What have you gain from your Karate training.

[Guitar_lover]

I was wondering what have people, feel that the best gain that have gotten from there karate training. For me i am so much more focused and conferdent. I feel i have improved as a person because of it. Strange how being taught it can affect so much. Sorry if this has been done?.

 

peace and love

[WhiteBelt]

I learned how to control myself, and how to take care of my body better. This isn't necessarily from Karate itself, but from the training. From Karate I learned how to punch, and kick, like a karateka, and a few kata.

[24 Fighting Chickens]

When I first started taking karate, about the time the first Star Wars movie was released, it made me feel more self-confident, it gave me a sense of belonging, and I felt like I was learning some cool oriental high kicks like in the movies.

 

Then, later in life, as a high school student, it made me feel tough, strong, and like I was taking great care of my body.

 

As a college student, I thought it was helping me to connect with great people, and that I was learning to teach others what I had learned. I also thought that I was learning to control my mind and body with new ability.

 

Then, as a married man with a job, I realized that karate had taught me to interact with people using force and a sense of entitlement coming from fighting ability and tenure in a karate club. I had to relearn what a lot of people had learned as youth - how to engage others in conflict using gentle persuasion, patience, tolerance, and acceptance. Karate does *not* teach that. It teaches the opposite: see a problem - punch it. See a problem person - dominate them with ability or your rank.

 

Later, as my marriage progressed, I learned that karate had taught me that I should train a lot and focus on myself to the detriment of my family. So, I started training less, and as I did, I began to feel better and better. Karate had taken up waaaayyyy too much of my time for many, many years. And I began to realize that I had been training for so long and so often, I had never been *doing* life.

 

Then I became a father. Karate finally had taught me something very important - that my son should play baseball.

[Sho-ju]

And I began to realize that I had been training for so long and so often, I had never been *doing* life.

 

Then I became a father. Karate finally had taught me something very important - that my son should play baseball.

 

This is the best post. For real Rob, does your son study karate?

 

As for me, karate taught me to block and counter.

[24 Fighting Chickens]

And I began to realize that I had been training for so long and so often, I had never been *doing* life.

 

Then I became a father. Karate finally had taught me something very important - that my son should play baseball.

 

This is the best post. For real Rob, does your son study karate?

 

Nope. He's only two. He studies sidewalk chalk, bubbles, sandbox, slide, swing, and chase the ball.

 

He won't study karate unless he requests, and if he decides to drop it, no problems here. I want him in a team sport where he will learn social skills, not an individual activity that focuses on the self almost exclusively.

[mArTiAl_GiRl]

Well, I have learned respect, calmness, to control myself, confidence and I've learned that:

 

NINTAI, DOH, SEIKEN!!

 

(Patience is the Way of the True Fist!)

[Sibylla]

For me martial arts has proved itself to be a better alternative than just running and lifting weights, or just sitting at home watching tv or whatever. My general fitness level is much better now when I have a yelling instructor that makes me keep my pace up. I sleep better and have fewer stressrelated problems. I also know how to count to ten in japanese ...and it is much cheaper than the health clubs.

 

Where I train I encounter some guys that have spent enormous amount of time on training and that start regretting it as they get older...but I am not planning to go that route, overdoing things leads to burnout for me.

[shotochem]

 

And what of perfection of character!!!

 

I just think before I started Karate I was and anti social b*****d,

 

now Im the same only I hit harder.

 

Now that I think about it I never did go for team sports. I did mostly individual sports and activities. I guess Im my own best company.

[stencil]

For me martial arts has proved itself to be a better alternative than just running and lifting weights, or just sitting at home watching tv or whatever. My general fitness level is much better now when I have a yelling instructor that makes me keep my pace up. I sleep better and have fewer stressrelated problems. I also know how to count to ten in japanese ...and it is much cheaper than the health clubs.

 

Karate isn't an alternative for weight training and working out. If anything, keeping up a good workout routing outside of your karate training will make you a much better martial artist.

[karatekid1975]

I agree with Guitar_lover. Martial Arts built character for me. I used to be this loner with low confidence, low self esteem, and with a temper. I learned self control, my confidence and self esteem are a lot better. I still have a temper, but I can either "hide it" or supress it now. It also taught me to be a "people person." I'm not a loner anymore. And I know how to fight on top of it hehehehehe