calling it a day

[C.K.A.Martial Arts]

I have been involved with Karate for over 25 years ( full contact not the crap done now a days ) any way I have had to have major knee surgery last year and have been told that I cant roll, do heavy stand up - fuck I cant even go jogging.

the problem is the damage I did to my knee area - the doc said if i go back to what i did then its game over £ 15,000 operation and off my feet for 6 months.

I am currently only doing kids classes so to reduce the risk but to be honest I am getting sick of teaching a bunch of brats who have parents that dont give a shit about anything other than their kid being the next karate kid.

I told the wife that i wanted to call it a day and she thinks that i might miss it to much.

so my question - do I carry on teaching kids and just put up with the shit or call it a day and concentrate on my shop and accept the fact that i have had a great 25 years.

opinions please

[phil flynn]

at some point we all need to step back away from what we are doing,if you're not enjoying teaching anymore then find something to do that you do enjoy,don't just do it because that's what you do,what's the point???
Try substituting it with another interest but at the end of the day what you have to remember is that health is so much more important mate,without that knee your whole life is affected,without Karate life goes on just fine,anyway,have a think and do what is right for you and your family!!!

[Jay Evans]

Sometimes you fault out of love with something because of elements you can't control, I had this happen to me with what I wanted to do for a career at some point, I did however have fun doing it and the memories are fun haha nowhere near as much time invested as you with Karate but concentrating on your shop sounds like a nice next step!

[TroJon]

Carry on and rehab the knee. I've done in my knee but with dedicated training it can become stronger than it was before.

Further to that, I know it's a big jump from us humans to Bruce Lee, but so was a knee problem vs serious spinal problem- but Bruce Lee was told he would never walk again let alone do martial arts... and that's after he f-d his spine up real bad, but he trained and trained through it and it brought him back stronger.

Also why limit yourself to teaching kids?

[blackdogmma]

i would say you will miss it, but being in the shop might be enough. you will be able to follow the industry passively without danger to your knee, keeping up with the latest and not being left behind.

Reading your OP really upset me actually, i wouldnt like to be in that position myself, as i get so much joy from being involved in martial arts.

im really gutted for you, i hope you find a satisfactory solution.

[dunny]

mike, can you not train up someone else to do the classes, and you hang around for worldly advice? i used to train somewhere where there was a guy who must have been about 80 who hung around on the mat as his advice was invaluable but he obviously never used to actually roll with us

[Iconoclast]

Is teaching kids really the only way you can carry on being an instructor?

I can't bear kids to be honest. I wish them no harm but I don't have the patience for them.

Why can't you instruct adults?

[Jay Evans]

mike, can you not train up someone else to do the classes, and you hang around for worldly advice? i used to train somewhere where there was a guy who must have been about 80 who hung around on the mat as his advice was invaluable but he obviously never used to actually roll with us

0.o that just sounds cruel "WOW AWESOME ...... but I can't get involved, heres some memories of my old days" then a bottle of whiskey at home with light off haha lol

[dunny]

nah, is it bollocks, its all about passing on the knowledge

[C.K.A.Martial Arts]

cheers guys

I have trained a couple of people up but they are fucking useless ~ the guy who currently runs the classes for me when I cant roll is a waste of time - every week has a new excuse for not wanting to demo shit.

I had to stop teaching adults a few years back as I coudnt keep the pace up with my knee so the usual shit of if you cant do it why should we.- so concentrated on kids until i got sorted but the NHS didnt consider it a big issue so had to go private.

I thank every one for being honest and I love to Snow Board so at least if I can do that then I will still get a fix.