10/23/2026
🥋 This week, I want to take a moment to thank my students.
Recently, I purchased approximately 50 feet by 10 feet of roll-up wrestling and grappling mats, along with an additional storage cabinet for our dojo. I was also able to get our students sets of lightweight headgear and boxing gloves at wholesale pricing.
Of course, making room for everything meant a lot of reorganizing, cleaning, and literally cleaning out our closet! 😂
But something great came out of all that work.
We found old equipment, sent some things home with students who could use them, and got rid of items that were torn up, broken, or no longer needed. Students pitched in to clean, assemble the new cabinet, and get everything organized. What could have been just a chore turned into an opportunity to bond, work together, and give our students a little more ownership in their dojo.
After training on a concrete floor for several days, as many Gasshuku attendees can attest, you really appreciate a good mat! We've been training on that concrete floor multiple times a week for several years, and it definitely takes a toll on the body.
The Y doesn't provide me with a budget for these things, but God has blessed me with more than I deserve. So, I decided it was time to invest in some mats for our dojo.
My students showed their appreciation in the best way possible: they thanked me, showed up to help, and got to work. Even though it meant taking time away from our regular training, we worked together, broke bread together, and got the job done.
On Thursday, we finally got to reap the rewards! The adult class trained on the new mats, working striking combinations with headgear and boxing gloves just like we did at Advanced Gasshuku. The kids got to enjoy some controlled contact work with their headgear and gloves, too.
Afterward, everyone pitched in again to sanitize the mats and put everything back in its place.
It felt great to see my students smiling on the mats, talking about how good they felt, and thanking me for the investment.
I've never done these things expecting or asking for thanks. I believe doing good for others is simply how we're supposed to live, and the act itself should be reward enough. In the later part of my life, I've tried my best to do more for others than for myself.
That said, it was genuinely rewarding to see how much my students appreciated what we'd accomplished together. It also reminded me that when students see how much their teacher cares about them and their dojo, they develop a stronger sense of pride and responsibility for taking care of it. This isn't just my dojo. It's their dojo, too.
I'm grateful for the students who show up, put in the work, support one another, and help make our dojo more than just a place to train. We're a team, and we're building something together. 👊
Now it's time to put those new mats to work! We're adding takedowns and kicks to our combinations, so bring your shin guards!
😂 Let's see who actually read this post all the way to the end and shows up with them!
🥋👊
