Karate: Japanese Self-Defense

Why Study Martial Arts?

Martial arts are one of the most fascinating physical activities that have been developed in the known world to date. There are many reasons to study this art form:

1. Exercise

   In our ever-increasing technological society, there is a greater need than ever to prevent ourselves from becoming "couch potatoes"; that is, we are always out of breath after the simplest task of lifting a heavy object or running down the street to catch the bus. There are many activities that can be taken up to avoid this, such as sports like softball, jogging, weightlifting and so on. Martial arts certainly qualify as a good form of exercise.

   It is worth noting that with such a lengthy and diverse history, martial arts are (in my opinion, anyway) among the better forms of exercise because the variety of techniques to be learned promotes interest. As an example, I personally find weightlifting quite boring, especially when compared to something like a sparring competition with another person.

2. Discipline

   Many parents would be surprised to learn that martial arts do not promote violence; in fact, they do the exact opposite. First, the mental aspects of martial arts (such as remembering the terminology, learning the patterns of movement, and reacting to a sparring partner) require a lot of attentiveness, which obviously encourages discipline. Second, learning about the effects of a punch or kick make one realize just how easy it is to get hurt by one, especially in an uncontrolled situation like a street fight. Finally, martial arts teach plenty of techniques that are useful to avoid fighting entirely, thus preventing a street fight before it even starts.

3. Confidence

   Martial arts instructors, like any good teacher, are never satisfied with your performance: they are always encouraging you to try harder, to move faster, to aim your punches better. This breeds an important positive attitude: to always be willing to give everything your best shot, and to try as hard as you can. This kind of teaching inspires confidence in one's own abilities, which cannot help but become apparent not only in the martial art, but in everything one does.

4. General Interest

   If you're anything like me, you've grown up seeing plenty of martial arts in the movies and on TV. Ordinary-looking people are somehow able to take on multiple attackers (with or without weapons), dodge bullets, perform impossible-looking kicks and maneuver with amazing speed. Learning a real martial art not only explains what can and can't be done in real life, but it also gives you an appreciation for the skill that many martial arts practitioners (and stunt actors!) have.

Why Study Karate?

Most of what I have said about studying martial arts applies to Karate in particular, but there are some additional considerations when choosing a martial art:

1. Age

   Not all martial arts are suited to all ages. Karate, with its origins as a means of self-defense, works well for all ages and both genders. Its foundation is in basic body movements, which anyone can learn, from which everything else is built upon. There are, of course, differences in application, given that body types vary from youth to old age, but this does not affect the foundation of Karate.

2. Self-Defense

   Many people, especially women, join a martial arts school to learn how to defend themselves from a (potentially) physically superior attacker. Some martial arts are better suited to this task than others. If this is a consideration for you, Karate (which is Japanese self-defense) and Kung Fu (Chinese self-defense) are good choices. There are also self-defense schools in existence which do not teach a martial art, but instead focus on the self-defense techniques that one would not learn in a martial arts school until they had learned a lot of the basic techniques first.

Choosing a School

WARNING: The following paragraphs are based on my own opinions; yours may differ. Feel free to email me on the subject (todd at myhreweb.com). You may also want to read the Martial Arts FAQ for additional, possibly less biased information.

This one is a toughie. Every club is different, and due to events following World War II, North America has more than its fair share of so-called "blood and guts" schools which give a bad name to martial arts in general. The best advice I can give here is to talk with people you know, talk to the instructors, and be willing to spend a few months training at the school before giving up (anything less just breeds a quitting attitude). There are some general other things to watch for that may help:

How quickly do you advance? A school that promises a black belt in three years or less would definitely be questionable in my book. A realistic number would be five years of hard work, most likely more.

What do they wear? Most traditional schools require a Gi, which is a two-piece outfit that is typically a white cotton or synthetic cotton material. In addition, students wear a colored belt that indicates their level of training, with black normally being the highest level. When sparring, traditional schools normally require sparring gloves and a mouthguard. Some schools use headgear, which is not traditional, but is not necessarily bad. It just means that they probably practice their art as a "full contact" sport. Other schools may use additional protective gear, which *definitely* implies full contact.

How do they approach sparring? In my organization, control is heavily encouraged: that is, your punches will only touch the opponent so that they know they were hit, but not to hit and break ribs, for example. Similarly, you would *never* actually connect with the head at any time. This works because this trains you to know the difference between punching to hit and punching to take down (in self-defense, for example). The other side of the fence basically says that you hit hard, and protect yourself with various types of equipment. I do *not* like this philosophy; I didn't join Karate to hurt, just to defend and stay in shape.

One other note that may help: don't limit yourself to the most expensive schools, or the best advertised. Some of the best schools around are little- known groups renting a small gym in an old building downtown, or even a gym on the local University campus. (Shameless plug: my club is located on the University of Saskatchewan campus, found in Saskatoon, Canada. Read more about it here.)