Beginning the Year the Right Way

The New Year has always held special meaning in martial traditions. It is not simply the turning of a calendar, but a moment of reflection, correction, and renewed commitment. For the martial artist, January is not about resolutions born from emotion, but about direction forged through discipline.

True progress—whether in Jiu-Jitsu, sword, or any budo—comes from this willingness to examine oneself without ego.

Training Goals

Training goals should be specific, measurable, and rooted in fundamentals, not rank or comparison.

For the experienced practitioner, this might mean:

• Refining timing instead of chasing new techniques
• Sharpening defense, escapes, or posture
• Improving efficiency—doing less with more effect
• Becoming a better training partner and example for juniors

For those who have only stepped onto the mats recently:

• Building consistency (showing up is the first victory)
• Learning how to breathe, move, and survive rolls
• Understanding etiquette, safety, and dojo culture
• Developing patience with discomfort and uncertainty

Progress is not judged by how dominant you feel, but by how aware you become.

Character and Technique

In traditional budo, character (jin, rei, makoto) were inseparable from technique. A strong body without a disciplined mind was considered incomplete—and dangerous.

Improvement is not always visible day to day, but it reveals itself over time.

Measuring Progress

Ask yourself:

• Do techniques that once overwhelmed me now feel manageable?
• Am I calmer under pressure than I was last year?
• Do I recover faster—from losses, mistakes, fatigue?
• Am I more focused on learning than on winning?

For beginners, growth may look like surviving longer, understanding positions, or simply not panicking. For higher belts, growth may be subtler—better decision-making, quieter confidence, fewer wasted movements.

Both paths are valid. Both demand sincerity.

The Way of Continuous Improvement

Miyamoto Musashi, one of Japan's most renowned swordsmen, never spoke of "arriving" at mastery. Even later in life, he wrote of still polishing his Way. In the samurai mindset, improvement was not about perfection as an endpoint, but perfection as pursuit.

A samurai measured progress not by praise or status, but by whether today's self was more refined than yesterday's.

This is why the old traditions emphasize keiko—repetition with intention. Not repetition for comfort, but repetition for correction.

Walking the Path

To start the year properly as a martial artist is to recommit to:

• Training with purpose
• Learning with humility
• Living with discipline
• Walking the path with patience

Whether you have trained for decades or only months, the Way does not care about your past—it only responds to your effort today.

Step onto the mats this year with clear eyes, steady breath, and a quiet resolve.

"Train not to be better than others. Train to be better than you were. That is the Way."

— Yamaoka Tesshu

Gassho, Professor Raul