Kyokushin Spirit  

"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.

The Eleven Mottoes of Mas Oyama

The Martial Way begins and ends with courtesy.
Therefore, be properly and genuinely courteous at all times. Following the Martial Way is like scaling a cliff - continue upwards without rest.
It demands absolute and unfaltering devotion to the task at hand.
Strive to seize the initiative in all things, all the time guarding against actions stemming from selfish animosity or thoughtlessness.
Even for the Martial Artist, the place of money cannot be ignored.
Yet one should be careful never to become attached to it.
The Martial Way is centered in posture.
Strive to maintain correct posture at all times.
The Martial Way begins with one thousand days and is mastered after ten thousand days of training.
In the Martial Arts, introspection begets wisdom.
Always see contemplation on your action as an opportunity to improve.
The nature and purpose of the Martial Way is universal.
All selfish desires should be roasted in the tempering fires of hard training.
The Martial Arts begins with a point and end in a circle.
Straight lines stem from this principle.
The true essence of the Martial Way can only be realized through experience. Knowing this, learn never to fear its demands.
Always remember: In the Martial Arts the rewards of a confident and Grateful heart are truly abundant.

The way we say dojo, it means a place to find out about yourself, a place to find enlightenment and your way, your sincere way. It’s not a gym, club, a place of socializing or getting a date, but somewhere to study one’s own self, to learn techniques but also 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 and feel more serious too.

The way a Sensei (teacher) creates a complete program is also very important, what we call curriculum- it means the way you study. 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 people get injured, they get discouraged or uncomfortable then 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 how you control your mind, your temper, your discipline and morals. Every day I am learning from existence, after long period of my teaching profession I realize that as a teacher i have to observe individually because each 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 kind of students, even mentally disabled people, homeless children, deaf and blind people 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, to study Kyokushin is the way of life, but as a Karate- ka each person has a responsibility to be more open, to use whatever they learn from Kyokushin and 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 Karate – Ka is not just how many tournaments they compete in and how many times they become champions, first place or in the top 4. Sometimes people think, “I am a great Karate – Ka because ‘I become champion so many times” but how strong they are inside means how they dedicate their lives, how they carry on their discipline, that is important. That’s why it is so important to maintain and handicapped people, 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!