changed color, and we were a Federation instead of an Association, but it didn’t take twenty minutes into my first night back to realize that the passionate fire in this building hadn’t waned one bit.

Re-starting training is like waking up from a long sleep. Sensei names a kata that I forgot had even existed (tensh-who?), but I execute the movements and stances without thought. My head was filled again with knowledge and technique- although corroded with the rust of age, practice was certain to repair them.

It never leaves. Here in these walls, you, your child, or both are learning things that settle themselves within your mind’s deepest recesses. Techniques and skills transcend the routine and attach themselves to your instinct with out your conscious recognition. It’s an evolution within you that goes on silently while you train, and doesn’t manifest itself until you are ready to accept it.

The moral of the story? You never truly forget what you’ve learned here. Every minute you invest, every bead you sweat, every kick, punch, kiai and block… they all add up. Should you leave, you will always have that edge, that glimmer of fighting spirit. No, you won’t be ninja master, but that spark of confidence, that fire of technique will burn on within you. And should you return, the benefits of training will manifest themselves tenfold, as they have for me, and will for you.