17. The Essence of Mastery

It is often very difficult, perhaps impossible, to know which instructor or school of karate is right for you until your training is under way. When choosing fruit, you may want an apple to help if you have indigestion; a banana because it's good for stamina; or perhaps an orange if you have a cold, because it contains vitamin C. Concerning tastes, however, all we can say is that there's no accounting for them - and the same might be said of instructors or schools of karate. What really is important is that, having chosen an instructor, you should trust and respect him wholeheartedly and unselfconsciously. Your aim should be his own high level of attainment. The moment you begin to doubt his attainment you will cease to make progress under him and would do better to give up karate or change to another school.