It is often the case that training with someone creates a bond that is hard to describe in words. One of the most interesting aspects of karate training, and Kyokushin in particular, seems to be the connections you share with others you have never before met. This, I suppose, comes from the shared understanding of what it means to train hard and to seek within yourself The Ultimate Truth.

Last night we had three visitors from the Netherlands who are in Connecticut for an short internship. Two of our visitors trained with us, one of which is a 1st Kyu brown belt in Kyokushin karate. It is amazing, if you consider the point, that someone can step into our school from the other side of the world and train as if she were a student here all along. Likewise, it is comforting to know that we would have someplace to train should we ever have the opportunity to travel to the Netherlands. This is true of places all over the world, where Kyokushin karateka and other martial arts practitioners are extremely welcoming of their fellow students.

It is a goal of this school to seek out such opportunities, and possibly travel to far away places, just to share in the simple yet wonderful thing that is karate training.

Osu