The benefits of martial arts trainingAside from the obvious "it will make you fitter", "lose weight", "learn to defend yourself", "make new friends", "increase confidence" etc, martial arts training brings huge benefits, both physically and spiritually.
Training in Karate brings about physical and mental change that you couldn't even hope to realise. Your journey in karate-do can be seen as a metaphor for the challenges, torments and triumphs that you will experience in life, but in an environment where you are surrounded by friends who only want to help you. After all isn't the biggest struggle in life with oneself and one's attitude to the world that surrounds you? It is said that training in a martial art forges you. When a piece of metal is forged it goes through a superheating process, it is hammered, tempered and shaped into an efficient and effective tool. Sustained training will forge your body, mind and spirit to achieve balance, strength and flexibility. Not just physically but mentally making yourself ‘the best that you can be’, you are truly ‘seeking perfection of character’. All the knocks, humiliations and struggles that you experience in your training will prepare you to take life's ups and downs with patience and good humour. As we get older we come to realise that human existence throws up a lot of hardship, we get knocked down repeatedly, but we must dust ourselves off and get up again, what choice do we have? Karate training will help give you the natural resilience and determination to help you accept and embrace the bad experiences in life. But as with anything in life you will only reap what you sow. "Karate aims to build character, improve human behaviour, and cultivate modesty, it does not however guarantee it" Yasuhiro Konishi Sensei |