Episode 908 - Sensei Greta Genovese
In today's episode Jeremy sits down in person and chats with Sensei Greta Genovese about her journey through the martial arts starting later in life, after moving here from Italy.Sensei Greta Genovese - Episode 908
SUMMARY
In this episode, Sensei Greta Genovese shares her martial arts journey and the challenges she faced as a female martial artist. She discusses her experience in opening a martial arts school and the growth she has experienced as an instructor. Sensei Genovese emphasizes the importance of teaching with a balance of strictness and playfulness, and encourages adults to start martial arts at any age. She also shares her perspective on personal growth and the continuous learning process in martial arts.
TAKEAWAYS
*Teaching martial arts requires a balance of strictness and playfulness to keep students engaged and motivated.
*Age should not be a barrier to starting martial arts, as it offers physical and psychological benefits at any stage of life.
*Personal growth in martial arts comes from continuous learning and challenging oneself.
*Opening a martial arts school can be a rewarding experience, but it requires dedication and the ability to adapt to different students' needs.
*As an instructor, it is important to focus on students' strengths and not be overly picky about their mistakes.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor
00:30 Introduction to Sensei Greta Genovese
06:10 Opening a Martial Arts School
10:41 Teaching Martial Arts and Challenges
14:06 Experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
24:05 Genovese's Perspective on Personal Growth
27:40 Balancing Strictness and Playfulness in Teaching
29:43 Encouraging Adults to Start Martial Arts
38:00 Challenges of Teaching Your Own Child
41:24 Keeping Yourself Challenged as an Instructor
45:02 Message to Potential Martial Arts Students
Show Notes
This episode is sponsored by Kataaro. Please check out their site at Kataaro Custom Martial Arts Products - Kataaro. And use the code WK10 to save 10% off your order. And be sure to ask them about a wholesale account for school owners!
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Show Transcript
Jeremy (00:02.246)
happening everybody welcome you're tuned in to whistle kick martial arts radio and on today's episode I'm joined by Sensei Kura Genovese thank you for being here we'll start our chat in a moment looking forward to this but to all of you out there before we get going remember whistlekick.com is the place to go for all the stuff that we're doing everything in our mission to connect educate and entertain the traditional martial artists of the world whistle kick martial arts
Radio.com is the place to go for everything related to this show. Links and photos, videos, transcripts, things like that. And this episode is sponsored by Kataro. Thank you and shout out to Kataro for all the great stuff that they do. K-A-T-A-A-R-O.com If you know Kataro, you probably know them for making great belts and sashes. They made this sweatshirt, which... It's... It's so cool. Yeah. Look at that. Very cool. Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. They do some cool stuff.
but they do a bunch of things that you might not realize they do. They do rank certificates, beautiful certificates. I've even got a list here, so pardon me as I consult my list. Handmade custom patches, and their patches are at competitive prices, belt bags, key chains that make great gifts, and you can get 10% off your first order using the code WK10, whistle kick, 10, WK10, capital letters, or even better, maybe even more importantly,
If you have a school, they have a wholesale program and your school should sign up and get those great prices because Kataro is awesome. Thank you again to Kataro and thank you for being here. Thank you for inviting me. Of course. This is very interesting. To do this, I've never done anything like that before. You've never talked to anybody? What, talked to somebody? Well, that's what we're doing. Just we're having a chat. Okay, but not with somebody recording me.
the voice and the face as well. Well, pretend that's not there. Here, here. No, nobody can see. Yes. Now, of course we're here. We're here to talk martial arts and I know we're gonna, I know nothing of your journey. The only time we spent together was at a medic class.
Jeremy (02:23.05)
Yes. And I didn't really get to know you. I got to see you put in a lot of work. I know nothing about your journey. So when, when did you start training? Well, I might say that when I was in Italy, my parents signed my brother, my older brother to judo.
It was young, he was six, so I'm younger than him, so he was even little. And I remember that my idea at that time was why just boys can do that and not girls. But then, you know, something happened. It didn't go through that. It did something else and more like soccer and basketball.
