I am a black belt in Shotokan Karate. I love Karate, It kind of balances out all the other, more wimpy side of my daily doings. This blog post is going to explore how Karate corresponds to all of the 5 Ways to Well-Being (and therefore it must be very very good for your mental health :) )
1. Be Active
This one is a no-brainer. Karate is an intensely active sport. Often it involves short bursts of intense activity and then a sort break. Occasionally it involves more prolonged periods of activity. Karateka (people who do Karate) train to be sharp, focused, fast and powerful. In my dojo we train for 2 hours on a Tuesday and 1.5 hours on a Friday.
2. Keep Learning.
There is always something to learn in karate - whether it is a new move, a new combination, how to read another person's body language so you know when the best time to attack is, how not to be afraid of other people attacking you, or just to move your foot a couple of centimeters to the right when kicking to do it better. There is so much to learn, no one could ever be perfect but Karate has vastly helped to increase my self-confidence.
3. Take Notice.
I have to concentrate and focus when doing Karate - focus is one of the skills that Karate aims to develop. When I am doing Karate my body takes up the whole of my focus, leaving little room for worries about the future or ruminations about the past. Mostly I am focused on not dying of exhaustion. But I also focus on the moves and doing them correctly. I notice what I need to correct and make better for next time. This means that I can enter the dojo with my thoughts raging like a stormy sea, and leave with them a calm pond.
4. Connect
I connect with the other Karateka in my club. We have a little time to chat before we start our training session (or of course we could stat warming up!). Having a hobby is a good way of socialising because at least you all have something in common that you are interested in and know enough to talk about. There are also competitions and regional and national training courses where you can meet karateka from all over the UK. Or indeed you can connect with other Karateka more remotely - for instance our club has a facebook page.
5. Give
This way to well-being was more difficult. However I have recently become the club secretary and therefor give my time to various activities in relation to the club - such as taking calls on a Sunday morning from people interested in starting training with us.
So there you have it - how karate corresponds with the 5 Ways to Well-Being.
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