When some people think of karate, they visualize roundhouse kick and breaking ten wooden planks with a single downward chop. The truth is not everyone will be able to perform these stereotypical feats, and the purpose of karate isn’t to teach them. We have outlined for you the real reasons why you should learn karate, and they are much more beneficial than looking like an action movie star!
Connecting body and mind
You should learn karate if you want to listen and understand your body. Listening to your body means having heightened awareness of your emotions and thoughts. In karate, you are taught to see, feel, and listen both internally and externally. Martial Arts can teach you how to combat emotions like fear or anger that can hinder your everyday life.
Learning how to take a hit
You should learn karate if you want to be able to take a literal or figurative blow. Everybody takes a hit from time to time. Stressful events like a breakup, illness or personal loss can really damage you. Karate teaches you to best take these hits and how to get back up and persevere. Karate students learn how to accept that you will be hit from time to time and that in turn can help you better anticipate, maneuver and respond to these events. In essence, learning how to take a hit will help you learn how to avoid them.
Gaining Self-Confidence
You should learn karate if you want to gain self-confidence. In order to gain self-confidence, you have to feel good about yourself and you need to trust in your own abilities. Karate teaches you that if you apply yourself, even just a little bit at a time, you can take on tasks that seemed impossible some time ago. It’s important to understand your own personal limits and to feel comfortable with them. Once you find that comfort-zone, you can start to expand and push your limits and feel great about trying to improve. Karate is a learning experience that does not end, even if you are disciplined enough to gain your black belt. It provides constant challenges that keep you alert and help your confidence soar.
Everyone young and old can benefit from participating in karate. If you are interested in learning karate, and you are looking for a dojo in the Greater Toronto Area, you should contact The Academy of Martial Arts.
