“We are Dojo brothers and sisters. We are KaraTe family”.

These are two of the phrases the students recite at the beginning of every class. The purpose is to create a camaraderie amongst them. While each of them has a few friends in the group, I wanted a special relationship to develop distinguishing them from the rest of the school’s student body.

Over the past four months, they have become closer, often supporting each other in the class by offering a helping hand when one student is having trouble grasping a technique. Quite often, you can see one student reach over to reposition a blocking hand or reach down to correct a stance.
It’s these small special moments that brighten my day. I hope that this camaraderie extends outside of our Dojo and into their school day and personal lives.

I remember my days as a young KaraTe student, the friendships I formed with everyone in the class, and how we would all go out for sushi dinner after class, sharing a meal and rehashing our class experience. I often fondly think back to those days and realize that I may have learned more during our late night talks than my time on the Dojo floor that day. I remain friends with many of my classmates from back then, and when I touch base with someone I haven’t spoken to in years, the feeling of brotherhood remains.

The phrase “brothers in Budo” encapsulates this concept of KaraTe family. I once had a man I met and trained with say to me: “if you go to war, I go to war. I will fight beside you”.

These words ring in my ears to this very day.

We are indeed brothers in Budo and I will never forget that.