There isn't a lot of room for looking back in the world of martial arts education. I can't imagine one of my instructors getting sentimental while they're ordering burpees, calling for full-gear sparring gear, or administering self-defense takedowns.
But after 10 years at Eisenhower Square, Master Richard's ATA Black Belt Academy held its last class in that location tonight. They're moving about a quarter-mile down Waters and will re-open right after the holiday, but there's got to be a bit of nostalgia - I know there was for me and I've only been training there since 2009.
It was really just good fortune that brought me on the last night. I'm home for 24 hours after Kansas City Monday and Tuesday, and I leave for College Station on Thursday, so my body needed to get a class in. I realized the gravity of the night once I got there, with much of the equipment cleared out. So I asked to shut off the lights and lock the door at the end of class.
While the training process isn't emotional or sentimental, it is progressive. There are transitions and promotions and ceremonies and congratulations, but the work is never done.
I certainly plan on breaking in the new place on Monday (should the airlines do their job and the kids not get sick), and I look forward to earning what's waiting for me when we turn the page.
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