30/06/2025
From 9th Kyu to 4th Kyu — A Journey of Grit, Growth & Goju Ryu
At 37, I decided to return to Karate. Not as a nostalgia trip, but as a commitment to myself—and to the martial path I began as a child.
This weekend, something special happened: I was awarded my 4th Kyu belt.
That’s a huge leap from 9th Kyu, and it didn’t come easy. I train almost daily at home, and 4 times a week across 3 different dojos. Every repetition, every drop of sweat, and every moment of discipline led to this milestone.
But the real highlight?
My 1-year-old son handed me the belt.
A powerful reminder of why I train—and who’s watching me grow.
In Goju Ryu ("Hard-Soft Style"), we learn to balance strength with softness, tension with flow. Life is much the same.
To those considering starting—or restarting—something meaningful later in life: it's never too late to become a beginner again. Just start. Then don’t stop.
Black belt before turning 40? Maybe, but what matters is that I'm loving every sweaty training sessions, not looking back but looking forward.
