Karate-do, the art of unarmed combat, spread rapidly throughout the world from the 1960s onwards and is now accepted by most societies. The veil of Eastern mysticism surrounding it has been lifted, revealing its true meaning: a way of life that teaches you how to protect yourself and others in dangerous situations.
A certain degree of mystery still remains, especially among those who know little about it. For those who participate in training, the only real mystery is the positive transformation they experience in their behavior after years of hard training. To put it simply, they begin to view the world as warriors.
Many masters who have devoted their lives to this art are surrounded by a mysterious, glorious aura, a palpable emanation of strength and self-confidence. This is nothing more than what anyone can achieve by following the true path of training. The life of a karateka is a demonstration of what can be achieved through focus and effort. A true karateka is calm, courageous, alert, humble, happy, and healthy. The art rises above the instinct to fight, and the lifestyle becomes a true, complete guiding principle.
It gives its practitioners the opportunity to seek something beyond the everyday. Life takes on new meaning and purpose, guided by the conviction that it is much braver to act on the basis of justice and thoughtfulness than selfishly and mediocrely. Unfortunately, as with anything that seems mysterious, martial arts can be abused by untrained people. An unsuspecting and gullible audience is easy to deceive. The ideas created by such "masters" are extremely harmful to karate and the martial arts.
A great responsibility falls on those who teach martial arts. Students approach their sensei with trust and humility, listen to them, and are influenced by them in many ways, usually much more than they realize.
The relationship between the instructor and their student takes on deep meaning and significance for both of them, which can last for years or even decades.
This is based on their contact in and outside the dojo. The role of the instructor should therefore not be underestimated. Not only must he know the techniques and possess the philosophy of Karate-do, but he must also be knowledgeable in other arts related to his own. He must express himself clearly and precisely.
They must be a humble teacher, ready to become a student themselves, a psychologist, a friend, and a leader. They must not forget the feeling of shoshin, or what it was like to be a beginner.
The learning period, until one becomes a sensei, requires long and selfless dedication to the art. Ten or fifteen years is barely enough to scratch the surface. Like any position of power and influence, being a sensei requires one to be a role model for everyone.
The sensei is proud to follow the path of budo and is happy to take on the responsibilities that come with such followers. He constantly strives to overcome his shortcomings and always looks for faults in himself before judging others. He sets an example in training and in everyday life.
Over time, the new sensei is surprised at how important an influence he has on others, especially the younger members of the dojo. The instructor cannot approach his role in any other way than as modestly as possible.
His position carries extraordinary responsibility, and there is no room for arrogance or selfishness of any kind. They approach the sensei with humility, listen to him, and are influenced by him in many ways, usually much more than they realize. The relationship between the instructor and his student takes on a deep meaning and significance for both of them, which can last for years or even decades. This is based on their contact in and outside the dojo.
The role of the instructor should therefore not be underestimated. Not only must he know the techniques and possess the philosophy of Karate-do, but he must also be knowledgeable in other arts related to his own. He must express himself clearly and precisely. They must be a humble teacher, ready to become a student themselves, a psychologist, a friend, and a leader. They must not forget the feeling of shoshin, or what it was like to be a beginner.
The learning period, until one becomes a sensei, requires long and selfless dedication to the art. Ten or fifteen years is barely enough to scratch the surface. Like any position of power and influence, being a sensei requires one to be a role model for everyone.
The sensei is proud to follow the path of budo and is happy to take on the responsibilities that come with such followers. He constantly strives to overcome his shortcomings and always looks for faults in himself before judging others. He sets an example in training and in everyday life. Over time, the new sensei is surprised at how important an influence he has on others, especially the younger members of the dojo.
The instructor cannot approach his role in any other way than as modestly as possible. His position comes with extraordinary responsibility, and there is no room for arrogance or selfishness of any kind. It is not enough to introduce a new technique or "trick" from time to time to maintain the interest of the students. Students must be made aware that real progress is only possible with determined training and a well-planned short- and long-term goal plan. It is the instructor's job to help the student create both goals and a training plan.
Introducing new techniques from time to time without explaining their basics and essence makes for an inadequate training program. Instead of relying solely on exams held at certain times and exam material, we should create long-term training plans based on different physical and psychological expectations for each level. Thus, the technique must be interpreted differently for a blue belt and a brown belt. This ensures that students have a wide range of goals to achieve. From the very first karate training session, students need to be aware of much more than just the material for the next exam. And all this again raises the responsibility of the instructor.