And I was still the idea. Now, because I grew up with my brother and cousin, more boys than girls, we fight a lot, playfully. Then I remember then I was 16, I did a little bit of judo as well.
Now, I do not remember, I was 16. I don't remember exactly what happened and I stopped. If probably more my parents. So growing up with a very traditional parenting, girls at that time they were not supposed to do certain things. I'm a little surprised they let you do judo.
Oh yeah, just for like sigma. Okay. Half an year, a year maybe. Because, I mean, you can play, I was playing tennis since I was six, and skiing as well, that was fine, but not in a competitive way. So I can do play,
Jeremy (04:26.062)
like with friends, even with a teacher, but not doing competition. And it was not a good thing for girls at that time, at least for my family at that time. So I didn't do it. And, and mostly when I started judo, they weren't, how would that go on?
They do a lot of competition. Then I came here, I got married, I came here and followed my husband. When did you come here? How old were you? I was old, I was 32. Okay. So I got married late. So there's a gap in there, 16 years. Yes, in that 16 years I kept.
playing tennis. And I did small tournaments, the tennis and also skiing, I did some races that too, but not at level that I was hoping to do. My parents were not allowed me to do. And I have a job, I work with my father who had a meal.
kind of yeah, industrial mill. And I was going around with them, the different places to sell equal commodity stock exchange. So in Italy, there were different places to do so, different city. So I was traveling a lot with them. And then I met my husband, I came here. Now.
moving forward I got two kids which are seven years apart with the last one he was invited to a birthday party with Cincinnati and so he was so excited that he signed up but I was not
Jeremy (06:34.806)
doing that with them, I just keep taking here in the class, well, when it was still in the first location in Woburn.
Then my husband, which is now ex-husband anyway, he said to me, do you want to do something together? What about do karate together? Oh, that'd be a good idea. Why not? And you hadn't thought, you know, Judo as a kid and you've thought nothing about martial arts? No.
For me it was something to, well, I might say that I did taekwondo two years. Okay. In Italy or here? No, here. When my daughter was little, because I was trying to send her to, I mean, I want her to learn some martial arts. We tried different places, but because she was not
focusing. She was not sitting down and wait for the distractor to do whatever. How old was she? At that time she was five. Okay. So that sounds about right. For me it was normal. Kids should not stay sitting down for too long, right? By moving around. Anyway, so we tried different things and didn't work.
until somebody say why don't you try taekwondo because my system law friend was helping out over there it was in Wilmington so she did she did for a while I did for a while too until I got pregnant with that my second child and then I stopped the thing is that
Jeremy (08:26.706)
I might say the difference between the two, the way the teaching there and the way that Sensei Nita teaches is completely different. What I'm saying, you go too fast, I remember that Taekwondo was too fast from one belt to the next.
and you were not able to review previously what you already learned until the end, I mean, before your black belt test. Oh, it was different material entirely at each rank? Yeah, so at each rank it was different, but...
You don't have to remember what you did previously. You just jump from one to the next. So you'd learn the first form and you didn't have to do that form again until you test for black belt. Interesting. Right. So I was at the end, so I was ready to get tested for the black belt. Then I got pregnant, so I stopped. But yes, that was my journey in Taekwondo. I remember it was...
two years, so it was pretty fast. That is faster than average. I mean, I just mean in the world of martial arts, two years to a black belt is faster than average. And I make no judgment calls, right? I mean, I'm Switzerland when it comes to how- I believe that was too fast.
That's probably it. Sure. Because you need not just the material, you need the experience too. That's how you grow. And so that stopped there and I didn't think about it.
Jeremy (10:12.126)
for until I started to do here. Was it your same child that went to the birthday party or was it your other child? So different child. Okay. So my first time I have a daughter, Vittoria. Now she's 27. And my child at the time was seven when it started. So I started at my age of 47.
