Taking up Karate

Taking up Karate (martial arts) The Student Guide 

Introduction

Karate can be a very healthy and exciting addition to your life. Is a great way to keep fit, make friends and have some fun while learning something for life. For some people over time it becomes like a little religion that keeps them inline and focused. This is because of the common principles karate has to offer – from discipline, respect, value life and people to self-defence, fitness and wellness.

Here are some more benefits of training karate: 

Higher self-confidence

Mental and physical coordination

Balance and stability

Respect for others and for yourself

Strength

Flexibility

Concentration

Sense of wellbeing and more…

THE STUDENT

For any of the above to work you need to find a good club (dojo) that meets the above criteria. Has instructors that have the knowledge required to guide the student through the process.

And then you! 

Most people take-up Karate not knowing why, especially when it comes to kids the parent has very little or no knowledge at all. This is a little bit sad, because due to lack of knowledge, sometimes it led to the student quitting before having the chance to experience what karate has to offer. 

STILL 

That's 

OKAY 

Because pretty much that's what Karate means (E M P T I N E S S) 

(The name Karate was chosen to convey the ideas of emptiness since students are expected to empty their minds of all thoughts and emotions in pursuit of their Budo (martial art way, or way of the warrior).

Now that you have an understanding when starting karate you may not know exactly why,  have an empty mind — in order to make it — you will need to be patient — training hard — and not quit at the first opportunity.

Nothing comes easy in life. 

Continuing to do something in this case practicing (KARATE) means you're giving yourself a chance to be better than you are. 

Nowadays, students quit very easily.

Majority do, due to lack of motivation or can't move to the next level. 

Often the blame is on the sensei. 

In truth! 

The only one to blame here is yourself. 

You don't just quit because you can't pass the next grade or for your lack of motivation.

Instead change your mentality and attitude. Start training smarter, challenging yourself, find a way to motivate yourself (that's the spirit of karate). 

You don't wait for sensei to give a grade, you work hard and take it from him / her. Don't wait for others to motivate you. 

Motivation,

Dedication,

Working hard,

Wanting to succeed in life 💪 comes from yourself. 

What you need is the platform. In this case you have a karate club to go to. The rest all depends on you.  

Tip

❯   Train with the right mentality 

❯   Put effort 

❯   Don't analyse everything, and if you do, see the positive side of it 

❯   Train for the love of training, not just for the grades, grades will follow 

SO, as you see, to succeed you need to develop a strong mind, work hard, and see far in front of you. If you do that and you have the will inside you to go on, there is nothing to STOP 🛑 you.

THE SENSEI 

In your study of karate, no one will be more important than your teacher, (your sensei).  

The sensei (hopefully) has the knowledge, experience and the all-round understanding of the ART and of human psychology that different people learn differently. 

A good sensei will be able to alter his teaching methods to suit his student’s mental and physical abilities, personalities and attitudes. 

Through his / her passion will communicate them to his students (you).

(The word is made up of two ideograms, sen, which means “ahead” or “precede,” and sei, which means “life.” Put together, they create a new word that means “one who is ahead of you in life.” Your sensei, your teacher, is your elder and is deserving of your respect.)

HOWEVER, 

As mentioned before the student has to have the passion to learn too. Does not matter how good the sensei is – if you are not responding to his / her teaching you are not going anywhere.

The sensei can teach you – encourage you – and show you the way – BUT – ultimately you (the student) need to have the will and  passion to learn and to follow the journey into karate.

For the (sensei) it's important to be honest to his students, especially to new ones. As a new student you may only know what the sensei tell you about karate.

Misleading in any way can result in the student not understanding the principles of karate as a way of life.

As a (student) it is equally important to understand the honesty of the sensei and build your karate in an honest way.

(Honesty – A Karate-ka realizes that honesty is the best policy. First and foremost we must be honest with ourselves. It's often easier to find fault in others than it is to evaluate self. A Karate-ka should be able to look within and find areas they can improve on and at the same time realize their strengths they can build upon. Only then can you truly be honest with others in a positive, respectful manner.)

There are lots of good and honest (sensei’s) out there. SO, if you are lucky to find one, keep it close to you and don't let go. Even if you have to travel a little further it will be well worth it.

