 Regardless of where some of you stand on the issue of the pandemic, there is no denying that the past year and a half has presented some challenges, not only for our martial arts training, but in daily life as well. Hopefully, we're starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, so today we're going to talk about martial arts training after the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted a lot of industries and disrupted a lot of lives, and one of those industries hit hard was the martial arts. A lifestyle dependent on close quarters contact, sweating, bleeding, and breathing in each other's faces. Many schools were forced to get creative in order to survive, virtual training via web streaming, limiting the amount of people in class and distancing, or sometimes just teaching outside. Some martial arts schools were impacted more than others, especially grappling. Some schools simply shut down temporarily or unfortunately permanently, while other schools ignored it altogether, which didn't always end well. I'm asking that this conversation not get political and regardless of personal thoughts or opinions on the situation, I think that we can all agree that the pandemic affected just about everyone one way or another, whether it was just a minor inconvenience or outright devastating. But as we are beginning to turn the corner, more and more schools are starting to come back online, if the school was fortunate enough to stick around during the dark. So if you've been out of class for the past 14 months like I have, or if you've only had limited or virtual training, what can you expect if you're going to go back to a life class for the first time since last year? Well, there's still a lot of variables in place, you know, the school restrictions, risk policies, vaccinations, the type of art and the training limitations themselves. The first thing to expect is to learn what the school mandates are. There are various opinions out there on the severity of the situation and as a result, each school is likely going to have their own guidelines for reopening. So the first thing to expect is patience. Allow some time for your instructor to figure out the best course of reopening. Respect any limitation set, they're likely going to be temporary as infections continue to drop and restrictions begin to ease. Allow time for your classmates to acclimate to coming back. This pandemic affected everyone differently. Not everyone's going to be eager to jump right back into close quarter grappling or breathing on each other. A school is a family. These are your brothers and your sisters. If you have a classmate who is not fully comfortable, respect them, but also do what you can to respectfully help them readjust. Expect to have some reservations yourself. Some of us have no problem jumping headfirst back into the swing of things, but some of you may find yourself that you have your own adjustment period. Firstly speaking, my family and I spent the last year being as safe as possible. We followed recommended guidelines, we limited activity and we tried to do what we felt was our part to get through this. We lost family and I know far too many people who someone close to them was taken. I went back to training this month as our jujitsu slash judo school has reopened and I also went back to Kemple Sparring. I have been anxious to get back into the dojos for a long time now. I've been hungry for it, but I would be lying if I said I didn't find some adjustment myself. Seeing people breathing on you again and sweating and rolling and making contact, it felt amazing at the same time, but also a little bit foreign. So if you've been out of it for a little while and you have not kept up training or activity, expect to feel it. As well as intended as I was, I personally found myself diving into work both on this channel and also working as much as possible to get through this period. What I thought was going to be a ton of free time opening up, ended up getting swallowed by other tasks. So I worked out when I could, but it was not with the regularity I had at the dojo and it wasn't with any resistant partners. If you've been out of it for a bit, just expect a little bit of rust that needs to be knocked off. I've had to take off months in the past due to knee and Achilles surgery and getting back to training was slow and a gradual process. That isn't that much different to this. So don't feel bad if you're not 100% in your prime and able to just jump right back into the swing of things. And this goes especially for those of you who actually got sick during the pandemic. Now I've spoken to a few of you who have had personal health challenges after recovering or are still recovering from long-term effects. Take the time you need to heal to get back into shape. Don't push too hard just because you feel like you have to catch up, especially if you're suffering from any breathing issues. Talk to your doctors if you've got any special health concerns and just gradually increase your workout as you're able to. People will understand and if they don't, you're at the wrong school. If your school did not survive and shut down, my heart goes out to you. I have been there and it sucks. And you find yourself at a crossroad. Do you start over? Do you find another school in the same art or different one? Do you even still have the passion to train at all? You'll have several options before you, and we've actually made a video a while back about what to do when your school closes. So I would definitely recommend checking that one out if you find yourself in that same situation. And this next one is unfortunate, but expect a potential increase in politics. Everyone has a vastly different opinion on this pandemic from its severity to its solutions. The martial arts attracts people from all walks of life and there's a good chance you're going to encounter opinions from classmates that do not reflect your own. And that's okay as long as it does not interfere with your training. Our classes are small and I'm fortunate enough to train with a group of people who respect each other's opinions and we've all taken our measures to be safe and make sure those around us feel safe. But unfortunately, not every school is going to have that. So expect some major differences of opinion, but keep it out of the class. When you're on the mat, you're on the mat and the politics need to stay outside. If there's a person or situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, talk to your instructor. Be open and communicative. Otherwise, a concern like that, if left unaddressed, may slowly poison your focus or passion for the school and that would be a real shame. One way or another, we're all affected by this and hopefully we're entering the spring of new beginning as the pandemic begins to ease. When you go back to your training, make any adjustments that are needed. Don't be discouraged by setbacks you may have experienced. Set new goals and milestones and let's get back to the main objective, making a better version of ourselves through the martial arts. Guys, thanks for watching and I felt that this needed to be addressed quickly. I hope that all of you have been safe and healthy and I would love to hear about your own experiences going back to class. Or if you're facing new challenges as a result, let us know in the comments below and let's try to be supportive as possible and guide each other. And please keep the comments section respectful and civil. Thank you.