Karate As A Binding Force

Significance of Karate

Karate as a martial art has a significant influence on those who practice and master it. Its greatest influence is building and refining the character of an individual. An individual who trains regularly and masters the skills of self-defense remains agile and physically fit. He or she becomes more mature and thoughtful in handling difficult situations. Karate, if taught in a spiritual environment, gives a feeling to the students of being part of a community under the able guidance of their teacher, always keeping a distinct relationship between the student and the teacher. When a person feels like part of a community, the natural reaction is to develop a helping attitude. The student becomes an active member of the community. Traditional schools of karate treat the students as one family, making it a priority of experienced students to look after the new students. Everyone contributes towards the various expenses of running of the school, acting as a binding force between the students of karate.

Gichin Funakoshi, the architect and father of karate, laid down 20 principles to understaning the meaning of karate. According to Funakoshi, one of the principles is to pursue karate for the whole life. In other words, he meant practice and practice karate without striking others and causing injury to yourself and others until it became a part of your inner self.

Karate is an art which teaches the student to show restraint, to be calm and patient. All students are treated alike and given the same rigorous training so that every one of them is on the same plane. It teaches the student to overcome stress, make constant improvements and build a strong bond and trust among each other. This has a cascading effect in the society as a whole. When students who have learned the arts of restraint and patience interact with outsiders, it has a profound effect on them, the outsiders. Today in the world of short tempers, road rage and other acts of humiliation and pain, a karate student can restore balance and harmony by showing respect, courtesy, equality and fair judgment.

You must remember that the ultimate aim and goal of martial art is to create a strong and a good human being with a stable mind who can defend right from wrong. It is all about conquering the inner self.

Karate Training for Competition

There are people who practice karate for competitive purposes and are making money out of it. This is against the basic principles set forth by the founder. A number of franchise karate schools have opened whose sole purpose is to train children for competition only. But Karate is not meant for competition.

Recommended Reading

1. An Overview of Karate
Karate can help build and fine tune the character of a person, developing agility and physically fitness skills in the...
2. Why Some Students Quit Karate Classes
It is very surprising that some karate students quit after attending only a few training sessions. Martial arts instructors were...
3. No First Attack In Karate
Karate is a defensive art. Attacking first in karate is never considered. It is not taught during karate training and...
4. Kempo Karate Sparring Techniques
Kempo Karate, also known as Kenpo, is one of the most popular forms of Karate that was developed in the...
5. A Brief History Of Wado Ryu Karate
The name Wadu Ryu, meaning "way of peace and harmony", was first coined by Ohtsuka-sensei in 1938 prior to the...