On Tuesday there were two brand-new students at Jiu-Jitsu. Tonight during line up one of them was standing next to me. He asked if I'd ever taught Karate. I confessed that I had.
Turns out he attended my children's class many years ago. We chatted for a few moments until things started.
This kind of thing is always a kick. Many hundreds of youngsters passed through those classes over the years, and I didn't remember him. He said he hadn't stayed with it very long.
Later I overheard him telling someone else that, "that guy used to be my Karate instructor."
Typically, martial arts people do not pry. When I joined, I told the instructor that I am a long time Karate guy. This was in response to his question about any prior experience. He asked for no details. A couple of people have asked polite questions.
"Did I still train?" "Is there a currently a Karate club?" "What kind of Karate?"
Nothing really beyond that. I guess about half of the people know I'm a Karate guy.
Although I have never mentioned my Karate rank, and nobody has asked some now realize I must be a Black Belt. I hope this helps them to understand just how good their Jiu-Jitsu class is, and how special their instructor is.
If an ancient Karate Black Belt wants to attend the class and learn, and is willing to wear a White Belt there really must be something there to learn.
It really is a wonderful class.
I am a 68 year old retired teacher living on the west coast of Canada. I spent over 30 years as a student of Karate until my knees stopped liking it. My current passionate activity is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which I've been at for about 13 years.
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