Karate is like a classic car. We don’t need it, and perhaps it’s not even fit for purpose anymore. There are other “cars” that have better fuel consumption, more comfortable seats, and all the modern features we’ve come to expect. But we still love them anyway, because they make us feel something that the modern car just can’t compete with.
I think most people understand this, even if they don’t say it directly. We prepare, we train, we sweat, we refine our stances, our kata, our drills, but for most people, we will never need to use karate to save our lives. Of course, there are a small number who have, myself included, who have had to rely on their training in the real-world, but most practitioners train once or twice a week, fitting it in around everything else life demands of them.
So the question is, is it really necessary for people like me to keep going on about practical karate and self-defense?
I believe it is, because you never know what is going to happen in life. Years ago, when I was teaching advanced driving, I was out with a student when I saw a woman being attacked. I asked my pupil to turn the car around so I could go back and help. The student looked at me and said, “What, really, you want to do that?”. I did, because there have to be people who step in when something like that happens.
The martial arts, regardless of which one you practice, can give you much more than just fighting skills if you take them seriously, and one of the most important things they develop is confidence.
I have had many students come into my dojo who were unable to speak to people, unable to look others in the eye, so withdrawn it was almost painful to watch. But over time, and it does take time, they begin to change. They start to realize that they do not need to hide away or make themselves invisible, and that they can take part in whatever they choose to do.
For a teacher, there is nothing better than seeing that happen. Watching someone grow in that way, becoming able to deal with what is in front of them, makes all the effort worthwhile.
Yes, fighting skills and self-defense matter, but without the confidence to believe in yourself, to believe that you are capable of acting when it matters, all the techniques in the world will be of little use when things go wrong.
I saw that change in myself over 50 years ago. At school, like most people, I had to deal with bullies, but they did not leave me alone because they saw me fight. They left me alone because something in me had changed. I stood differently, I carried myself differently, my head was up and I was more aware of what was around me, and that was enough.
In my writing I often talk about awareness, because it’s a major factor in keeping yourself safe – it really is your first line of defense – but part of that awareness comes from confidence. It comes from training regularly, from putting yourself in situations where you are challenged, and from developing a genuine understanding of what you are doing.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face”. – Eleanor Roosevelt