# BrianBrief #11 (What Are You Training For?)

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/09/brianbrief-11-what-are-you-training-for/
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:10:00-05:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## It seems many are not sure why they are training or shift their thinking about training.

Some examples:

 1. Are you training to collect tournament trophies? Nothing wrong with that!
 2. Is it for personal development?
 3. Do you desire to learn self defense?
 4. Are you chasing a bucket list item (getting a black belt)?
 5. Are you chasing the latest martial arts fad/trend?
 6. Do you desire the social environment that comes with training?

Many can’t decide whether they are training for martial arts or for self-defence.
My opinion is that martial arts is very different from training for self-defence.
While they are fun to practice in the dojo, many martial arts techniques will not
work in real-life situations.

## So what are you training for? Let me know!

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## Comments

### By: Joelle White

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/09/brianbrief-11-what-are-you-training-for/#comment-2793
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:18:46-05:00

Worth mentioning that sometimes the reason(s) you start training isn’t/aren’t the
reason(s) you continue training – and the reason(s) you continue training can change
over time!

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### By: Joelle White

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2026/11/09/brianbrief-11-what-are-you-training-for/#comment-2794
- Published: 2026-11-09T19:32:58-05:00

First karate journey – 1983 to 1987ish

Started because:

Just plain curiosity. My parents tossed a Parks & Rec catalog at me and told me 
to find something to do.

Continued because:

Other kids picked on me, and once I stood up for myself physically in 8th grade 
nobody laid a finger on me again. However, the verbal insults etc. continued. The
dojo was the one place where people respected me. Where my hard work and achievements
weren’t weird.

Quit because:

I didn’t know I had a medical condition, and truth be told, that condition was unknown
and undiagnosable back in the day. I started teaching little kids and was ill all
the time due to IgG3 deficiency. My parents gaslit me, my school rewarded perfect
attendance, therefore I was not at all confident in communicating with my sensei
that teaching little kids was not a good idea for me. I ducked behind the “school’s
keeping me busy” excuse when really I shold have only quit teaching little germ 
factories and gone back to just training and teaching the new beginners.

Second karate journey – 2014 to present

Started because:

My older daughter and her sensei(s) were bugging me. Finally I surprised my daughter
by setting foot in the dojo the first class after her birthday. I also felt the 
need to be my younger daughter’s bodyguard (she’s autistic).

Continue because:

I love it that I can still do this karate stuff even though I’ve passed the half-
century mark. It’s vital for my health. My karate friends mean a lot to me. I can
get three needs met all during the course of one class – social, physical, and mental
needs. I love cross-training now that I have a solid foundation in a base art. There’s
so much to learn!

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