A Karate-Chop to COVID-19: How Karate Schools Tackled the Pandemic

As the NSW government is now easing restrictions on sports, recreation and gyms, it is a time for community centres and sport facilities to reopen for business. For the people of NSW, this means a long-awaited return to yoga classes, outdoor sports and, of course, martial arts centres! While these are exciting times for all involved, arriving to this point in time was no easy task. Moments of triumph invite us to take a step back, and reflect on our journey thus far. In this article, we will take a look at the methods, tools and techniques used by one particular Sydney Karate school during the worst moments of the pandemic, how they successfully tackled all obstacles in their way and essentially delivered a “Karate-Chop” to COVID-19.

Around the month of March, the coronavirus pandemic was already rearing its ugly head, forcing the government to take action and introduce new restrictions. Ever since, Martial Arts schools and other fitness centres have been put in the back-seat, being forced to seize operations in accordance with social-distancing guidelines. Many traditional Martial Arts schools were forced to shut down operations and get Jobseeker help, essentially cutting off their stream of income from their students. Unfortunately, this was the case for many Martial Arts schools in Sydney, but not for this one…

Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do

Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do International is a Sydney-based Karate school which was born in 2019, sharing its birth year with the infamous Coronavirus. With its roots deeply held in Kyokushin Karate, Jin Sei Ryu inherited the knowledge and practice of a strong discipline. Coupled with this, they were a newborn Karate school, essentially giving them an advantageous start to the game in terms of their immediate access to today’s technological resources. A strong foundation and an innovative edge proved to be a deadly combination in tackling the challenges associated with COVID-19, and here’s why:

1. Strong Social Media Presence

Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do, founded by Ino Maquirang, is notorious for their strong social media presence. In particular, the dojo has leveraged platforms such as Facebook to continue providing students with video content and live streams in order to continue training from home. This was a daily occurrence for the Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do Facebook page, with content being uploaded and streamed multiple times per day. In addition to this, the page would feature posts of inspirational and motivational nature to keep students’ spirits up during their time in quarantine. Such posts included quotes of wisdom, meditation lectures and words of encouragement for students to continue training and to send through photos of them in action to help motivate other students on the Facebook page.

2. Collaborative Tools & Technology

On top of their strong usage of social media, Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do leveraged on collaborative tools such as Zoom, to facilitate even more engaging classes for students to partake in from home. This meant that students could participate in virtual classes from home, allowing them to ask questions in real-time, and to follow on under the watchful eye of their instructors. Ultimately, the club’s use of Zoom was an excellent demonstration of their innovative mindset to tap into technology when needed, while also displaying a strong foundation of mental strength and discipline as they were able to come together and push through the COVID-19 depression by always being there for their students and never giving up.

3. Adapting to Change

It is often said that the key to success in an ever-changing world, is to become an ever-changing person. Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do demonstrated this philosophy time and time again during the COVID-19 challenges, and continue to demonstrate this today. When it was first announced that Martial Arts schools would be closing until further notice, the Sydney-based club had already begun preparations for virtual classes and online content.

Additionally, they wasted no time preparing the dojo for normal classes to resume once the easing of restrictions on Martial Arts schools was announced for the 13^th of June. This meant adhering to safety measures such as signing students in upon arrival, providing sanitiser stations, disinfecting the dojo before and after classes, maintaining social distance among students, limiting the amount of students per class and restricting partner-work. Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do’s early preparation and constant adaptability made their transitions in and out of the physical dojo as smooth as possible.

Key Takeaways from Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do

Without a doubt, COVID-19 has been a challenge for all of us, regardless of our background or practice. The message to be expressed here however, is that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, or the obstacles in our way, we can overcome. The Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do club demonstrated the incredible power of the human spirit through their actions and response to threat. Now is a time to rejoice as restrictions ease, but also to reflect on ourselves and what we could do better in the case of a new adversary. I believe that we can draw inspiration from Martial Arts schools like Jin Sei Ryu Karate-do, to always have faith in ourselves and our abilities, and to work through troubling times with a strong, ethical approach and develop practical solutions.