Why Karate Is So Important In My Life

By Evan Roberts

When I first started karate in 1993, I had no idea what it was all about. I heard from other people that to get your black belt it would only take a couple of years. I thought that would be good because I knew that it would teach me what I needed to know about self defence and that was all I really wanted. I thought that when confronted by an attacker, that I would be able to do all the right moves and defend myself. This was all going to be really easy I thought. It is amazing what a one tracked mind we have when you don't have the knowledge that karate teaches you. Fortunately, I have learnt a great deal of not only what your mind and body are capable of doing, but how much energy and mind control you can put into your every day work and lifestyle. Things you don't have to think about like relaxing your mind and body when things get stressful and work gets hectic. How to use your inner strength, when all looks hopeless. This is more about what karate is; in my first class, I looked at amazement at the higher graded students. They seemed to know so much and always looked so professional at their work, always trying to do their best with vigour and pride. Sensei was out the front teaching with great control, he wanted the rest of the class to always do their best when doing the basic steps. Sensei would always keep his eyes on everyone's stances and movements and corrected them if they were wrong. I now know the reason why he goes to such lengths to get it right.

Basics form the greater part of perfection. When you increase your understanding of them, you then start to see why they are so important with everything you do. If you do them correctly then you will also be able to perfect your karate at a much higher level. Basics are the foundation in most things you do. If they are not correct then you will never truly master anything you try to do.

In the first couple of years going to class every week sometimes felt not boring but very repetitive. Why do we have to do the same things all the time? Why can't we learn all the fancy things that will teach us how to protect ourselves? Then it suddenly clicked, Sensei wasn't trying to show how tough he was or to see if we were quitters, he was trying to teach us to do things naturally and with perfection, for if you aren't prepared when meeting an attacker, then you would more than likely lose. By continually doing the same thing and getting it right then you start to do things automatically which makes you do things without thinking, you should then be able to achieve a lot more, and the more you learn the greater chance you have when dealing with any problems. Something I truly believe is what our motto preaches, "Only though constant" practice can we hope to achieve our goals". Take this philosophy with you in life and you will never go wrong.

The further I went on in my grading, the more I learnt what karate was all about. I learned to love what I was doing and I also saw the same attitude in many of the other students. We would often talk about techniques we were doing and making sure we were doing them the right way. This would show us how to improve on ways to control our opponents. This is a great way we can all learn something from each other.

I also found that with the extra running, exercising and aerobic work out, my fitness had also increased immensely thus helping to keep the heart rate down and increase my endurance.

I always found it very interesting to look at the higher graded students (black belts) still trying to better themselves even though I thought that they were almost perfect. Black belt - isn't that what they have strived for? NO!!! We have all learnt that karate never stops, you are always learning and anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. I watched all the black belt gradings in amazement, their dedication endlessly flowing even though they are exhausted. They never gave in, even though their energy was gone and they were finding it very hard to breath, they just kept on going, practicing their use of Hara, proving that the mind is far greater then the body.

To also learn about uses of power and energy, this is were you leam about kiai. Kiai is a way to overcome shyness. The louder the kiai the more energy you release. This is needed when attacking your opponent. Confidence is something you learn from karate - the more you learn, the more confident you become. I hope I never get to the stage when I don't want to learn. My love of karate grows stronger every time I do it.

I love to do Kata. It is a way of improving my techniques. While doing the steps required in your kata it is always better to. think of different movements, these are called Bunkai. Bunkai is where you use different attacks or defences, instead of being mechanical and doing the same movements or stances. There are many different movements to use like taking eyes, sweeping legs, using your opponent's force/energy to gain greater control.

Reading about how the great masters who have handled their life with true belief is amazing. They use their karate in every day life, just the same way as we seem to do. I hope that in future years that I too will learn the secrets that these masters have learnt. Meditation, flowing body movement and knowing all the pressure points to assist in techniques to bring your opponent into submission or even different ways to not physically, but mentally control them.

Karate will always be a part of my life. I can't imagine my life without it.

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