Karate in a post-COVID world: one cynic's perspective
I’ll admit it. I suck at self-promotion. I don’t post inspiring videos on Instagram or TikTok. I don’t have a website anymore. And I don’t do a lot of stuff on Facebook that would draw people in - you know, like cool action poses. I have posted a few more student pics in the past. But let’s face it: a handful of white belts does not inspire people to pick up and join. The ooh/ahh factor is not there. I don’t want to teach a ton of students who are only there to get belts or compete for trophies. Neither was ever my motivation. I think I had all of three trophies in all my time in karate before I decided to disassemble and recycle them last year. And after some 45 years on the floor, with my highest rank being a godan in Goju Ryu, if I were in it for the power and fame… well, I took a wrong turn somewhere. In a post-COVID world, it seems to be harder to get people interested in anything, really. But karate is having a bit of a tough go. So much so that it seems that everyone a
