The benefits of Traditional Karate Training

Nicolas Kambasis, Ishigogyu, Canada

I have always been very active. I started to play soccer when I was four, hockey when I was five and swimming when I was seven. Although I enjoyed all three activities I can honestly say I did not love any of them. I went because I had to.

When I was thirteen, my mom sent me to a karate camp in Whitby, Ishi Gogyou Martial Arts. I attended the camp for one week. I really enjoyed it and asked to come back for anther week. There was something special about this activity that I did not feel with all the others. I decided to join the Dojo and began to train. I could not believe how much I enjoyed coming to the Dojo. I wanted to come every night; so I decided to quit hockey and my other activities so that I could fully concentrate on Karate. Something began to happen that I can honestly say I never felt before with all my other activities. I started to have passion about something. My mom was always worried that I never had any passion for anything. But now, I have passion.

 Karate training has instilled many different values in me over the past two years.  The values that I have gained from learning Karate are patience, discipline, respect, focus, confidence, the ability to defend myself and of course I am in optimal physical shape, inside and out.

Patience is a great virtue to have. Patience is something that I have been taught at the Dojo by Sensei Tirrell. If I feel anxious about not being able to learn a kata fast enough, I tend to make more mistakes. By being patient with myself I have learned to be more confident and I am able to learn much faster and with ease.

In order to truly succeed in anything you want to in life, you must have discipline. Karate has taught me this. I train at the Dojo daily. At home, I also train and practice my different Kata’s. By doing this everyday, it has taught me to be disciplined, not only with Karate, but also with my school work. If I want to train daily, I have to make sure I complete my homework after school and study for any upcoming tests or assignments.

Respect is shown by our actions and our words. Karate has taught me so much about respect. By respecting the Dojo and their rules, by making sure that I bow when I should, sit in seiza when I should, by making sure I never turn my back to my Sensei and always speak with kind words with my Dojo brothers and sisters, always ensuring that I say Onegaishimasu when I enter the Dojo and so much more. I have really learned to respect people much more since I started karate training.

When you have focus you have great concentration or energy on what ever you are doing. Karate has taught me to focus, especially when I have to learn to practice my kata’s, this requires a great deal of focus. By learning to focus at the Dojo I have learned to focus more at school.

I have great confidence because of my Karate training. I am in great physical shape so when I walk around I walk with my head up high and I know I look great on the outside and I also feel great in the inside.

Karate for me is a way for me to escape the daily craziness. When I am at the Dojo learning Karate, I feel energized. When I leave the Dojo at night after training for one to three hours, I feel even more energized. Karate is great for the mind and body. I am so glad that I have finally found my passion.