08/09/2026
🥋 “But Sensei John… why can’t I grade?”
Sensei: Because you’re not quite ready yet.
You’ve had a fair amount of time off recently, there are still things in your technique that need fixing, and you’ve also got classes to make up.
Student: “But if I make up the classes I’ve missed, could I still grade?”
Sensei: Maybe. It depends how many classes you can make up and, more importantly, whether we can fix the things that need fixing in time.
And this is where Sensei starts putting the pressure on himself…
Because he knows how much that grading means to the student.
So he goes the extra mile. FREE!
🥋 Adds an extra mat session to help them improve. Free
⏰ Gives them extra time before and after classes.
👊 Pulls them aside during sessions to work on the finer details.
💪 Even gives up extra 1-to-1 time to help get them over the line. Free
He invests his time, energy and effort because he wants to see that student succeed.
Eventually…
They’re ready.
They grade.
They PASS! 🎉🥋
Congratulations! 🥂👏
Sensei is buzzing for them because all that extra work paid off.
Then…
One month later…
“We’ve decided to quit.”
😳
And this is one of those moments that people don’t always see from an instructor’s side.
It’s not simply that somebody has decided to leave — people leave clubs for all sorts of reasons and that’s part of running a martial arts school.
It’s the fact that you went above and beyond.
You rearranged things.
You gave extra time.
You added sessions.
You invested in them.
You pushed to get them ready when originally they weren’t ready.
And then a few weeks later… they’re gone.
That’s the bit that can make an instructor think:
“Why did I put myself under all that pressure?”
And worse…
“Do I go the extra mile next time?”
Because when someone says “I’m not ready to grade you yet,” they’re not trying to hold you back.
Sometimes they’re actually protecting you from being rushed into something you’re not ready for.
There will always be another grading.
Your martial arts journey shouldn’t be about desperately chasing the next belt.
Train consistently. Improve. Earn it when you’re ready.
Because Sensei will always want to help you succeed…
But sometimes we need to stop putting pressure on instructors to move mountains just so we can make the next grading date. 🥋💛