It is important for everyone, regardless of style, to develop good habits. Our lives are governed by habits, so it is vital to develop good habits in terms of training routines, appropriate responses in given situations, and habits in everyday life.
In the dojo, the basis for developing good habits is politeness and a willingness to undergo rigorous training. To those who are unfamiliar with the true essence of karate, it may seem violent and destructive. This is understandable to a certain extent, given the influence of public opinion and the film industry. For today's youth, violence is a social requirement, and cold-blooded killers can be role models.
Similarly, the narrow-mindedness associated with the meaning of martial arts, or budo, is the fault of those who have decided to practice a particular branch of martial arts but were unable to meet the requirements, or lost their illusions through one of the many "schools" that unfortunately operate poorly, doing great harm to the true arts. To a certain extent, the student's future is in the hands of fate, for example, which of the many dojos they will enter first.
In any case, the student owes it to himself and to the martial arts to spend some time choosing a dojo that operates in the right atmosphere. Unfortunately, there are many more untrained, weak instructors than there are good ones, so choosing the best one should not be left to chance. Students who, after a certain period of training, have come under the influence of the true nature of the art, realize that the true spirit of Karate-do only begins to develop after proper dedication and effort, and that the true goal of martial arts is non-violence.
The world condemns wild and unrestrained people who possess only strength and courage. Consequently, education and courtesy are much more important for a karateka than for anyone else. After a few months of diligent training, the karateka achieves a certain speed and accuracy in his punches and kicks. Then, walking down the street, he may feel the urge to test his strength on an ordinary passerby who is completely defenseless against attack.
This karateka may not be skilled enough to fight his more skilled peers in the gym, but he thinks he knows enough to show ordinary people a thing or two. The fact is that sometimes young people with very little karate experience threaten and harass passengers and passersby, but such hooligans have nothing to do with karate, martial arts, or strong and well-trained people.
A true follower of karate does not feel the need to flaunt his strength and skill in front of others and considers disorderly conduct to be detestable. The violence of a person involved in karate is much more frightening and can therefore provoke hatred.
Some promising students never get very far because they avoid participating in real fights. They are strong enough, but they shy away from skilled opponents and do not participate in competitions. If they have rivals, they avoid them.
They only fight with older classmates who love and protect them. That is why a kind of clique develops around them in the gym. This may be a way of life, but it is not right. If someone loses a few times, they don't need to worry about it. Painful minor injuries only serve to make a person stronger. If someone loses, they must find the reason and train with all their heart to correct the mistake that caused the defeat.
People who do not participate in major competitions fall behind. Within a few years, they are left behind by those who are much more diligent, who develop their strength and skills with maximum effort, and therefore go through all the stages of karate. While others are constantly moving forward, the modest, petty person remains stuck in their own petty world.
Ishi no ue ni san nen - three years on a rock - says a Japanese proverb. Its essence: perseverance at every moment. This is one of the main philosophical foundations of Kyokushin karate. According to Sosai, every karateka should understand this proverb as Sekijo ju nen - 10 years on a rock. If the average person has to persevere for 3 years, a karateka can easily strive for 10 years. Kyokushin can provide many long-term and immediate goals.
Beyond learning kicks, punches, and form exercises, there is a very special spiritual power in the hearts of those present. It teaches you to face the demands of everyday life with maturity and determination. A budoka is difficult to shake. The first sign of this spirit is when the karateka overcomes his inner torment and forces himself to persevere with small things - one more push-up, one more squat before giving up. These simple but essential first steps increase the power of the challenge you set yourself.
You learn to view karate training as a constant challenge from which you can gain a lot. You try to learn a kata and, in the process, try to grasp its spirit. You face your opponent in kumite and realize that bruises and scrapes are insignificant compared to the importance of challenging yourself. In many branches of martial arts, kumite is very far from real combat, and often does not even exist, thus lacking the essential challenge that confronts an individual's spiritual shortcomings and helps them overcome them. Essentially, it is extremely important for a karateka to know how to act correctly in a situation for which they are unprepared.
There are too many factors at play to simply leave one's fate to chance. A good example of this is when, after a blow believed to be devastating, the opponent remains standing with a smile on their face. Without real kumite, no one can believe that they will be able to act successfully and maturely in a serious confrontation.
