Last night as I watched my eleven-year-old son going through the fluid moves of the basic techniques in Butokukan karate, a sport he recently adopted (with an “I love it Mom!” enthusiasm), I was pleased to see the class finish (and start) with a short meditation—as far as I could tell, his eyes were closed and he was focused on his breathing and on his inner world.
(To know my son is to understand he generally operates at a hundred miles an hour. So it was wonderful to see him in a moment of quiet reflection.)
Not only is my son learning stances, blocking, striking, kicking and sets of moves against imaginary opponents, he’s also learning about himself, developing his character, and gaining life skills through the art of self-defense. The benefits are enormous: mental, spiritual and physical discipline, self-confidence, self-control, respect, focus, balance, and strength…all wrapped up within an opportunity for making friends.
And I can already see a difference in his attitude towards life! —Ever enthusiastic, he is also becoming gentler…more thoughtful.
Yes, he’s learning to push beyond his own limitations, discovering what he can truly do, giving himself a goal to strive after, getting a great physical workout, and becoming more at peace with who he is.
I suspect the barriers that he thought were too hard to tackle (and caused him a great deal of frustration) have become a challenge…something that he now believes can be overcome, instead of something to turn his back on.
And I give great thanks to his instructor (the sensei) who is a 5th degree Godan (a high level of mastery in black belt as far as I can tell).
And to my delight, my slim and gentle thirteen-year-old daughter said last night, “Maybe I’ll join karate!”
One of the things sensei David said was, “Stopping violence is always done first by trying to avoid it. The second is to ignore insults and remarks that do us no physical harm. The only time one is required to use karate is when physical harm is intended, and no escape is possible.”
I think I’ll be able to rest more easily knowing my children can defend themselves in this unpredictable world.
Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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