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Playing your cards

Intro

Learning a martial art may be compared to playing cards.

Playing your cards

When you play cards, you use all your skills to play the best game you can, using the cards you are dealt. Depending on the version of the game you are playing, you may improve your hand somewhat by exchanging some of your cards, but basically, you must play with the cards you are dealt. Your fellow players must also play with the cards they are dealt. Sometimes, no matter how well you play your cards, your opponents win; sometimes because they are more skilled at playing the game, but sometimes it’s because fate has dealt them better cards.

In martial arts training, you use all your skills to train the best you can, using the abilities life has dealt you. Sometimes, no matter how hard you train, some of your fellow students do better than you. This may be because they are more skilled than you are, or it may be because life has dealt them better genes, such as they are naturally taller, stronger, faster, more flexible, etc. You may improve your skills by extra training, but sometimes, life just deals you a bad hand, such as a physical or mental disability, illness, injury, etc.

If you have been dealt a bad hand in life, you must accept it, since there is little you can do about it. However, you do have a choice in how you play your hand. You can lay your cards down and quit, or you can play the cards to the best of your ability. You can receive much enjoyment from then martial arts without ever winning a trophy; the satisfaction comes from knowing you are doing your best.

Rank promotions are awarded on how well you perform the required techniques and how much you have improved since the last promotion.Many times considerations are given due to the hand life has dealt you. Promotions are not always based on how well you perform, but also on how well you perform considering the hand life dealt you.

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