In the US – most sports are seasonal in nature – fall is for soccer and we play basketball in the winter and spring is tee-ball/baseball season. Then summer comes and we want to goof off. Americans have very short attention spans, and we find it hard to concentrate on anything all year-round. There is something we like about knowing that our activities have an end date and that we can put them aside until next season.
Martial arts training, however, is not a seasonal activity – a person can practice martial arts any season of the year or in any season of their life. It takes discipline and commitment to stick with karate year-round and to be at the dojo on those beautiful summer afternoons – but it pays off. In my experience, the key to developing skills is to practice, practice, practice – no matter what the weather forecast is.
At my dojo growing up, our summer classes were very small and our winter classes were large. Most people came and went, and they never really became skilled or fit. Many times in the summer it was just me and the Sensei working out. Over the years, my consistent attendance (not my ability) helped me surpass the other students.
Those small group summer training sessions were some of the best learning experiences of my early karate days because I learned the importance of regular attendance (and witnessed the disadvantages of seasonal commitment). Often, when other students returned after a summer I had earned a new belt while they stayed at the same level.
