Nowadays there I have heard that as Self Defence there is no use of learning Karate. They say it is only a sport or a way of creating a healthy body and mind. But for me it can never be a good sport and it is the best form of self defence. With an opponent weilding a gun infront of you what self defence Karate can provide to you? they ask.
Before answering this question we must know the meaning of the phrase “Self Defence”. Defend the Self from whom?. Your opponent from whom you could defend yourself could be anything. It could be a flowing stream, a strong wind, a falling tree, a fierece dog, a burgler or it could be even a physical ailment and most of the time it is your own fear.
To defend from these opponents your self you must be always prepared mentally and physically. By practising Karate devotedly, diligently prepares you for this. It is moving meditation.
It may be true that you cannot avoid a bullet triggered at you in an alarming speed. But before that bullet is triggered at you, you have a thousand and one things to do to defend yourself if you have mastered Karate.
First you could avoid such confrontations by being not angered easily or by not making other ppl angered by you. You could avoid dangerous ppl and places by improving sense of awareness which is result of moving medition of Karate. Even then if you could not avoid such confrontations you could always hide or run before being confronted. To hide, to run effectively you need greater phsical ability. For example to instantly jump over an 8 feet high wall or nimbly climb up 15 feet tree require great phisical strength and some sense of correct technique which are all results of years of training(You don’t train to climb trees and jumping over walls while practsing Karate. But you are in a better possition than average ppl to successfully doing these when need arise.). Even if you cannot avoid the confrontation by these methods you can attack him in lightening speed before his finger touch the trigger(you are trained for such speed and power). Even if you could not avoid that then you can die bravely and unregrettedly which is the highest attainment the Karate traing could give you.
But realistically being confronted by a opponent with a gun is an incident that an ordinary person face not even once in a life time. But he is sure to be confronted by fear, decease and his own anger many times in life which could effectively devastate one’s self.
It is interesting to see that ppl who do not have time for practising this moving medition(or whatever form of exercise) at their younger age find ample time in thier old age to suffer from ailments which are unavoidable result of unhealthy mind and body.
I would like to produce following excerpts from the Master Text “Karate Do Kyohan” which has been my Bible for “self defence” for more than a decade.
* There is absolutely no need for concern about one-sided development of the body in Karate, and the fact that unform development may be considered to be on of the benefits of Karate.
* In most cases, only a minute or two is required to complete a Kata(my note:Predefined sequence of techniques that is soul of Karate) . Moreover, as one continues to practice, the movements become quicker and the training as a whole more vigours, so that one can get ample exercises from a relatively short period of time.
* No specific area, equipment, or even partner are necessary, for it can be performed in a garden, living room, hallway, at any time or place that one feels the desire to practise.
*Other contemporary karate experts such as masters Yamaguchi, Aragaki, chibana, Nakazato, Yahiku, Tokashiki, Sakihara, and chinen, have all lived to be over eighty. These examples are indicative of the role of Karate as a superier method of maintaining one’s health.
* It is not an exaggeration to assert that a man well trained in this form of defense may consider the whole body to be a weapon of awesomely effective offensive power.
* Although Karate does have throwing techiniques, it relies prinicipally on striking, kicking, and thrusting techiniques. These movements are much quicker and can escape the untrained eye. Block -attack combinations are executed simultaneously, and weaker individual, women or young boys, do have ample strength to control a more powerful opponent with them.
* An insight into this art, a mastery of its techniques a polishing of the virtues of courage, courtesy, integrity, humility, and self-control to make them the inner light to guide one’s daily actions:these require at the least ten or twenty years, if possible a lifetime of devotion to the study of this art.
* One who truely trains in this do and actually understands Karate-do is never easily drawn into a fight. One attack or a single kick determines life or death.
* True Karate, that is , Karate-do strives internally to train the mind to develop a clear conscience enabling one to face the world truthfully., while externally developing strength until one may overcome even ferocios wild animals. Mind and technique are to become one in true Karate.
* It is the small-minded individual who likes to brag upon acquiring some small skill, and those with little knowledge who carry on as if they were experts are childish. It is because of the large number of false martial artists in the world that the public tends either to ignore the martial artist or to consider him wild.
* For the Karate-do student, the most shameful trait is indecisiveness.
I hope these ideas let newcommers to do correctly
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