Today started as bad as a day can start. Apparentaly, Christopher, one of my most promising students, will stop training in november. You see, that's the problem with talented kids: they don't seem to value all the work they've put into developing their skills. After all, they can become good at any sport in little time, so why care? Here in Austria (I dare say Europe), gifted martial arts students are a scarce bunch. Talented kids tend to join a soccer club where they get paid practically from the start. The dojos are usually filled by kids that couldn't quite make it to a soccer team. Needless to say, they get good at what they do after a time as well by working hard and consistently. Hard work beats talent if talent refuses to work hard... Still, kids like Christopher can do the most advanced stuff practically from the start. If they were to stick to the martial arts and work as hard as the less talented kids, nothing can stand in their way. Actually, we have an exam...