About Karate

My original, but not very well thought out idea for this blog, was to try to be an encouragement to other women to get fit and to make exercise a life-long priority, and secondarily, to discuss martial arts as a potential path to that fitness for women.

While obviously martial in nature, the other side of the coin involves the art. Many women may feel that the martial arts are too violent. Again, the martial arts do involve self defense and doing what one must to defend against attack. The emphasis is that the majority of martial arts operate under the premise that using the art is for defense only. My own karate school adheres to this belief. I do not train to go out and beat people up (that's not really within my nature, anyway), but I train to give myself a slight edge over an attacker who would be willing to do me harm.

Another aspect of karate and martial arts that appeals to women is the learning of kata, which is a set series of techniques against an imaginary opponent (or more than one opponent). Kata often be very graceful, or it can be powerful. Some of the most graceful practitioners of kata are women. In addition, kata has multiple interpretations of different moves (are you blocking a punch with a technique, or might you be deflecting and countering?) and in this way, you can bring your creativity into play. The exercise of doing certain moves over and over in a way that makes sense involves the muscle memory, so that eventually, you can do techniques without conscious thought (mushin).

The most "scary" part of martial arts for many women is the thought of kumite, or using the techniques against an opponent in a controlled arena. I personally have been doing kumite for years and I still get nervous. Most often, we start out kumite, or sparring, by calling out what we will do. For example, I say, "high punch, osu". When my opponent says, "Osu", this is my signal that she is ready to block and counter my technique. Osu is a Japanese term that most often indicates "yes", "I am ready," "I agree," or "I am listening." After mastering this, you move up to doing two techniques, announcing them ahead of time to your opponent. Finally, you move to one-step uncalled sparring. You do the technique and allow your opponent to block and counter, then they return the favor. Finally, there is the uncalled sparring, and eventually, for upper level belts, sparring with take down moves and sweeps of the foot. (Yes, this means you end up on the floor!) So, still sounds a bit scary, eh? Well, honestly, I have not always enjoyed falling on the mat, but I have learned to get up without using my hands, as well as learning that just because I fall down doesn't mean I stay there and wait for an attacker to pounce. Learning to fight/spar/kumite in class is an exercise in working with, not against, an opponent. Most often, you are not trying to "one up" your opponent, but you are working with them to help them learn to defend attacks and vice versa.

Lastly, is the mental/emotional benefit to doing martial arts. I can have the crappiest day in the world at work, but I walk in the door to the karate school, bow in (also a formality indicating respect), and for the one or two hours I am there, the outside world ceases to exist. I get a nice endorphin flow. Typically, if I walk in with a headache, I walk out with sore muscles, but a feeling of "all is right with the world." Exercise is a huge mood elevator. I seldom leave karate in a bad mood. Honestly, if you have any aggression or anger, you can let it out (safely) without expressing it in a negative way at work or home. We also get to yell too! The yell, or kiai, is sometimes called a "spirit yell." The reason for the kiai is that it involves tightening the muscles in abdomen and yelling FROM this point, as opposed to the throat (which would just hurt). By tightening the abs, you protect yourself from a possibly blow to a vulnerable area of the body. Yes, it works. Yes, I have been punched in the stomach and been able to absorb it by tightening up my muscles.

Now, yes, I did say I got punched. As with any sport, there is always the risk of injury, particularly when practicing with a partner. Part of any martial art involves learning control and, as an instructor, I get to typically work with those students who have not yet developed control and I get hit. But I would much rather be punched for the first time ever in the nose inadvertently by a white belt than by a mean person on the street. For one, once you know what that pain feels like, you will do one of two things: You will learn to avoid getting hit, or you will learn to block. If by chance, you are in the street and get punched in the nose, the shock to the system will be lessened by the fact that you know what it feels like. It sounds crazy, but it's true. So, full disclosure, you can get hit. In my ten years with my dojo, we have not had any students seriously injured, as we practice with caution and with safety in mind. Just watch out for those white belts!

So, come on...do martial arts. It's fun!