I have been studying Isshinryu Karate for nine years now, most recently receiving my Nidan Rank (second degree black belt) from Marcum’s Martial Arts Academy in Kent, Ohio. But despite the profound effects it has had on my life, I rarely if ever bring it up, knowing all too well that it will elicit ignorant responses such as, “Could you kill someone with your bare hands?” or “Do you have a license to kill?”
If you’re one of those people, I understand it’s not your fault. The only exposure most people have had to the martial arts are movies that perpetuate stereotypes and the barbaric cage fights of professional mixed martial arts matches.
Karate is more than that. It merges mental focus, physical prowess and spiritual fortitude for an experience and training that is unlike anything else I have experienced.
For the physical element, we are taught practical self-defense and how to properly gauge the danger level of a violent situation.
Some people will say they have been lucky enough to have never used their training, and while I have never engaged in a fight, I find that I use the training every day. Whether it’s an increased awareness of daily situations or a general focus on my everyday tasks, karate helps nearly every facet of my life.
In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Healthy Children website cites karate as an effective way to help young children achieve self-control and focus issues associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Mentally, my training in the art has brought me peace of mind in my darkest days when I’ve lost family members, and it relaxes and distracts me when the workload just seems overwhelming.
The dojo became my sanctuary where I could forget about everything but the sweat on my brow and the forms I meticulously memorized and perfected. And when I emerge from this near trance-like state I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my problems.
And while I’ve never been a religious man, I do find that the art brings a certain amount of spirituality into focus. Gichin Funakoshi, founder and master of Shotokan karate, one of the most popular iterations of karate, explained this
phenomenon well in his book Karate-Do: My Way of Life. In it he describes how we as students use the forces of the universe to manipulate opponents during throws or other attacks.
Specifically, he uses the metaphor of a baby. Babies are easy to pick up when they are happy and want to be held, but try to pick up a baby that is upset and crying and you’ll find that it requires a much greater amount of force.
It’s that subtlety to the art that I find so fascinating and equally frustrating when people undermine the art with ignorant, even if well-intentioned, comments. Many people at this school are very dedicated to martial arts, and I urge anyone interested in its study to join up with one of the many groups on campus. And hopefully we can help break these misconceptions.
William Hoffman is a junior studying journalism and assistant culture editor at The Post. For more information on how to get involved in martial arts, contact him at wh092010@ohiou.edu.
