When the editor of Black Belt requested a survey article dealing with the most meaningful questions martial arts instructors are asked — “meaningful” in the context of being valuable in the eyes of their peers and their students, especially those who are just starting their journey — I accepted the assignment and immediately drew up a list of nine experts in a variety of styles. Below is the advice they offered in their mini-interviews, which covered subjects that range from training for movies and running a school to dealing with the internet generation and balancing budo with business.
Question: How Do I Know What to Focus on in My Training?
Expert Consulted: Karen Sheperd
Karen Sheperd forged a reputation as an unbeatable forms champion and a talented teacher before switching to showbiz, where she built herself into an action hero in movies and on television. To achieve those varied goals in the martial arts, she adhered to a rigid training regimen. Her advice to Black Belt readers who are wondering about which part of the martial arts they should focus on is the same advice she’s given to scores of students who asked how she succeeded.
“When you decide to begin training in any martial art, you must ask yourself, ‘What do I want to get out of it?’” she says. “Is it just to study martial arts? Maybe you want to own a chain of schools and become wealthy. Maybe you want to be an action star in the movies. Once you determine a career path, you must have the focus to follow through.”
Sheperd says it’s essential to ascertain your goals — the earlier, the better — and then be patient with your progress. “Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I’m a slow walker, but I never walk backward,’” she says. “That sentence says everything: Sometimes you are going so slow that it may seem like you’re not going
