Learning Karate (Page-1)


Karate is a martial art, which, when properly learned, will enable an unarmed practitioner to overcome armed men, and though not effective against guns at long range, can be used to unarm a gun wielding attacker at short range.

It is also a very good for developing mind and body of its practitioners, giving better concentration, quicker reaction time and the three S’s of sports (speed, strength and stamina) in great abundance. Training in karate burns calories more quickly than almost any other sport, but is not recommended as a slimming method because the training also increases the appetite! So karate training, without some form of diet control, will not help you to slim down. Still, in today’s world of rising crime and eve-teasing, karate is a sport that most parents would like their children to learn.

In Japan, karate is taught in schools and universities, so that almost everyone knows some karate. This is not necessarily good, because it also means that the Yakuzi, or criminal class, also practices karate with great earnestness. In India, although karate training has been going on for over 30 years, one has to search hard for a good karate school, and neither the criminals, nor the class that needs protection from criminals, know much about karate.

If you want to learn karate, or want your children to learn karate, what should you do to find a suitable dojo (karate school)? Since karate is a powerful martial art, where uncontrolled kicks or punches could be lethal, most karate schools teach the `non-contact’ styles, where the student is taught control, so that the kicks and punches are delivered strongly enough to injure the opponent, but pulled back before contact, so that they barely touch their fellow students, and do not actually cause injury.

There are, however, some popular full-contact styles, such as the `Kyokushinkai’ style taught by Sensei Shivaji Ganguly, where beginners are taught to kick and punch hard, without worrying about control. Beginners, of course, cannot inflict much damage, and as they learn more about...