I was doing the math but I wasn't going to say anything. Well, my son, yeah, I had my son when I was four. And that is thick. Something happened. I really enjoyed the way of teaching.
because it was different all the time, challenging all the time, still it is very challenging, but I like it. I did something that I will never imagine I could do it before. I did sparring, grappling, everything. Impressive.
Yes. Yeah. It's impressive for anybody to do this stuff that we do. Yeah, exactly. Yes. Then I did for a few years also, Brasile Giudizica, until I got also the Blue Belt. Then pandemic happened, so I had to stop there too.
now I have... Do I know the person you did Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with? Yes you do. Professor Bernadette. Bernadette Watkins has been on the show. I thought so I wasn't 100% sure so I didn't... Yes exactly. And I like her very much too. She's awesome. I must say. Anyway. So where am I? Then...
Jeremy (12:15.038)
I started to do also some competition. I started as a black belt, not before. It was interesting. You're a competitive person, aren't you? Well... The way you talked about your childhood and wanting to go further, there was something in your eye that said you...
You like to push? I like to push. The thing is, I'm very shy. And when there is something like also competition, I get too nervous about it. So I have to battle within myself because I mean...
Jeremy (13:07.594)
it's not easy to put yourself up there. It's easy to do sparring because probably because you have your helmet. You can hide. You can hide behind it, but still it was very, I was very excited and nervous at the same time. So I won, I lose. I might say that you learn more when you're losing than when you're winning.
As everybody say, that is correct. But it was a very good experience. In 2019, I started to do the Nascar circuit and I did almost all of them. And I won my world championship in sparring and four-man weapon. For my category, yes.
So, very excited. Now, because I have the school, I don't have time much to do so, but anyway, different things. As you're traveling around, and anybody who's been to any of these NASCA competitions knows they're quite large. And some of them are incredibly large. Did you lose a bit of that shyness in that environment?
Yes and no. Okay. I mean, it depends. I don't know if it depends on the moment, but doing the forms, it still is, still stuck with me, the shyness. Because all eyes are on you. Right. Especially, probably because,
Jeremy (14:58.878)
I was not sure enough about myself. So when you are doubting yourself, you don't put yourself much on it because you look at all the other competitors and you say, wow, they're amazing. And then you go out. If I go out and think something like that before, make sure that I do something wrong.
If I'm able not to think about it, I do it very well. But that's the tricky part.
Jeremy (15:34.05)
That's my story. So four years ago, I opened a school. How did that happen? Good question.
Jeremy (15:44.994)
I don't know that there are very many people who join a martial arts class as a result of a kid's birthday party and then open a school of their own. I'm going to guess that there might be 50 people in the world who have that story. Tops. Well, I guess I am one of those. So, the thing is that...
At certain point when I was, I believe, brown belt maybe, I start to help during class to the little kids, or maybe before that. And I like it. Still, my shyness was terrible. Means that even in front of kids, no adults, just kids, I was not even able to talk. Really?
Yes. All I was talking very quietly, so they have our time to listen, to hear me, and to understand me. But I kept going for some reason. See, I kept going, even if I have a problem with that, but not quitting. I don't think that's a problem. Yes.
When we look at everybody who's been on the show, I mean, that's kind of a common denominator. If you're gonna succeed at anything, you have to keep going. I don't know if you watch motivational videos in the way that I do, but. Sometimes I do. You look at anything that any successful person says, they might use different language, but they're always talking about discipline. Yes. That if you want to succeed at anything, you have to be disciplined about it, because somehow the world keeps trying to tell us that.
success comes quickly and it almost never does and if it does it's usually because of things that happened way before that you weren't considering. Right, exactly. So it takes time for everything, but yes. So you're a brown belt, you're an assistant instructor, you're working with kids and you're still shy as... Oh yes. As can be. I don't know how it took forever to get there.
Jeremy (18:06.742)
But I did. Then when I was black belt. But it still took a time to make the decision to open a school. Was it your idea? Yes. It was. Okay, I would have bet money it wasn't your idea. So one day I went to St. Seneath and I said.
