What has this got to do with Karate training in Auckland you may ask? Well, for many years it was assumed that as we aged, our brain could only face the inevitable slow decline of old age. Now it is known that in fact at any age we can build new neural pathways but there is a catch. We have to be learning and challenging our brain. Evidence points to achieving significant Neurogenesis (new neural cells and connections) though activities that challenge both the right and left sides of the brain. Karate is a perfect example of such an activity. Whilst physically coordinating yourself you must visualise patterns and recall technique subtleties. This is a perfect total brain workout, special awareness, memory recall, body movement etc. This Karate practice will also put students in the ‘moment’ which recently gets allot of publicity under the banner of ‘Mindfulness’. It is a perfect remedy to the stress of life. It is potentially for these reasons that many martial artists enjoy healthy longevity. Within the Auckland Karate organisation that Kohi Karate belongs to we have many good examples of seniors belts training into their 60s and 70s and many new adults joining in their senior years. As an instructor I often receive comments from satisfied parents of how the Karate training we have in Auckland is helping their child’s confidence, behavior, their posture and of course their overall co-ordination. I also note these same changes within adults after a few months of training. Many arrive with the belief that they are stuck with their 2 left feet (and 2 left hands) but slowly they develop better mind body connections, show improved health and going forward are able to learn new techniques much faster. So not only can you teach an old dog new tricks, but you can also teach them new Karate techniques. If you are no longer a puppy but wish to keep your mind and body active, connected and in a state of growth instead of decline then contact us at Kohi Karate, Auckland.

Sadly, although our education system is great here in Auckland we must face the reality that bullying still exists in Auckland schools. Whether verbal or physical the impact on the target (I prefer to use that word as opposed to victim) can be devastating. Bullying often occurs in the teen years just when young adults are building their self-esteem and finding their way in what is already a challenging world.

Fortunately, often the bully is a very easy person to profile. They have low self-esteem, are low achievers and are seeking something they can do to allow them to feel in control, to have power of a situation (something they otherwise get very little of). This makes avoiding them something that can also be profiled. They will often seek out the easy target as they certainly don’t want another failure on their hands. You will never see a bully go and pick a fight with someone they have not carefully selected as being an almost certain victory.

So, how does Karate help. Obviously the ability to defend yourself through management of distances, balance, escapes and if need be attacks is very useful. But more importantly just knowing you can do this also helps. Training Karate will build self-esteem, confidence, sense of achievement and many other positive traits. Without realising it the Karate student transforms into a more confident and outwardly positive person. These changes may not be immediately obvious to everyone but bullies target based on their primal senses to detect a weaker more vulnerable person. Just not being that person inside, conveys in your posture and energy and you become invisible to the bully in many cases. This confidence can also allow you to diffuse the situation early as the bully will not detect the sense of fear from you that he so needs in order to proceed safely (as he is sacred and looking to win, not strong and looking for an even match).

In the event that self-defence still becomes necessary then Karate properly studied as self-defence can teach you extremely useful techniques for defending, escaping and if need be attacking in order to stay safe.

With the development of karate as a way to improve health and self (karate-do) many of the original techniques have been modified over time and it is becoming increasingly difficult to intuitively determine the self-defence technique that a formal karate technique represents. It is not uncommon to encounter advanced belts that do not fully understand the application of the various techniques they practice. It is commonplace for them to believe that many techniques are blocks, when in fact that technique encompasses blocks, strikes, holds and throws. Karate is often categorised as a striking art versus say Judo as a throwing art. This is partly due to the absence of correct interpretation of many of the techniques within the basic Karate katas. Most hold numerous holds and throws yet the Bunkai (application) is often taught as simply a block. This limited teaching will provide the student with a fairly effective way to combat another karate student as they both will strike and block as karate students. It will not though prepare the student in any way for real world self-defence where the opponent will most certainly not remain 1 meter away from you in striking/blocking distance. The attacker will most certainly close that distance and rely on intuitive skills such as grabbing and wrestling to attempt to overcome you. It is essential therefore that your Karat school teaches real world self-defence as well as the formal karate techniques. Apart from the obvious real world application in eth event that you need to defend yours elf this also provides a much richer and more interesting learning journey as you progress through your Karate belts.

The martial arts provide a powerful instrument for us to become better connected with our bodies and through that connection with our minds. This may appear like a simple concept but it is one that takes some time and effort to adopt into daily training and daily life.

However solid progress is normally made in the first few months of training.

During Karate training, by constantly focussing on your body positioning, body tension and breathing the Karate-ka (karate student) becomes more connected with the physical self. This can translate into daily life where you will begin to notice your movements, breathes, stresses and ideally begin to flow more in your movements. We notice this often in new students to the Auckland Shotokan Karate dojo in Kohimarama as they are at first quite disconnected from their own bodies as they begin to practice karate techniques. Technique by technique, stance by stance the karate student becomes more aware of their physical and mental state and more aware of their own position as well as their relative position to their surroundings.

In particular this can help karate kids with attention challenges as the first step in overcoming a lack of attention is to realise that you are in fact not paying attention and to then gently begin to focus instead of trying to force attention which we know only worsens the matter in the case of ADHD and other related modern conditions.

For adults practicing Karate in our Auckland dojo they can expect to feel calmer, lighter and more awake during their daily lives as body position, posture, breathing and tensions are something they begin to automatically observe and manage.

The concept of Karate-do is to find or build “the way” through the practice of Karate. It is seen as a higher goal than simply learning self-defence (which is one thing that happens along the way). “The way” is something each individual must define but certainly includes building a better self, physically, mentally and spiritually. What better way to balance the busy life in Auckland for adults and kids alike than to steadily develop ‘your way” and improve your life through Shotokan karate.