Building Lasting Skill: The Uncomfortable Truth – Effort Pays Off.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on JUN 24, 2025

Building Lasting Skill: The Uncomfortable Truth – Effort Pays Off.

(Approx 1 minute 55 second read)

I’ve been writing articles for a few years now. And it never fails to amaze me when someone comments: “So many words.”

Reading – it’s one of the first things we’re taught. Yet these days, spending even two minutes reading something that might teach you something is too much for some. We’re conditioned to expect instant gratification, all the time.

You see the same mindset in the dojo. Some students show up consistently, putting in the hours – and they improve. It’s no secret. Then there are those who turn up when they feel like it. They always have an excuse. And surprise – they don’t progress much. It’s not complicated.

I had a young student once who had been with us for years. But her attendance was hit and miss. One day, she and her father complained that another student – who had started after her – was progressing faster. You can probably guess why.

She eventually left for over a year and a half. Then her father called out of the blue to ask if she could return. I said yes, of course. But in my mind, I thought – let’s see how motivated she really is.

So I told them she’d have to come back as a white belt while we assessed where she was. Not as a punishment – just as a fair measure. If she was still up to scratch she could keep her original grade. Others had kept training. They had kept showing up. She hadn’t.

That didn’t go down well. Her father exploded. “But the other student is already a 3rd kyu! How is that fair?”

Simple: they did the work. She didn’t.

And that’s the whole point. You don’t get something for nothing. Not in here. Not in life.

Like the guy who moaned, “So many words.” You want the reward without the effort? No. You can’t have it now.

I know of an instructor like that. Started in taekwondo. 1st dan – but his skills were really poor. I’m not knocking taekwondo – it wasn’t the style. It was him.

He managed to talk his way into another system. Got handed a black belt without doing the groundwork. A year later, he was 2nd dan. Then 3rd. His physical skill hadn’t improved – but his ability to say the right things had. He ended up taking over a dojo. Two years later, it folded.

Then he moved, and started again. Now he’s a 4th dan.

Shortcuts might open doors – but they don’t build anything that lasts. So no, karate doesn’t owe you anything. Don’t complain about fairness if you haven’t put in the time.

You earn your place – or you don’t get one. You Want the Reward? Do the Work.

Written by Adam Carter