And let's acknowledge at this point, we're talking about Sensei Nathan Porter, who's been on the show and we are at one of his schools, Rising Storm in Woburn, Mass. And thank you, Nathan, for letting us use the space. Yes, so let's say, what about if I open a school? You say, oh, sounds great. What kind of school? Well, we're thinking about maybe a Rising Storm school. So, I don't know.
Okay, we can think about it. And then an opportunity came up. And they say, what you think about starting that? And that's how we started. We opened in Drake. There was a previously another school, was a Taekwondo school.
I know you are in Taekwondo, right? I trained in Taekwondo. Training in Taekwondo, yeah. Anyway, so when we started, we started with few kids that were already signed up before. There was like four of them, not many.
and now I have almost 100 students. I understand, that's awesome. What was it like that first day? Did Nathan, did Nathan come and help you or did he just leave you to do it yourself? No, he helped me a lot. Okay. So in the beginning we did a little bit, so the three of us with Mr. Tom, I don't know if you met Mr. Tom. I've heard his name, I don't know.
Jeremy (20:04.134)
Anyway, so we started and we did one day each, something like that. And then after quite like six months or a little bit more, you say, okay, it's all yours.
Jeremy (20:25.514)
that I was a little bit. You look nervous now remembering then. Yes, exactly. But I mean, I was doing all the classes, but it helping if any problem came up, how to deal with things with the parents, with the kids. That was something. And still is helping me too.
But yes, and that's how it goes. How long ago was that? Four years ago. So we opened right before the pandemic. Great timing. Right, yep. It was since, yeah, beginning of September 2019. Then the pandemic after, yep. And I kept going. So I kept, it was open and I never closed it. Great.
what's changed for you in these four years? Because we were talking, I mean, kind of spoiler alert, you still get nervous. Yeah, I am. All the time. But you, you must at least look at it differently.
four years in. The nervousness must be a little bit different. It has to be, otherwise you lose your mind four years of... Because I know what it's like day one. I know what it's like to run your own thing and be nervous. I'm an anxious person. At least I always have been. I'm working on it.
I work in steel too. Yeah, and to just do the same thing that makes you nervous over and over and over again. It's got to change or you lose your mind. Yes. I had a problem probably during the pandemic because of the pandemic too. I mean not during but probably right after when everything comes to you. But I like so much to teach.
Jeremy (22:28.866)
that that's why I kept going. And I'm much better because probably keep teaching. I have more experience now teaching also outside now just at my school. That's also a good way. What do you like about teaching?
Teaching, I like to see the kids. The kids that are having fun, the kids that are learning. That's amazing. How much they can do with the kids is amazing. There are, sometimes there are hard, obviously, because there are kids. In a way, you make them smile easily than adults.
Kids know how to have fun. Yeah, exactly. Just not to take it personally. That's important because otherwise you're not going anywhere.
Jeremy (23:39.934)
What has changed for you as a martial artist yourself from your time teaching? From the time teaching? Has everything changed? If I look back I was before I will never want to go back. I like where I am now.
I know, so, a lot of friends that I have are still in Italy because all my family is still there. And friends since I was little that are there, all my family, my parents, anyone.
So when I talk to them, a lot of them, not just them, I'm here too. They are think, oh, at this age I wanna go back when I was young. I don't. No? Why not? Because I like when how I am now, not how I was before. I was good at that time, but now I prefer now. Definitely.
Jeremy (24:49.482)
That's how you grow. If we were to watch your classes, hit on the side or something, watch your classes.
What would I notice? I find that most martial arts instructors, they have, there's a signature to their classes. And maybe it's something obvious, like I know instructors where the students play a lot of games. Everything is, even forms are hidden as games. It's all games. And I know others that somehow they're incredibly strict, but the kids still love them, right?
Jeremy (25:33.158)
Well, I play a lot with the kids and try to be at the same time strict, something that now comes all the time, that simple.
