Every martial artist has a different reason why they started training, but the interesting question is why they kept training. There are many people who never make it to black belt, as well as a shocking amount of people who will quit almost immediately after achieving their black belt. Why?
Everyone has their own reasons, perhaps they saw black belt as their goal and once they reached it they became satisfied. Some people will stop training because they simply don’t like it anymore, which is fine too. It all comes down to the question, why do you train?
Do you train for a belt rank? For validation from others? For winning tournaments? For ego? For self discipline? For self defense? To show off?
None of these are wrong, but each leads to a different path. Your results and training will be affected by what you focus on. If you find yourself only training for the tangible process of receiving belts, you may find yourself wanting to quit after black belt. Or worse, feeling like you don’t deserve the belt you earned. You should take the time to analyze why you do what you do. Ask yourself, “Why do I train?”
Is it for others? For a title?
In my opinion, the best answer is, “for myself”.
