If you are fortunate enough to find a really good martial arts school or dojo, you quickly realize that you cannot just walk in and expect to "master" everything. You have to want it. I mean really want it bad. You have to want it bad enough to endure physical and mental punishment that most people are not willing to cope with. You have to want it bad enough to be ok with a sparse, simple environment with few amenities and comforts. You have to want it bad enough to sacrifice time and other aspects of your life in order to practice at the dojo and on your own.
The average person seeking martial arts instruction is not necessarily looking for this type of school. Rather, he or she is more interested in seeking a sport or pastime for fitness and socialization. Throw in the added benefit of what is now considered “martial arts discipline” and you have a great activity for yourself and/or your family. For the majority of people willing to pay anywhere from $60 - $150 per month, this is enough. There is nothing wrong with this modern concept of martial arts training. Personally, I would much rather see kids spending time at a large, commercial martial arts school than spending time playing video games.
However, I believe there are a handful of dojos in the world that operate in this Spartan manner in which the old schools used to. Places like this are hard to find because they exist outside of the public, commercial realm. You may only find out about them by word of mouth. The dojo may be located in some cheap garage somewhere or may be a part of someone’s home. If you find a place like this, you will see a small, tight-knit group of people who welcome you but treat you with a form of polite distance. That’s because this group has most likely trained long and hard together and they expect you to earn your way just like they did. They also realize you probably won’t last more than a month because most people quit. A long-standing joke in our dojo is that we never let people buy a uniform, because as soon as they do, they quit.
The real “cost” of training comes in the form of the high expectations for physical and mental commitment. A sensei in this environment will most likely not “spoon feed” his students because he wants them to train long and hard enough to figure it out for themselves. That means hours and hours of practice in and out of the dojo. It means commitment. Typically (not always by any means) commercial schools are interested in your financial commitment. Dojos like the one I am describing are interested in commitment that only comes through personal sacrifice. Anybody can pay money for something. Most people are not willing to pay with time, blood, pain and frustration.
This is the way of budo, a path to physical, mental and perhaps spiritual enlightenment. This path cannot be bought with money and it cannot be awarded to someone simply out of friendship or politics. It is a hard and often lonely path. It is a path most people really do not want to take once they understand the cost. That’s why you have to want it bad enough to do whatever it takes. You have to want it bad enough that ignore the questions and jeers from your family and friends who say you are too old, too lazy, too...whatever. You have to want it bad enough to prove them wrong. You have to want it bad enough to prove yourself.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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