Jeremy (25:48.411)
I probably...
Jeremy (25:52.43)
to the playful side than the strict side. But also I pretend a lot from them sometimes. I can pretend a lot from myself. So I have to be careful with that because they're still kids. And they're still working on it. What do you do differently now, four years in teaching than you did?
when you started? Maybe some of the mistakes that you've made or better ways you've found of certain things. Not to focus on their flaws. I need to focus on what they're doing correctly. And not be too picky. In a way, let's pretend that...
if they are doing the form, if they are not doing exactly what they are supposed to do, that's okay. I see what you're saying. They are growing. If for every little thing you stop them and you correct them, then it's getting boring for them.
You know, it's funny, this subject has come up in everything we've recorded today. Oh really? We've had four different people in that chair and that specific subject has come up in every conversation. It is interesting. I tend to listen, when the same thing happens over and over again, I tend to listen. I don't know what I'm being told right now, but I'm being told something. Yes. How do you...
Jeremy (27:40.622)
How do you decide the difference between being picky and being, letting them be lazy? Not really lazy. But you know what I mean? That it can go too far. Right. So you have to have a balance between the two of them. Because the more you are strict and picky, the less they give you.
The more you make them be themselves, the more you get back.
I noticed that. What I'm hearing, and I've heard this from others, that we have a tendency, especially those of us who I would call kind of old school, whether it might be old school in the way we were raised as kids or old school in the way we were raised in martial arts, that we focus on the things that people are doing wrong because we want them to get better and think, okay, we'll just work on this and this and this and this. And you've been through the Matic Level One course, you know that we talk about that a lot.
in that course, but I have found and I've heard childhood experts, whether or not that word is appropriate, say...
It almost doesn't matter what they're doing wrong. The more you give praise for what they're doing right, the more they'll find that they can do right. Yeah, exactly. That's exactly as it is. Because, but if you think about it, it works for ourselves too.
Jeremy (29:19.686)
And because all my parents were strict, that's why I have the tendency to be strict in that way. But I'm working on doing a different thing. I'm getting much better now than in the beginning. That's probably why I have more kids. And I have more kids' things.
Okay, so what I think I just heard you say is your school has grown and your retention has improved Yes. as you have focused more on being positive and relaxed Yes. in the way that students perform. Especially relaxed, yes. Definitely yes. I see also the difference because like last Friday I have a big group of students that tested.
how they grow is amazing. They grew very, very well. Respect for the other ones. You saw the picture? I saw that picture, yeah. Yeah, so I was very, very proud.
Jeremy (30:38.114)
Does it bother you when a student quits? Oh yeah. Does it still hurt? Yes. I'm very attached to the kids. I mean it's getting that sense. Yes. Unfortunately it is. Is it unfortunate? I don't know because maybe the summer is just I know that I had to let it go and not to get on but it's still hard.
but I bet the way you are is why they stick around. And I bet they don't, I suspect they're not leaving because of that. I'm the same way, right? I'll give, if somebody, whether it's one of my students or a friend, if it's anybody that's worked with me, I give 100%, whatever I'm doing. And when that 100% doesn't get the result that I want,
That hurts. When the student leaves, when the friendship ends, when the business partnership dissolves, it's tough. It is. How do you, how, what do you tell yourself when that happens?
Jeremy (31:47.322)
I try to think, well it's not easy to, the reason why they are moving away, because sometimes it's nothing to do with me or something, they just move in another place or they have other interests. So, but, try not to think about it too much, because the more you think the harder it is. How about your own kids?
my own kids. Do they train? The youngest, yes. Yeah? Well, he quit for a while, now he's back, so I have no idea about it. He quit when I was in, I believe at the end, on eighth grade, maybe. Now he's in college, he just started back last year. Getting ready for his black belt. Cool. Yes.
So he's the one helping. What does he think? He's helping you in the school? Yes. Okay. When he has time. So that's, so one of the things I've noticed, and some families can pull this off, not all families can, where they train together, and especially when there's a rank difference, I think it's even more difficult when the child is the higher rank. My mother and I dealt with that. That was not easy.
