2002, a year that presented two very big changes in my life; starting High
school which meant different friends, teachers and timetable and the beginning
of a new extra-curriculum activity that my mother had one morning noticed on
a flyer, Karate. At the time I remember not being very motivated to do either
as I was a person that hated change almost as much as the idea of exercise but
it seemed I had no say in the matter. I was going to get an education and I
was going to that Karate class and that was final.
The year is now 2008. I am at University studying to become and engineer by
my own choice just as I am training for my Shodan grading at the same Karate
organisation that I dreaded 7 years prior. It is because of the Karate style,
the people who teach and learn from it and the personal satisfaction achieved
that I continue to attend the dojo of Tai Shi Kai Wado Ryu Australia.
Wado Ryu is best described as a style of ‘Hard and Soft’ movements where the goal is to be able to execute a strong, fast technique with as little energy expenditure as possible. It is only now after years of training that I am truly starting to understand the terms ‘hard and soft’ and ‘light and shade’ in my Karate. Back as a white belt and junior colours, I was always under the impression that strength was the key to succeeding. I would always be very tense and rigid when throwing punches and kicks and use brute muscle when performing take downs on others. Advice to correct this fell on deaf ears it would seem as week after week I would be told to correct the same things. The transaction though from junior to senior level showed me that shear strength only worked until there was someone stronger, a lesson I learned very well. My work seemed so ineffective against my superiors who at the time, I thought were being harsh and cruel towards me. It seemed I could do nothing right anymore and there were times in those early years that I was prepared to throw it in. It is my Shihan to whom I owe my renewal to the art. He explained to me one day that I had unmatched spirit and determination in my karate but rather I put too much effort into it which caused me to be slow and fatigue quickly. He then showed me techniques the way I performed them and then how he performed them. Even though they were the same movements, they were so different. The elegance and yet effectiveness of my instructors karate made me open my mind to everything that Wado Ryu was supposed to be. Understanding what was wrong and why it was wrong allowed me to finally learn from others who I realised had only ever tried to help not hinder me. Even now I am still told at times to relax and make my karate flow but this advice has meaning to me now whereas before it did not.
During my junior years, I felt distant from my fellow students and instructors as I did not know them very well. It was not until I became a senior that I started to feel a true sense of inclusion and acceptance into something truly greater than an individual. As people in society, we are all very different at Tai Shi Kai. We vary in age groups, have diverse interests and hobbies and have ranging occupations and careers. Everything that we are in society though means nothing when we step into the dojo. Despite being so different, we all share the common passion of karate which unifies us all to a degree that we refer to ourselves as a family. As well as being there for yourself, you find yourself being there for others. We support one another through the good and hard times that come with learning martial arts and can’t help but feel proud at seeing someone else succeed. I would not be the person I am today both inside and outside the dojo if not for the people at Tai Shi Kai who make our karate organisation so unique.
There is no better feeling one can achieve than self-accomplishment; where you have worked so hard for something that you have wanted so badly and finally achieved through that hard work. My Karate has been filled with many of these feelings; passing a grading, learning a new Kata or self-defence technique, beating my personal best run time, I remember feeling so strong and elevated after all these events as I knew that I had earned the right to be so. Probably the biggest achievement so far will be when I pass my by Shodan grading which both my training partner and I have been working so hard for this past year. Through this hard work, I have been rewarded so far with physical fitness and health at a level I’ve never had before not to mention a deeper knowledge of Tai Shi Kai. When I started karate, I was under the impression that becoming a Black belt was the ultimate goal and that there was nothing more after this. I know now though that although the belt is a significant accomplishment, it is by far not the end for really there is not such a thing. Even my Shihan with all his years of experience continues to learn, train and achieve self-satisfaction with his work just as I know I will.
My time at the dojo has given me a lot. I have been able to learn an art so many attempt but many do not persist at or truly understand its meaning and I have also improved my quality of life by both physical and spiritual aspects. Probably though the best thing I have gotten out of my journey so far at Tai Shi Kai is the friendship and respect of my fellow students and teachers who make karate what it is for me.