HIS Karate-Do

One of the things I enjoy about being the sensei is, every once in a while, I get to give out promotions. We have a ministry that’s full of good, humble members – from the youngest children to the most mature adults. As they quietly (and very self-conciously) receive their certificate and belt, I can always sense that feeling of joy and accomplishment they experience in accepting their promotion. Needless to say, it’s a nice moment. But I don’t want them to believe that they’ve arrived at a destination or reached some finish line. On the contrary, they have just arrived at…a new start line. Yes, the promotion means that the examining black belts and sensei believe that the student deserves the chance to prove themselves at the next level. So, the new blue or green or purple or brown or black belt has just become the most novice/beginner/rookie version of whatever rank they’ve been awarded. From that point on, whether they know it or not, each time they train, they are demonstrating to others that they deserve to wear their rank. For those karateka who do realize this important fact, each one is always training hard to prove it [...]

I’m not sure why, but Spring seems to be a popular time to hold karate tournaments. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve received invites to two local Shotokan tournaments, one scheduled for late April, the other for late May. If any of you has ever been to a karate tournament; large or small, there is an sense of excitement and anticipation that is evident throughout the place, now matter the venue. It’s a chance for serious competitors to place their reputations on the line and find out whether their techniques are as good as they’d like to believe. It is the ultimate representation of the sports aspect inherent in so many of modern martial arts in America. And, whether the awards come in the form of trophies, medals or certificates, most every competitor’s main goal is to perform well for themselves, their schools, and their styles. Although karate tournaments tend to look alike and the local ones are usually held in gymnasiums or recreation centers. Meanwhile, the large national/international tournaments one sees on the mainland tend to be held in huge convention centers or carpeted hotel ballrooms with many hundreds of competitors and thousands of attendees. Last weekend, Sensei [...]

Recently, I had an inquiry from my nephew’s wife as to whether I thought their little daughter could start training in karate-do. I was told that, “She likes to punch and kick and looks pretty good…plus, she’s always watching Kung Fu Panda on DVD.” Her question boiled down to what was the minimum age a child could start training in karate-do. This is probably one of the most commonly asked questions that parents ask with regards to their children and karate-do. Generally, we don’t accept students until they’re at least 5 years old. In the case of the HIS Karate ministry, we also invite the parents to train with their children – so that they can understand what the training’s about and to help keep an extra eye on their little one. Over the years, I’ve found that: each child is unique in their ability to absorb the art, some 5 year-olds can learn and perform as well as any adult, most kids attention span begin to wane after 45 minutes of practice, girls seem to have a little better focus/coordination than boys, and that the kids seem to do better if a parent is training alongside them. Here’s a [...]