I believe there is nothing like Kendo or other full-contact martial arts to bring home the reality that life isn’t fair.

I say this because at some point in your martial arts experience, you will think you’re pretty good and you’ll meet someone equal to or better than you. When you spar this person you realize that you are really having to work hard and you’re not getting anywhere. It’s not as easy as it was playing with less experienced players. You’ll get frustrated, and quite possibly you’ll lose.

This is a good thing. Especially for younger people. Here’s why.

My son’s in high school. If he doesn’t hand in his assignments on time the teacher will take a few percentage points off but he won’t get a zero. Life doesn’t work like that.

Our society does a lousy job preparing our children for the demands of the real world. Anything that can hurt a child physically or emotionally is made safer or managed. While I don’t encourage abuse, I encourage parents and educators to question how well our sanitized society prepares the younger generations for the demands of living.

When taught well, martial arts encourages people to understand quickly that the responsibility for themselves lies within their selves. When my training partner is trying to strike my head, they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing. If I don’t want to get hit in the head, it is my responsibility to respond appropriately. It’s up to me. Period. End of story.

Life has its challenges. When children learn to deal with appropriate challenges at a young age they are better prepared to deal with the bigger challenges that will come their way in time. There are plenty of opportunities to fail in life. How you deal with failure determines your ultimate success. Learning how to deal with failure in a safe environment like the dojo is a beneficial way to develop and nurture one’s own strengths.

Life isn’t fair, but if you’re prepared for that reality you’ll deal with it better when situations don’t go your way. Everyone can benefit from martial arts training. The crossover benefits are enormous. Just as in life though, you have to stick with it long enough to see those benefits. There’s no instant gratification in life or in the dojo.