WHAT KARATE MEANS TO ME
By Rosalind Corey Clark
July 2007

Karate has many meanings and can mean different things to different people. Karate is in my life because it has many special meanings to me.

Karate is an organization of people dedicated to seeking improvement of their skills and perfection of character by training in the martial arts. Through training in karate, one does not just learn karate. I have learned many things through karate. I have learned to apply the significance of body, mind and spirit in- and outside of karate. In fact, body, mind and spirit represent a big part of what I feel karate to be. It has meant finding a path of self-reflection emotionally, spiritually and physically. Initially in karate, I quickly realized that my body was weak and unfit; and though I have always felt strong physically, through karate I realized how to improve myself. Through training and practice, I improve physically and technically.

Oh Myo Zai Hyakku Ren Sen Ten
The Secret Reveals Itself by Practising One Hundred Times and Training One Thousand Times

I have always enjoyed being active and playing sports. Karate means that I not only exercise my body but I also exercise my mind. Karate involves learning new customs and traditions. It’s learning protocol within the dojo. It is learning respect of the martial art and its teachings for past, present and future. That is why we bow at the beginning and end of class. In karate one learns several dozen moves to a dozen or more kata, trains to perfect those moves and observes high-ranking belts and especially Sensei’s to mimic what they do. Karate means striving to perform kata with perfect stance, technique and timing of moves. It means exhibiting fierce eyes and visualizing an opponent as each move is executed.

Me Wa Shiho Wo Miru Wo Yosu
The Eyes See Everything, Even The Slightest Change

In karate, I learn to perform kata in a group of 2 or 3 or 5 people working as a team to synchronize movements using peripheral vision to understand the others’ timing; slowing in places, speeding up in others, lowering a stance, following through with each move. Karate means one must use the mind to execute kata with focus or “zanshin”.

Te Wa Ku Ni Ai Sunawachi Hairu
Techniques Result From A Clear Mind

With each additional grading in which I’ve participated, I gain a clearer understanding of the spirit part of karate. Spirit, to me, defines karate the most of body, mind and spirit. It takes a person with a little spirit to even try their first karate class. As a shy girl in university, I needed a friend to join karate with me. It takes spirit to do one’s first grading. It takes spirit to perform kata in front of an audience. Accomplishing these things in karate improve one’s character and allows one to grow as a person in general. My most outstanding personal experiences with karate spirit were during both my black belt gradings. For Shodan, I endured a 12-hour, seemingly mostly physical dojo grading performing nearly every technique I had learned since day one in karate. My body had muscle memory; my mind knew how to perform the moves, yet it was the spirit I developed through karate practice and training that allowed me to execute them under extreme fatigue and stress. For Nidan, somehow the spirit of karate increased for me even while I was doing my grading. More was expected of me than I anticipated; I accomplished more than I anticipated. Karate teaches that one can be encouraged and pushed to do better and they will succeed in doing so if one practices and trains from the heart.

Oh Myo Zai Ren Shin
The Secret Reveals Itself Only Through Training from the Heart

Although body, mind and spirit represent a significant part of karate, it would be an omission to not mention the other benefits of karate. Karate also means that I have generated close friendships in my life with a number of different people, people that I consider karate family. Karate means that one shares camaraderie with like-minded karate-ka. Karate has proven to be a big social aspect of my life, some of the greatest people I know I’ve met through karate.

Karate has also enabled me to travel to Okinawa. It is one of my favourite life experiences not only to have seen another part of the world, but also to have partaken in the traditions and culture and train in Naha, the birthplace of karate.

Karate was originally developed as a form of defense and most people today still think of karate as just that. I consider karate important as a means to defend oneself and feel a black belt in karate must be able to reasonably do so. I strive to uphold this. In a controlled manner, karate is used as defense in tournaments or sport karate. Being able to compete is a way for karate-ka to self-evaluate. Receiving a medal is fun and exciting but more importantly what one takes away from competing in karate is self-improvement and learning to lose as well as to win. Karate means learning from both successes and failures. Being able to deal with various situations perfects character.

Through karate I am more aware of my surroundings and of myself. We cannot control what happens around us; we can only control how we react to what happens to us and around us. Being self-aware means that one’s actions are better controlled. Controlling one’s actions, doing and thinking positive displays respect and helps to be a good person. Dai Sensei Yagi suggests that a positive character stems from being true to your heart and to do this requires diligence. I agree with this suggestion, which is to say karate means learning to be true to oneself.

One Year Later...
I haven't been training much in the past year at all. I attended a couple classes last June following the grading and on December 30, 2006 for a "reunion". That was the last time. I am setting up a little dojo in the basement so I can train. I'm to help with the black belt grading tomorrow. Brian Langendock and Rowan Yee are grading for shodan. I also must complete and send my karate essay "What karate means to me". It's about 1000 words. Maybe I'll post it here...