I think Charles Dickens described it best in A Tale of Two Cities. “It was the best of times…It was the worst of times….”

That’s a somewhat cynical description of our most recent camp in Texas. For the most part, 99% of the time in fact, it was wonderful. No question about it. Protocol and courtesy were outstanding so when there was a breach of respect toward seniors, Kaicho or even Hanshi it was noticeable because it was an aberration.

When we don’t practice courtesy in the dojo it’s more challenging to be routinely and easily courteous at camps, seminars or mini-camps. Remember, “what you practice is what you get”. Practice courtesy and respect on a daily basis and when in doubt, do the most respectful thing you can think of. The camps will be easy.

It’s important to be aware that Kaicho and Hanshi are our guests when they’re here in the U. S. They feel obligated to be good guests and to attempt to grant our requests. Knowing this, as we do, we should not request things that are inappropriate. Don’t ask them to do things which are not healthy, safe or within the bounds of propriety. It’s more obvious that we shouldn’t ask for rank or promotions. I haven’t seen this type of request granted but it puts undue pressure on these fine gentlemen. Speaking of rank, rank is always an issue. Some of us always feel under ranked, been in grade too long or sometimes over ranked.

Rank and upward mobility in our association is really a fairly simple thing. What do we need to do? As my good friend Shipes Kyoshi says, just “play the game”. Simple huh?

Actually it is pretty simple. All you need to do is find out what game we’re playing, figure out the rules, play by the rules and then persevere. So what’s the game? We support Grand Master, Kaicho and the Kenshin Kan/Matsumura Seito system and organization.

What are the rules? Learn the curriculum. Train in and teach the curriculum. Get a dojo charter. Pay your dues and test fees. Show up at camps, seminars and other training opportunities. Respect your Sensei, Sempai and Kohai. Train hard!

And...persevere. You want to be successful? You want to be a Master? You want a cool gi, a cool obi, a cool certificate? Persevere! In my mind it’s that simple. I know we can complicate it and we do, but it really is that simple.

I believe that in Texas we saw more and loftier promotions then ever before in the history of the AOSKKF/OSMKKF. There are several reasons that this occurred. Arguably the most important one is the perseverance and hard work of all those folks.

Looking at the first several rows, Hanshi sees the same faces he has seen for at least the last 20 years. Perseverance and loyalty. Playing the game by the rules year after year. That’s the key.

As we talk about enduring over the years, I won’t mention names as to not embarrass folks, but many of the folks in those first few rows are on the floor training the entire camp despite injuries, pain, illness, joint replacements and other forms of sacrifice. They earned that rank with every pain, every effort, every day.

I am, personally, awed and humbled by the honor bestowed upon me and my friends and colleagues by Hanshi and Kaicho. This was a historic event and how do we repay them? We endure, we train, we teach and we earn the honor. We work harder with more thoughtfulness. We maintain a “beginner’s mind” and we play by the rules and persevere.

I think It’s time to dismount from my soapbox and work on my kata. As Shoshin Nagamine Hanshi answered when asked by a young student why he was practicing Fukyu Kata Ichi (which he created). “I can only get better”.