How to Become a Good Karateka
Karate is an ancient form of combat and self-defence that is said to have originated on the Japanese island of Okinawa. It spread throughout Japan and was introduced in North America after World War II. The sport has since become popular throughout the United States and Canada. Karate can provide meaningful exercise for both children and adults, leading to overall physical and mental health benefits. Those students unaccustomed to Asian martial arts may find traditional karate to be challenging to learn and retain, and somewhat alien as a sport compared to the competitive and team sports more common in the West. Despite the effort required, learning a form of traditional karate is beneficial not only for self-defence and fitness but also for the benefits it brings in the way of self-confidence and self-control. Improving in the art of karate is a long process but can be done by finding the right instructor and dojo environment, focusing on technique, reinforcing your training outside the dojo, and understanding that mastering karate is a long process that is not necessarily marked by belt colours or trophies won in competition but by the mastery of your own body and mind through years of consistent training.
Improvement and longevity in martial arts is very dependent on finding a dojo that best suits your needs. While many karate schools have westernized the sport to become more focused on tournaments and competition, it has been found that traditional schools that contain elements of ritual and discipline and incorporate the teaching of breath control and meditation offer the most improvement for psychological health such as improved anger management, improved sleep, and decreased depression and anxiety. The type of karate taught is perhaps not as important as the quality of the instructors teaching it. Seventeenth-century kendo master Miyamoto Musashi passed this wisdom on to his students suggesting that a good teacher teaches not only through instruction but through modelling behaviours and attitudes: “The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread.” It is worthwhile to consider the experience and temperament of the primary teacher or sensei and the atmosphere in the facility when choosing a dojo to join.
Upon joining a karate dojo, the first things you will likely learn are a series of strikes, blocks and stances that will form the foundation of everything you will learn in the following years. It is of utmost importance to learn the proper technique and practice it until it is ingrained in your muscles and memory. Gheorghe Pricop describes it this way: “Think of your mind and body as tape recorders of every single thing you do. And each deviation in training recorded along with correct training. You need to sum all of the work you do, good and bad. So if it takes 7,000 repetitions to create neural memory; you do not want to be subtracting from this number as you go.” Being sloppy or using bad techniques when learning these basic movements will have negative ramifications in all other aspects of the sport, so it is essential to focus on form rather than strength or speed until you are entirely comfortable with the techniques.
Proper technique in the basic stances, strikes and blocks will undoubtedly help when it comes time to learn katas. Katas, or forms, are an integral part of the art of karate, but many people find these movement patterns challenging to learn and retain. It is essential, if you wish to progress in karate, that you take time outside of class to practice on your own. Taking extra time outside of class to drill a new kata, or technique improvements on one you’ve already learned, will help cement the new information in your memory. Remembering your katas from one class to the next will not only make you a better student, but it will also make your training less frustrating and more fulfilling over time.
Extra strength and endurance training outside the dojo will also help you become a better karate student. Endurance is of particular importance when it comes to sparring, which requires a great deal of energy. A typical training technique in many karate dojos involves repeating a single technique — a particular kick or strike — continuously for a set period of time or a specific number of repetitions. This exercise does test the endurance and strength of the karate student, but it can also prove detrimental to training. A 2015 study described in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance found that the technique of subjects performing these repetitions decreased as their fatigue increased . Given the importance of proper body mechanics in karate, the authors of the study suggested strength exercises be added to the training regimen of karate students to lessen the adverse effects of this sort of repetitive activity.
Finally, to advance in and truly enjoy the art of karate, you must understand that karate is not a Western sport. The focus of a karate student should not be competition and winning. Too often beginning karate practitioners are focused on their belt promotions, their rank, or their success or failures in tournaments and competitions. Asian martial arts have traditionally focused more on personal discipline and self-improvement. When writing about winning, even the oldest masters of Asian martial arts reference victory of self over that of others: “Today is victory over yourself of yesterday.” Staying focused on your progress rather than on external markers will keep you from becoming discouraged when you are knocked down, as you often will be when studying any combat sport.
Karate is a highly rewarding martial art that has a wide range of physical and psychosocial benefits, but it is not the easiest sport in which to gain proficiency. However, with the right instructor and environment, attention to detail, and careful training anyone, young or old, can achieve success in the art.
