Traditional Karate training has been around for hundreds of years enabling the practitioner to build a strong body, mind and spirit! Karate training is all about health, self defense and a long full life! Karate is generic, it is for anybody who wishes to learn and practice. Men, women, children even families can train together without any age limitation. The desire to learn and practice can be at six years of age or sixty+! Karate training doesn’t require expensive tools or equipment. A simple uniform and the desire to learn and practice.
Training ones’ body in karate has huge benefits:
- Ability to defend oneself.
- Overall improved physical health.
- Consistent cardiovascular work strengthens the heart and lungs.
- Improves flexibility.
- Improves strength and stamina.
- Improves reflexes.
- Improves balance and coordination.
- Improves posture.
In my experience many people have noticed improvement in other valued leisure activities whether the activity is hockey, ball or golf. They say they feel stronger, faster, and better about their ‘game.’ Training daily or several times a week is a great life choice and carries the benefits of maintaining healthy blood pressure, improving circulation and lowering cholesterol levels, all key ingredients to good health and hopefully ‘ripe old age.’ As well, I believe consistent regular training strengthens one’s muscles, bones and joints.
Karate training has many benefits for ones' mental health as well:
- Improves self discipline
- Improves self image/self esteem
- Improves confidence – can do!
- Improves self respect leading to respect for others
- Improves concentration and ability to focus
Personally, my all time number one benefit to training is that training is a definite "stress" reliever. For example things that are a big deal before training somehow many times seem trivial after training.
Consistent training leads to the building of good character (heart) and an indomitable spirit. Full concentration in a form done with full body movement done in concert with full and controlled breathing is much like moving meditation (Zen). After spending all ones’ energy in training attempting to perfect one’s techniques a person is left feeling physically tired and yet somehow refreshed making it somewhat easier to deal with the ups and down of day to day living.