Is it ever difficult for you having your, that's your son, right? Is it ever difficult for you having your son in the classes helping out? Does it ever cause conflict? That face just told us something. Right?
It's always, it's your son, so of course there is. Nothing goes so smooth like you think it could be. And if he's in his 20s. He's 19. He's 19, okay, he's 19, and he's getting ready for his black belt. Mm-hmm. So.
Jeremy (33:46.994)
I have not met him, but I have met other 19 year olds, and I have met other people who are preparing for their black belt. Those two things together would suggest he probably thinks he knows more than he does. About Farabi? Yeah.
Maybe not karate. About other things, yes. Like all the teenagers. They know everything. That's what I was referencing. Parents that know anything about it? No. Somehow you reach... I don't know, it's different for each kid, but you know, 12, 13, 14. Somehow, once you turn 14, everybody else becomes stupid. Isn't it? It's amazing how that happens. It's amazing, yes.
Well, I cannot say that about Karate, but it can say maybe about us, other things. He loves history. So you cannot talk about history unless you're very prepared. How do you deal with that?
in what, most of the time, he is simply your child. But a few hours a week, he is your employee or at least similar to an employee. Those are different relationships. It is. So we still work on that because it's not easy for either of us in how it should.
Jeremy (35:21.134)
I had to say he should present himself. But my sensei is helping too, because it was his sensei.
So, sometimes having the same talk from another person is more effective than just from your mom or your dad. Mom or dad, I don't know anything about it.
Jeremy (35:53.838)
I can talk and say that. What got him to start training again? That's a good question. Because you said eighth grade? Yes. So that's three, four, five years off? Mm-hmm.
I have no idea. Not a lot of kids start resume training at that time. That's, I mean, in most martial arts populations, there's a hole, right? And it starts to come back up somewhere in the mid to late 20s. Maybe because they see me, that I have the school, it come around sometime. What?
Before coming back, he was coming there, but not do anything, just to be there. And then, because I was not pressing him, probably that helped a little bit at the time, get used to be back. And then they decide, okay, I wanna train again.
Jeremy (36:57.642)
And now it's a little bit more. A little bit more. So that's awesome. And my daughter now? No. No, she did the two years of taekwondo, that's it. That's it. Never again. Why not? I have no idea. It's the family hobby. I know. And family business. Yes, right. No. Other things. She has a job.
Jeremy (37:32.406)
Yes. Anyway, at least I have one still doing it. That's good. Yes. Has it brought you closer? Yes. I might say yes. Would he say that? They annoying. Yes. He'd probably say that anyway. Right. But not because they say, Oh wow, I know I have your uke all the time.
that's what he thinks about me. That everything that I learn, I have to do it to him. Not really, but sometimes I do that. But he likes it. It's still an attention that he gets. Anyways, he's still my baby.
Jeremy (38:29.774)
I'm trying to think of how to ask this. Sometimes I get questions and they don't fully form. That's why I have to kind of fight with the words.
Jeremy (38:43.982)
How do you keep yourself challenged being in the front of the room? A lot of martial artists, and we've already established that you like to be challenged, you like to have those battles to fight through. But what I'm hearing, even though you get nervous in the front of the room, you know, I've seen you teach, I know you're good at what you do.
How are you keeping yourself challenged? How do you keep yourself engaged in that way? Because four years in, if you're good at something and you're not challenging yourself, I'm going to guess that you get bored and you would stop doing it. And that's not what's happened. So clearly you are keeping yourself challenged. So what are you doing to keep yourself challenged? Try to change the way, the lesson all the time.
So it's not every lesson the same. So this is a big challenge. You're not phoning it in. Nope. I don't have the script and the follow the, no. I remember that I tried one time. Oh my goodness, it went so bad. Because it depends on the kids that you have in class.
