One Year of COVID

It is now one year since our dojo shut down on March 17, 2020. How have we fared during this time as a school and as individuals? Our workouts continued without interruption. We’ve been fortunate to have options at the Temple that hosts our dojo. We can train in a large double classroom (800 sq ft), a buffet room (1,200 sq ft), and outside on the patio (a few thousand sq ft). We keep minimum 6-foot distance, wear masks, and work out non-contact. Some members have trained in person without interruption while others have trained from home via Zoom. It’s far from ideal, but has kept us treading water or slowly moving forward. We held two Shinsas for those who improved significantly. All ranks are provisional; contact elements such as ippons, kumite, and tameshiwari must be demonstrated once we return to normal training.

Less obvious, but more important has been the effect on our individual members. Self-quarantine, lockdown, work from home, remote schooling, business closings, social distancing, etc have all taken toll on our ’normal’ way of life. Many people are out of shape and gained weight due to their sudden sedentary lifestyle. Too many elements are out of our control. Life as we know it is completely disrupted. Continued training during these pandemic times offers members a sense of normalcy. Our class schedule allows members to have some structured regularity to their week. Working out releases endorphins, allowing you to feel better and counter the effects of depression and stress.

This pandemic reinforces my longstanding beliefs in Karate training: Karate is a microcosm of life. Everything that goes on in the dojo also occurs in the real world. There are some katas you like better than others, and some techniques you absolutely hate. You must learn to perform everything at least passably to improve and move up in rank. In life, you have fellow students or coworkers you like better than others, you may have teachers or bosses that you dislike, but you must learn to get along with them and perform your tasks satisfactorily. Keeping routine of going to the dojo and the structure of class can help you organize your life for better efficiency.

Hopefully, we will go back inside the dojo and return to physical contact in the near future. In the meantime, DŌ GAKUIN will continue to offer our members a sense of normalcy in these crazy times. See you for training - wherever that may be!