How Karate Training Can Lead to a More Fulfilling Life

In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life, as a result of the constant rush that has come as a result of advancements in technology. While technology has had major positive influences on the world, like anything, it comes with a set of problems too. For instance, now that humans are more easily connected through technology, the world is more compact in a sense, and people tend to get caught up in the lives of those around them, due to increased access to the people in their lives, close and far. Living like this can be exhausting, and it sometimes becomes hard to extract meaning from it all. This article will explain how practicing the art of Karate can awaken us to many revelations about our lives, and ultimately allow us to live in a more fulfilling manner.

Karate is one of the oldest and most iconic forms of martial arts out there, and it has stood the test of time for a variety of reasons. There is an abundance of benefits to practicing Karate, all of which need to be experienced first-hand to fully understand. Essentially, Karate brings out to the surface what is already inside of us. This means that everything that we hold dear in our lives such as our ethics, moral codes and values, are all laid out in front of us. This is because Karate forces us to push ourselves and find the inner reserves required to develop our strength, mentality and spirit. A fulfilling life is one that entails overcoming challenges, doing the impossible, proving ourselves to the world, leaving a mark, and transcending our very being. All of this is achieved in a sense when you practice Karate, as a result of the obstacles that need to be overcome and the self-understanding that must be achieved in order to truly master the art.

The benefits of Karate stretch far and wide, beyond its commonly understood notion of a “self-defence” mechanism. The real benefits of practicing Karate are associated with living a more fulfilling life. All humans are given an in-built purpose which they are born with to pursue throughout the course of their lives. This is ultimately the thing that “resonates” most with an individual. This journey of finding one’s purpose, or one’s “dream”, is what gives life its ultimate meaning, and allows us to feel happiness, peace, fulfilment and bliss. Karate is perhaps the ultimate tool for unlocking these capabilities. To clarify, Karate is not the place to find one’s purpose in life, but it is an art which will equip one with the knowledge and understanding to more easily and accurately pursue that in-built purpose within us.

In order to live a fulfilling life, we need to have the strength to find what is truly important to us. We need to have the knowledge to distinguish what is right for us and what is not. And we need to have the wisdom to avoid the wrong paths that keep us from attaining our greatest good in life. Strength, knowledge and wisdom can all be attained through the regular practice of Karate. To succeed in Karate, one must make consistent effort to improve their physical fitness and mental fortitude to perform the various self-defence techniques involved. Hand strikes, leg strikes, blocks and stances, all require strength and syllabus knowledge to perform well. The constant practice of these movements produce a positive spiral of improved cognitive ability and physical strength which move in an upward direction. Furthermore, one must always increase their philosophical understanding of Karate, never using its techniques for the wrong reasons or for personal gain. This journey towards a heightened understanding is a representation of a fulfilling life being lived, reinforcing meanings and purpose that can be extracted through the practice of Karate.

As human beings, we crave progress. Karate allows us to set the clock back, as we enter a time where we were more reliant on ourselves, that is, our own bodies and minds to make ourselves better in any way we can. The respect that Karate students have for their teachers is unmatched, as the expert knowledge gained from martial arts can only be achieved through decades of its constant practice. Mastering the art cannot be achieved through today’s easy access to information on the Internet, as it requires application and guidance from a senior figure, and an understanding of oneself which can only be achieved by searching for answers within.

As mentioned earlier, the ultimate benefit of Karate is that it allows one to find gems of potential within themselves and bring it out to the surface. This concept alone is what defines Karate. Unlocking one’s ability to search for inner answers and bringing them into existence to tackle anything in life. Karate is not all about being the best in Karate itself, but being the best in your own life, and working towards becoming the best version of yourself. For example, during Karate promotions to achieve the next belt rank, the student is often trialled with an almost unrealistic set of syllabus exercises. The purpose of this is not to test whether or not the student can achieve each move perfectly, but to observe how they will push themselves to achieve their best result, no matter how difficult, exhausting and long the task is at hand. In Karate, this is referred to as a test of one’s “spirit”. By being able to progress through the various stages of Karate, one can progress through the various stages of life.

In essence, one finds fulfilment in practicing Karate through struggling for a goal and achieving it, and through an understanding of the responsibility that comes with such self-improvement. The “empty-hand” style of Karate is to realise one’s own potential and to embrace the journey of searching for answers within. As we all seek meaning in our day-to-day lives, Karate will unlock the potential within us to do just that. Indeed, by applying the spirit of Karate to our everyday existence, we can lead a more fulfilling life.