A brief introduction to karate
The purpose of this site is to introduce karate to people who might
have a passing interest in a martial art but have never quite decided to
study one, and to let parents know what they are committing their
children to if they permit their children to join a karate club.
Why practise karate?
Three things you know about karate, and why they are wrong.
- Students of karate are brutal or inadequate.
Wrong: The art is taught in the context of self-discipline and
respect,
respect for teachers and for fellow students expressed through
punctiliously observed etiquette.
- You have to be young and fit to practise karate.
Wrong: Karate can be practised by people of all physical
abilities, men and
women, children and elders.
- Karate is just fancy kicks, and no use at all for anything but
show.
Wrong: Students of karate train their bodies to be fit to
escape, and to
avoid fighting if they can; if they can't they are prepared to defend
themselves effectively.
Three things you don't know.
- Karate is good for your physical health.
Students of karate develop strong, supple bodies, and increased aerobic
fitness.
- Karate is good for your mental health.
Progress in the art demands concentration and the remembering complex
sequences of actions, and the practice improves decision-making and
shortens reaction times.
- Karate is good for your emotional health.
Karate emphasises the importance of meditation and control of the breathing
as ways to reduce stress and anxiety.
The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in
the
perfection of the character of the participant.
