"The heart of our karate is real fighting.
There can be no proof without real fighting.
Without proof there is no trust.
Without trust there is no respect.
This is a definition in the world of Martial Arts."
The Kyokushin Philosophy
Keep your head low (modesty), eyes high (ambition), mouth shut (serenity); base yourself on filial piety and benefit others.
How I teach Kyokushin Karate and what I Emphasize on
The dojo is a place where one discovers oneself and seeks enlightenment. It is not merely a gym, club, or place for socializing but a place for personal development and discipline and somewhere to study one’s own self, to learn techniques, and also to gain spiritual and mental knowledge. I hope all students keep on studying karate because for them the dojo is like a second home; each time they enter the dojo, they feel at ease but also appreciate it and feel more serious too.
The way a Sensei (teacher) creates a complete program is also very important; The curriculum defines the structured method through which students learn and progress in karate. You have to make sure you have a good system. Each level has a certain amount of material a person has to learn, step by step, instead of everything right away.
In some systems, right after you learn a bit and understand the basics, you begin fighting. The dojo is not just a factory to produce strong fighters. This way, quite often Students may get injured, become discouraged, or feel uncomfortable and eventually discontinue training. That’s why it is very important to set the system up in the proper way; everyone can benefit.
Karate is not just fighting but also controlling your mind, your temper, your discipline, and your morals. Every day I am learning from existence, after many years of teaching experience, I realize that as a teacher i have to observe individually because every student is physically and mentally different. The conditions are not exactly the same for everybody, but karate should be for everyone, so especially in Kyokushin, we are open to all kinds of students, even people with disabilities, underprivileged children, and individuals who are deaf or visually impaired and others like them—there is room for everybody. Therefore, everyone can study karate to develop their inner strength to take care of themselves and take control of their lives.
I believe studying Kyokushin is the way of life, but as a karateka, each person has a responsibility to be more open, to use whatever they learn from Kyokushin, and to apply it in their everyday life—the way to control emotions, temper morals, and discipline. The extent to which Kyokushin is applied to a person’s life, the more true Karate – Ka they become. That means a strong, true karateka is not just about how many tournaments they compete in or how many titles they win, first place or in the top 4. Sometimes people think, “I am a great karateka because I have become champion so many times,” but how strong they are inside means how they dedicate their lives and how they carry on their discipline; that is important. That’s why it is so important to maintain contact with handicapped people and disabled people, but still, those people seriously learn Karate.
Then we all realize more and appreciate what we have and how lucky we are to be practicing Kyokushin karate. Osu!
