Benefits Of Karate

In 1609, war broke out between Japan and Okinawa, a nearby island. Brave efforts from the Okinawan citizens could not overcome the powerful Japanese military. Japan took over rule of Okinawa and immediately put a ban on all weapons. The frustrated Okinawans "felt degraded and weakened by their new rulers" (Laiken, 66). In order to combat the oppressing Japanese, the Okinawans created a weaponless form of self-defense. This method, using only hands and feet as natural weapons, was called "Te", or "hand" (Laiken, 68). According to Diedre Laiken, "Te masters developed techniques which included the deadly use of everyday agricultural implements" (69). Eventually, the name of this martial art would be changed to karate Ð'- which means "China hand" or "empty hand."

Today, the uses of karate have changed and new styles have emerged, but the underlying principles have remained consistent. Karate is not only an instrument for self-defense. There are many other uses and benefits of martial arts including: improving physical and mental health, building self-esteem, improving academic performance, and leading to positive psychological changes. Brad Binder, Ph.D. says "studies show the practice of marital arts leads to positive psychosocial changes in the participants" (par. 4). This does not imply that every student will show these improvements. "Those who have the mindset that they want to be there will see improvements" (Snow).

Probably the most recognized and most useful benefit of taking a karate class is to learn to defend oneself. "Karate was formulated on the grounds of self-defense" (Concoran 46). This is a very important skill to learn. On average, 1.9 million women and 3.2 million men are physically assaulted annually in the United States. Learning karate to defend against an attacker is practical and effective. It would help women especially because they are more vulnerable to an attack. Because of their size, women are often prime targets for an attacker. Brian Snow, a karate instructor, said most women joined the class ""out of curiosity," but "learning to defend themselves" was another driving factor.

An obvious benefit of learning karate is the improvement of physical health (Doynov, sec. 2). Karate provides regular exercise that "balances blood pressure and circulation, lowering the cholesterol level" (Doynov, sec. 2). Research indicates that karate is "thought to lower blood pressure by affecting the nervous system activity which is responsible for Ð''fight or flight' response when forced with a stressful situation" (Swiercz, par. 5). Swiercz also said, "Exercise improves balance, flexibility, stamina and posture" (par.4). "Not only does karate training provide all the benefits of regular, moderate exercise, but it's also fun!" (Hassell 11). Karate classes do not provide the monotonous routine of a daily workout. Karate works to train "not only muscles, but tendons, ligaments and bones to improve the quality of life" (Concoran 49). Working all parts of the body will increase the length of healthy life, by not building mass and wearing out the tissue. Karate can also result in weight loss.

Additionally, karate is a physical activity that can be performed for an extended period of time. "It is probably the most long-term physical fitness activity there is" (Snow). Karate can be performed by people young and old. It is something a person of almost any age can begin. "My instructor, who was 60, was more physically fit than I was at the time" (Snow).

Many people question whether the benefits of martial arts are any different from other activities. Both karate and other forms of physical exercise will produce similar results. However, Binder explains, "many western sports tend to emphasize competition and winning while Asian martial arts have traditionally emphasized self-knowledge, self-improvement, and self control" (8). Karate offers the same physical benefits as other activities but also offers mental advantages.

Improvement of mental health is a less-obvious benefit of learning karate. The exhaustive karate workout relaxes muscles, "which in turn brings a stress-free state of mind" (Doynov, sec. 3). Students will "obtain a peace of mind" during instructions (Snow). Karate lessons require 100 percent of one's focus. This forces students to push all distracting thoughts out of their minds, a concept that can be beneficial in many situations in life. When a person commits their entire concentration to a single task they get results more efficiently and faster, giving time to achieve more (Doynov, sec. 3).

Not only can a person use karate to fight an attacker, but karate can help fight depression as well. An additional psychological advantage of karate is to cure the blues. Everyone gets a case of the blues from time to time. It occurs when a person is not having a bad day, but not a good one either, and they do not feel like doing anything. If blues hang around long enough "they can turn into full-blown depression, and depression can even be deadly" (Hassell and Otis 11). Someone cannot be blue when keeping their mind occupied trying to remember the patterns of kata, "the formal exercise of karate performed like shadow boxing" (Concoran 46).

According to Hassell and Otis, there are only two proven cures for the blues, and karate provides both (12). One way is occupying your mind with something other than what is making you sad. The second is "to exercise your body until endorphins Ð'- the hormones that make your body feel happy Ð'- are released into your bloodstream" (Hassell and Otis 12).

Karate serves to improve other psychological aspects as well. A common notion is that karate helps to improve academic performance. It follows the same idea as the stress relief concept in that karate requires a student's full concentration. "By raising the level of energy, focus and concentration" it can lead to greater progress in school (Doynov, sec. 5). Classes "provide an ideal atmosphere to encourage those grades to go up" and teach kids "to focus on one task at a time", that way more gets done (Hassell 50). The relief of stress has already been mentioned "which is one of the main roadblocks in adult education" (Hassell 50). Hassell states