Sometimes you can do with some, but then in the next class maybe you have to change it. You cannot be strict with one script. Absolutely not. I like outlines.
So that's why. I use outlines when I teach and it gets, I mean quite often it gets physically marked up. I'll see who's walking in and I'll take the paper and go, no, we're not doing that. We're gonna do this and this. Yeah, exactly. Because all the pencil, and then most of the time they don't tell you who comes and who's not. So you have to guess and to see. Also when they're coming in, even if you already know the kids, there are some times they don't know
Jeremy (40:49.172)
Maybe they don't have a good day. Maybe they are too excited. Who knows? So you have to read the room and see what to do about it. Make it move. Yes. So probably that's the challenge, that I keep changing. So it's not boring at all. I never get bored. Never? No.
Jeremy (41:24.546)
Who would be more likely to get bored first, you or the kids? The kids. Probably. I know instructors where it's not that way. I know instructors who get bored of their own stuff.
That's why if I see that I'm getting too bored, I change it. And you have to be fast to change it too. So I'm getting better also in that. Maybe the beginning was not that, now I'm getting better, but yes. It's hard when you have an helper and you are not used to it. That's the tricky one.
Jeremy (42:15.118)
So what's next? What's, you know, over the next few years with you in teaching in schools? Growing. What does growing look like for you? Growing, I would like to be able to teach even more outside my school. I started a little bit doing the YMCA. Now I have, pretty soon I started an afterschool program.
Jeremy (42:54.334)
They keep them motivated. And they help them to grow a better person too. In life. Do better school. Yeah, that's what I believe. That's my idea. What does growing look like for you? For myself? Yeah. Keep learning.
never stop learning. Is there anything you're focused on right now? Is there a priority in what you're learning? What I'm learning right now? Learning how to talk to people. How to be more comfortable. I see what, so this is school. This is a lesson I should have charged you. See? You didn't know that. I didn't know that. New rule, guests have to pay. I'm just kidding.
In fact, we have definitively said that will never happen. But yes. Anything happening to get better. So really more. Maybe yes. If you have the time. But I like to teach. I like to train. So that's when I want to keep going. I was gonna ask you, do you still take classes since Nathan? Yes, I do.
So when I finish there, I run back here and do my classes. That's, yes. I think that's important. But what other thing I like, also the idea for, to give also,
Jeremy (44:40.662)
to other person that keep, there is not an age to start or to finish martial arts. And that's something that we like the people to know more. Because I remember that I am
Jeremy (45:02.014)
I met some adults starting maybe they were 40. I'm too old to do this, I'm too old to do that. You do that all the time. Yes, exactly. Some that they were doing also 30 but.
There is no such a thing. It's all about you, not you think about it. I've had, I've had a school at two different times and both times I had a man in his seventies join. Can he do the same thing as the people in their teens and twenties? No, is that the point? No. No, exactly. But they can do a lot of things. Can do more than sitting on the couch? Oh, definitely yes.
I have some kids that are coming in, I'm so tired. I say, I'm older than you, my back hurts. What's your age? Seven, 77 maybe. But yes, they're probably here from there.
parents or grandparents. Well, they hear it as an excuse, right? And I see that too, that all you have to do is say, my back hurts, I'm tired, and now you don't have to do things. When I look at it and I find on the days if I'm really tired other than after working out or my back is sore, my back sore from sitting in this chair.
today right and I'm gonna drive home and you better believe that my priority tomorrow is moving and walking and going to the gym as much as possible to offset because otherwise my back's gonna hurt I'm going to be tired that is correct so one of the things talking with friends of my age they all say oh this it hurts that hurt I don't have a problem means that what I'm doing is right and
Jeremy (47:05.356)
convinced any of them to try training? Well, no. I told them. Foolish. Because they have all the excuses. I'm too old. This is hurts. That's hurt. I mean karate is a contest sport. It's not that... But the contact can vary quite a bit. Day one is not full contact in the face.
