A Lifelong Commitment: Tie The Belt, The Path Could Be Long.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on MAR 23, 2025

A Lifelong Commitment: Tie The Belt, The Path Could Be Long.

(Approx 2 minute read)

Most people who start martial arts don’t stay. Some quit after a few months, others after a few years. A rare few keep training for life. Why?

Kenwa Mabuni once said, “空手は生涯の研究です” – Karate wa shōgai no kenkyū desu (“Karate is a lifelong study”). Many of the early masters believed this, some still do, and those who truly commit to their training come to understand its truth.

Yet, why do some people stay while others leave? There are countless reasons – but what makes someone choose to dedicate their life to it?

Many stumble into the martial arts by chance. A child is signed up by their parents. A teenager sees an advertisement. An adult walks into a dojo out of curiosity.

Some seek self-defense, others competition, fitness, or discipline. Few, if any, begin with the intention of making it a lifelong pursuit – even if they knew that it could be.

For many, the martial arts are temporary. I have seen countless students disappear once they achieve black belt, treating it like a finish line rather than the beginning of real learning. Others struggle to stay motivated after years of training, especially at the intermediate levels, they usually find something else that interests them more.

The brown belt stage is a turning point – it separates those who continue from those who stop. Some move forward, embracing the next challenge. Others stall, losing momentum before they ever reach the deeper levels of understanding.

Then there are those who face setbacks – an injury, a busy schedule, life getting in the way. Many use these as reasons to stop, but training is not just physical.

Even when unable to train physically, a student can still watch, learn, and absorb. In Japan, this concept is called kengaku (見学) – study through observation. Yet, instead of adapting, many take time away and never return.

The martial arts are unique because there is always something to refine, something new to discover. There is no final stage – only progress. Over time, karate becomes more than just an activity. It seeps into daily life, shaping the way you move, think, and react.

Maybe that’s the appeal – striving for perfection, knowing we’ll never truly reach it, yet never stopping the pursuit.

I used to say: “I’m either doing karate, about to do karate, or thinking about doing karate.”

The pursuit of proficiency never ends, and that’s what keeps it exciting. Some will walk away. Others will keep going, knowing there is always more to learn. Not everyone will follow this path. Some will stop when life gets in the way.

Others will train for years before moving on. But a few will stay – training through setbacks, beyond the black belt, past what they once thought possible.

Which one will you be?

Written by Adam Carter.