THE CLUB (dojo) 

Talking about the club to some degree is talking about the sensei again. Sensei is what makes a good club — and the students that train hard day in day out to reach their potential. Otherwise the club is just an empty space.

Karate clubs  (dojos) are run in different ways — no two are alike. This depends on the organization but mainly depends on the (sensei) itself even within the organisation.

(Is important to remember that karate was developed for self-defence and this must remain the primary objective. Not the sport, character building or fitness.)

❯  Some dojos the primary objective is SELF-DEFENCE 

❯  Other dojos concentrate on KARATE as a SPORT (competition) is their primary objective

❯  And there are other that concentrate in CHARACTER building

So here is a little breakdown of the trio! 

Self-Defence

In a dojo that the primary objective is self-defence the training philosophy and style is based on how best to defend oneself. 

Your mind and body are trained to do just that. Everything you learn is based on everyday life.

THINK! 

What do people do when they try to fight you?  

They will kick you,

Punch you,

Push you,

Throw at you, grab you and so on…

SO, in a self-defence dojo your mind, body and soul will be trained how best to defend yourself against those points and more.

Why?  

Because if someone attacks you in real life it will be brutal, quick and unexpected. Not with a perfect deep stance, kick or punch and so on... 

Competition (Karate as Sport)

Training in a dojo where the primary objective is competition is very important to remember and understand, which is not the same as in self-defence dojo.

Nowadays lots of students think that because they win a few medals in a competition they can defend themselves.

This belief can put you into more danger.

Although some of the training characteristics of (competition and self-defence) are similar – you don't train your body and mind in the same way.  

In competition the purpose of the training is to score points (to win - even if that means running around the ring until the time stops) through the application of (kumite) fighting principles while creating an exciting and competitive atmosphere.

(Whereas the purpose of training (kumite) fighting in the self-defence dojo is to be prepared to defend, kill or cripple an opponent in a realistic situation.)

Karate training for competition is based in semi contact with protection and restriction on what techniques are used. This is great, as a sport where the level of the karate-ka getting hurt is low and more and more people can join.  

SADLY, 

This doesn't represent the main purpose of karate as self-defence. As may know in real life situations there's no protection. At some dojos competition has become the main training purpose – this risks undermining the purpose of karate moving forward as the student is not fully trained or explains the full purpose of karate.  

As you can see here the philosophy — the style — and the training methods of self-defence and competition are different.

SO – today it is more important than ever to explain to the student what karate is about and its original purpose of self-defence. 

This is not to say that the rest cannot follow.  

Character Building

Character building is very important to as all. From the day we are born in one way or another we are building it.

(Whatever your age or experience, building character is a process of lifelong learning that involves experience, leadership, and a constant dedication to growth and maturity.)

HOWEVER,

Character building in karate is based on principles. You cannot build your character by taking part in a karate class that runs like a kindergarten. Unfortunately today there are so many of them around.

In karate / martial arts the character is built over years through proper training. Our character plays a row in everyday life including in self-defence.  

The way we conduct and present ourselves to others can determine what happens next.

(Traditional Karate systems emphasize character building aspects as a foremost principle with respect for instructors, colleagues, and opponents alike. Principles taught to students can be summarized by the following words; character, sincerity, effort, etiquette, and self-control. This is the true way for a martial art such as Karate-Do.)

IN FACT,

For some old masters getting into a fight was considered a loss and disappointment even if they knew that they would win the fight.

This is because of their training discipline and principals that have built up on their character and beliefs that fighting is no longer an option.

At the E N D 

In today's world it is important to acknowledge that karate is not limited to anyone and people take up karate for many different reasons. It may be because of this is why there are so many of us practicing karate today.  

In this article we are just highlighting the importance and the differences of karate. So we're not in any way trying to tell you what to do or which to choose.

FOR ME! Karate first training purpose? It is very easy to say  “SELF–D E F E N S E” than the rest follows

FOR YOU! Your choice 

Whichever you prioritize, I hope you have a great time and training 

I hope you enjoy the article and you find it a bit useful - Usu 🙇‍♂️ 🙏 

Good luck and Good training

Thanks for reading

Ylli Sensei

www.mykarateclub.co.uk