Submitted by Sensei Rob Neff, Shihan, Bay Ridge Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate Dojo
Under the Direction of Hanshi Robert Scaglione
Onegai shimasu Hanshi, Kyoshi, Sensei and fellow Deshi,
We are our opponent when doing kata. As a white belt and kyu rank I imagined myself as the person I was fighting with ease. As I have progressed in karate this has become more difficult for me. I’m not sure why. When doing kata you should imagine your opponent as a carbon copy of yourself.
Often in life we can be our own worst opponent, or our biggest ally. This is especially true off the deck. We often speak of training for a crisis. How would you react in the best of times? How about the worst of times? Assess yourself when given these opportunities. If you did a poor job it’s easy to know what you need to work on. In fact someone is probably telling you. If you did a good job still ask your self what you could have done better. Even if you did a great job; what could you have improved on? There is always something to improve.
Always learn from the real life situations that test you. When the dust has settled review the experience and gain from it. Be prepared to do a better job the next time!!!
Domo arigato gozaimasu,
Sensei Neff,
Yon-Dan Bay Ridge Ueshiro Shorin-Ryu Karate USA