Since he was 10 years old, Dan had been in love with Karate. He would read every book on the subject and would watch every video to replicate the strongest fighters. His parents had signed him up for Karate lessons when he was in 5th grade and he took to his studies with great vigor. His dad said he would likely lose interest by high school and then change his focus to girls. His dad could not have been more incorrect. Dan would stay a student throughout his teens. 22-year-old Dan would go on to open a school to teach Karate. 42-year-old Dan would still be teaching the art to young children in his city and he couldn't have asked for a better life.
One day, he was promoting an entire class from white belt to yellow belt. He gave them each heartfelt congratulations and then gave them all a speech on the work that will be needed to reach the next level. The class was then dismissed and each student received a high five with a warm smile. While their day was over, Sensei Dan's day was not. A 28-year-old woman had given a him call the other day. She was a single mother with a 9-5 job and would not be able to enroll in his classes within his normal hours. The single mother was asking for private lessons. Dan had always been against private lessons. Students sparring with other students was the best way to learn Karate. Dan also had a bad record with adult beginners. That was the bigger problem here.
They would often get too busy with life to practice on their own. New Lessons would become old lessons because they weren't learning anything. Dan would then recommend them to a local gym to get stronger and then come back to his dojo. He always believed that they would never return and he was always correct. They all just saw Karate as an inexpensive way to get in shape because Dan didn't charge much for his classes. The sensei had zero reasons to believe that this woman would be any different. Dan still decided to accept her as a student and the two would set up a time that would work best for her. He was never one to turn down anyone away from his door and kept his suspicions to himself.