I never knew how much of a pounding I could actually take until I started karate.

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I mean, I was 41. I wasn’t totally inexperienced. But I’d never been through anything like THAT before. Me, the only white belt, surrounded by black belts. They all knew what they were doing.

I was so sore those first few weeks. I could only handle 3 nights a week of that, tops. …At first.

You do toughen up after awhile. And you get used to it. You have to.

And sure, I didn’t have the experience that those black belts had. But what I did have was stamina. Far more than I ever thought possible.

Realizing I could go in there with more experienced martial artists and get destroyed again and again, and be willing (even grateful!) to go back for more—that really has been the biggest gift karate has given me.

The truth is, getting pummeled like that feels pretty good. I quickly came… to love it.

For anyone wanting to try karate: those black belts will be all over your ass. But they’ll teach you everything you need to know. And you will get so strong from it. Karate really is such a great way to get jacked.

And one day that might be you. One of those black belts, showing the new white belt how it’s done. Teaching them that they, too, are strong enough to take it.

What was it like for you, starting martial arts? Do you have any stories you’d like to share?

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You’re reading The TRUTH About Starting Karate by Sabrina Bliem, originally posted on The Karate Shrimp. If you’ve enjoyed this post, be sure to follow The Karate Shrimp on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!