Guest post, by Mihai Cotop of Contact Kicks Dojo & IFK Canada

I spent three beautiful days outside with my family bbq’ing, watching movies, biking and playing tennis. Monday I go to work and my eyes are sore and feeling like I’m sleeping on my feet. No energy, and feeling my will deplete. 

Scott with Mihai

At the end of the work day I leave to go to Kyokushin  training at 7pm.  Even with the a/c it’s hot in the dojo and it’s so nice outside… I’ve eaten a bit before, not worrying, because it’s Monday and expecting slower training with more kata and kihon practice, rather than harder physical training… and I was asking myself “after all this, what am I doing here? It’s summer after all and I had lots of activities in the weekend”…

Sensei Fogarasi conducted a totally different than the training I expected. As usual, every second during the hour and a half of training was earned. The training was not on kata. Because we came after a lazy weekend with lots of food we practiced punching/kicking drills with a partner, and then we put on sparring gear to use the combinations we just learned, in a kumite situation.

Surprisingly, with all the pain (I wanted to quit and go vomiting my prior late lunch a couple of times during the training), I left with a feeling of Spring in my head. Why?

Mihai Cotop of Contact Kicks Dojo

What happens with you in an hour and a half of concentration, meditation and physical effort to the extent of pain? Some prior imbalance in the body is pushed away somehow. After feeling my body like one point all the training, by focusing on breathing and moving fast to touch a target in a different universe, landing back in my car in my way back home instilled a sentiment of peace and  tranquility. 

It’s amazing how much the mind can shift. The way I went from the time I left work and arrived at the dojo to the time I left. The training is my therapy.

 Today I feel like a new man, somehow I have power to fight all the issues that could overwhelm me at work or anywhere. I am able to take the training and lessons from Sensei in the dojo, and apply them to battles I face outside in my life.

Kyokushin under Sensei Fogarasi has given me the tools to be better in all facets of my life. This is the Martial Way.

OSU!

About the author: Mihai Cotop is a 47 year old Business Analyst and student of Kyokushin (2nd Kyu) under Sensei Steve Fogarsi in Toronto, Canada.