No, hopefully not. Right? No. I would hope that there is not a school that does that, but... No. Maybe. Well, doing sparring, you might get a bump in the face. Something that I learned in one of the competitions. I didn't agree with that, but it happens. And it means that I was not protecting myself from that.
But at a certain age, going to that to win is not worth it.
Jeremy (48:41.546)
I like also grappling. That's a fun point. You like all of it. Yes, I do. Yeah, you do. I can. Yes. I can tell. So if, you know, admittedly, the vast majority of the people watching or listening to this already trained, but let's pretend it won't.
Jeremy (49:05.91)
What would you tell, let's say, you know what, I bet some of your friends will watch this. Maybe. Hopefully. So what would you tell them about training? Or anybody else that maybe feels like they're too old, you know, what are all the excuses we hear? I'm too old, things hurt, I'm out of shape.
I don't have time. We know it's all excuses and we know that those excuses are rooted in fear. So what might you tell people? Give it a try. Because you never know what it will bring you. It's not just about physical, it's also very much psychological. Yes.
That's the amazing part. Earlier today, one of my guests referred to it as, just give it five minutes. He was talking about his early days as a kid and he was terrified. He remembered that part of it. He was, I think he said seven. His mom said, just give it five minutes. And now it's been 20 years. Wow, yes. Off of five minutes. Exactly, you need to try. Just give it one class.
Right, exactly. You might be scary, but as we say, as a white belt symbolize bravery, if you're brave one time, then you're brave all the time. Just get there and try it. It's funny, I don't know how we ended up with this reputation in the martial arts that...
your first day is worthy of being terrifying. Cause I think people are more afraid of starting martial arts than they are of starting most things. And the irony is, I've been to a lot of schools. I've been a first day student at quite a few schools over the years and I've had lots of conversations with other people. And I don't know that there is an industry that works harder to make people comfortable on their first day.
Jeremy (51:20.274)
Probably because they have the idea that you get a flat belt so you have to be mean. The fighting skill comes with a negative attitude. Probably. I can see that.
I remember that I was not much scared the first lesson, just confused more likely. I got scared on my first judo class because the black belt get the white belt and they start to throw it around.
back and forth. So that probably was the most horrifying. I mean, if you don't know how to fall, Judo is brutal. And when you start, you don't know how to fall. And it's hard. It can, it's really difficult to, in Judo, from my three months of Judo, one time a week, lots of Judo experience over here.
Not, and I knew how to roll at that point, but to, I would imagine it must be really hard to make a class exciting and safe for an early wipeout. That's gotta be really tough. What I remember was a two hour of training in the evening was like from six to eight, something like that. And it was a lot of conditioning. And then.
just true. That was the beginning. Nothing more than that. So that was something. Because that's all you can do. Right. But that, everything, now I realize that everything I did happened to be who I am right now. What I'm doing and who I am. Yep. Everything helps.
Jeremy (53:27.67)
There is always a purpose of what you're doing and a meaning of something. Well said. I'm gonna hand it back to you in a minute. I'm gonna close us up and then you'll give everybody the last words. The last words. So I'll let you think about how you wanna lead things, but to the audience, check out whis Find the show notes, transcripts.
photos links I don't know what we're going to post over there for this one but we've got stuff that we're going to post whistlekick.com for all the things that we do and remember Kataro for everything from you know this sweatshirt great belt sashes certificates belt bags.
They do a ton of cool stuff and if you haven't checked out their website lately, you really need to. Use the code WK10 to save 10% and school owners, you better set up a wholesale account. If you don't, I'm going to find you and I'm going to hit you with something. I don't know. Something not mean. Some joke about raw fish or something. I don't know. I'll hit you with a fish. Sounds great.
It was some of those, but... Yeah, yeah, we'll throw everything in this room at you. Oh wow. Yeah, yeah, a lot of things there. There's a lot. I don't know that I've seen a more well-appointed training space in a long time, if ever. There's a ton of great stuff in here. But we've talked about a lot of different things today, so how do you want to leave stuff for the audience?