Untitled
His introduction was short and to the point: “My name is Dan Wakefield, but call me Sensei Dan”. Five years ago, my mom enrolled me in a Martial Arts dojo in hopes of finding an outlet for my unusually aggressive behavior. I have always been known for my short temper and have constantly been told to suppress my anger. However, through discovering Karate, I found a new home where I could fearlessly embrace my raw emotions and physical urges. On my first day at Karate, Sensei Dan patiently taught me how to punch with the first two knuckles of my fists. On the very same day, I was introduced to Ted: a red, worn out punching bag sitting in the corner of the room. From that day on, my love for Karate grew and my poor friend Ted endured many more hits.
Over time, Sensei taught me that being an aggressive person is not a bad thing – what matters is knowing when it is appropriate to show aggression. The discipline I achieved over switching my ‘Hulk mode’ on and off made me a dangerous and feared opponent during combat-fighting and wrestling. Before Sensei Dan took me under his wing, outside pressures to hide my true emotions had ignited an internal war within myself and left me exhausted; but by learning to channel my frustrations into physical training, deployment of all such troops ceased and I experienced a newfound peace of mind.
The sudden urges to lash out that had once made me feel alienated were the same impulses that now gave me the confidence and pride I needed to become a successful Martial Artist. In the dojo, my individuality is what lets me belong, and the anger that I frequently feel does not need to be suppressed, but simply needs to be controlled. Today, the dojo’ familiar smells of sweat and bamboo mats remind me of a second home, where I once learned that my ‘flaws’ are what made me flawless.