Random JFree trivia time! What’s the headband for? (Blog-post)

I’m sure that most of you, by now, have noticed that I often sport a red headband during training, pictures, and my logos. Well, the fact of the matter is that I don’t just wear it just for entertainment purposes. A random fact about me is that ever since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed video games and the Japanese culture. One of my favorite video games growing up was a Japanese developed fighting game called Street Fighter. Street Fighter was wildly popular among the gaming community in the 90’s and is still played today. There was always one particular character in that game that always stood out to me. Ryu.

“Ryu” from Street Fighter

From the first time that I saw this guy, the 7 year old version of me was immediately intrigued by everything about him. His determination. His will. His focus to fight through adversity. I basically grew up admiring this guy as one of my childhood heroes. Believe it or not, he’s more or less, helped to mold me into the person I am today. I know by this point, you may be laughing, but I’m super serious as I type this! This guy really made me have confidence in myself both on and off the court! The beauty about it was that not only was he this cool, calm, reserved guy, but he also sported a red headband. I spent my whole childhood wanting to wear that headband. As a kid, I’d steal toilet paper from the bathroom and use it to make a headband of my own, which usually would break or come apart eventually (don’t laugh).

I’ve recently studied and learned some basic Japanese over the past 2 years. I’m no where near being fluent, but I’m somewhat decent at a few general greetings, and recognizing SOME of the basic symbols that can be confusing to the untrained, American eye. My studies of the culture also taught me the meaning of the red headband in Japan. It’s a symbolic representation of 3 core principles that I teach during my training sessions: Perseverance, Effort, and Courage. We need perseverance to never give up, effort to maximize our fullest potential, and courage to overcome the fear of failure. I wear the headband to represent these principles when I train and also in honor of my childhood hero. So the next time you see me wearing it, NOW you know….. Talk to you guys soon!