From Grandmaster John Burns:

"Excellence is not an act, but a habit."

 —Aristotle

We had a big summer of teen/adult belt tests at Rohai Dojo, from green belt through Nidan, and I’ve been thinking about this “quote of the month” that has been on our white board for a while.  As instructors we’re familiar with a slightly different, related quote: “We are what we habitually do.” To us it means, “If your practice is weak, your performance will be weak.” If you don’t make the effort to get things right when you practice, you won’t be able to do it when you need to in real life. That’s bad for testing, and even worse for self-defense. So make it a positive: Practice the way you want to be able to perform. Practice with strength, focus, and precision, and your technique will be there when you need it.

As our students rise through the ranks, we see how well they’re doing at this, and with our feedback, we help them aim for higher and higher standards. I’m proud to see how our students are improving through training. At the same time, I see areas where we need to do better.

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