July 16th 2017 was marked by another grading at Oxted Karate School SKCE. Everyone was awarded with their new grade and a clean pass. Results:
4 Orange Belts
2 Yellow belts
5 Green Belts
1 Purple Belt
Grading July 2017 At Oxted Karate School SKCE
How Karate Helps Students Be More Productive
It was a long time ago, but not that long, when I was skipping Karate training because of exams, stress and the pressure. I remember well how exhausted I was after spending hours upon hours sitting in for courses, travelling back home (over 1h) just to study some more.
I was lucky enough to have parents who understood that physical strength and fitness means mental strength and productivity. I was also lucky that they never forced me into sports. They knew exactly how to guide me so I don’t end up hating the very art that formed me.
I remember trying to convince my mum, showing how much I have to study and how many projects I was working on, but my case couldn’t stand. She knew better, that I will do more work and study easier if I had a break. You see, I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic, as a student and adult. So she would take time out of her evening to drive me to my Karate class. Not always, sometimes she would see there is a lot to do, but at lest twice a week, she would encourage me to train for 2 hours, if not more often.
The truth is the most difficult part was until I got there. Of course, my parents never ever pushed or forced me to go training. Instead, their strategy was “go 2 more times, if you don’t like it you don’t have to go anymore”. They got me with this every single time. Of course I liked it, it was and still is my life.
Anyway, back to exams. The reality is that coming back home after 3-4 hours (including travelling and Karate class) I was less stressed, less worries, felt less pressure, and I was more relaxed, calmer, more patient, focused and a lot more productive.
I think I was able to do in 2 hours after a Karate class what I’ d normally do in 3 hours or so. Just because I was more productive.
I guess when I moved to Oxted and realised there aren’t many options to learn the traditional art of Shotokan Karate, I saw it as my responsibility as a 3rd Dan Black Belt to bring the art to Oxted School students. So I did and I hope students will find in Karate what I found when I was their age.
How Martial Arts Build Your Self Confidence
I’ll begin by saying that it takes a lot of courage to step into a serious Martial Arts Dojo. It takes courage to stand in front of someone who wants to hurt you. And it takes even more courage to just stand as a target for your partner and trust her or him not to knock you out. It takes courage to be a Martial Arts student.
Just by showing up, day after day, week after week, even when things get tough and “life gets in the way” (good excuse!), you build your self confidence, self esteem and shape or re-shape your life.
The truth is you feel bloody powerful when you step on the mat knowing you are prepared, you have the tools to face your opponent, the same tools you will use to face the world and all the problems it throws at you, although the latter will not involve much physical contact.
The nervousness, or those butterflies, you feel when you spar is the same as the one you experience when you give a presentation. I’m still nervous every time I compete or even when I perform in front of the class. I am, however, very comfortable speaking in public. This ability to speak in public comes from my career in Karate and particularly competing. Although competition is not necessary I took this path.
Every time you push yourself to train, even if you are only 10% that day, you automatically build your self confidence and a stronger you – insider and outside.
Public Speaking
This is a great example from my life. Training and competing in Martial Arts lead to me being comfortable speaking in public. I’m not the best of them all but comfortable.
If you look beyond the physical, Martial Arts are more than just punching and kicking, they shape your entire life.
But you don’t see that as a child. Maybe later in life you will. So it’s up to parents to guide the kids on the path.
I wanted to give up Karate many, many times as a teenager. Luckily my mum knew how to guide me (not force me) back to my training.
Although I didn’t like it then, I am very grateful for that now.
SHOTOKAN KARATE CLASSES AT OXTED SCHOOL
When I moved to Oxted and saw there is not much going on in terms of Martial Arts, and particular Shotokan Karate (which is the ancestor of most modern Karate styles today) I decided to open a small class at Oxted School for kids and adults who want are serious about learning The Art.
At the moment of writing this article we train every Wednesday from 7-8 pm. But, depending when you read this article, things may have changed. Better to contact us first. Also contact us to book a free lesson.