Why did you start karate?

[ksan]

Originally Posted by kakatootoshi

C'mon people, there must be a downside or something.
Speak up, grudged husbands/wives/bf/gf, do not be shy.

A lot more pro`s than con`s i guess. Its easier to explain much, specially when it counts (preperation for grading, competition) Or when you have to teach on her mothers birthday and cant show up till 21.00 hrs.

Osu

[Lonewolf]

OSU! I started my formal training in Kyokushin at a time when the style was just being formed. I was attracted by the purity in training of my Shihan and all my Senpai. They felt like they were true Samurai and had so much class and dignity about them. They had no concern for fame or wealth, and always trained in a fanatical way. The positive energy from their Budo Spirits was amazing, and I have never felt that kind of spirit since that time. My Shihan told me "You have to do every training seesion like it's the last one you will ever do on this Earth. Only then will your 'desperate power' rise up. I place my priority on the spiritual side". At first, I really did not understand his words. But, that was the point. You can't understand things like that by your intellect, it has to be experienced by your sixth sense. Training was very simple, but extremely hard on everyone physically, mentally, and psychologically. I admit, Kyokushin today is much more refined and technically excellent than the old days. But, I was addicted to the positive feeling I got everytime I honestly did the training sessions. My confidence and self esteem was very high, but I was not arrogant or cocky. The nature of the training sessions kept all of that in check, not like today where egos are running rampant. It was those initial first trainings that has kept my interest and activity for over 40 years now and I know my life is the better for it. Budo taught properly and with the right spirit can be such a wonderful, grand thing. I have never once regretted ever starting my training in this Kyokushin Karate, even after all these years. OSU!

[Jenny]

I started my kyokushin training in 1995 after visiting a demo of shihan Sjaak van de Velde in Rotterdam. He did tameshiwari and i was amazed how a man can break 20 concrete blocks with empy.

[jane]

I had no intention of doing anything physical. 1 of my sons had been training a year, the other wanted to start. With no other white belts starting, he was reluctant. I was persuaded to stay with him and train for the 1st session. After 40 minutes I could not walk, stalled the car 3 times on the way home as legs had turned to jelly. I felt so unfit, afterall I had spent 36 years doing nothing at all! 3 years later I can truly say I am hooked. Fitter than I ever new I could be and hungry for more. I can not believe I find myself fighting! whats more... I enjoy it!

[vapor]

Jane,

That is so cool that your sons influenced your decision. It will be something that we encourage our kids to do (once we have them, that is!)

vapor

[koji112091]

I don't realy know why I started but I'm glad I did.
One day out of the blue I decided that when I grow up I want to live in Japan. I also decided that I would want to do martial arts there. I looked into TKD Judo and finaly found that karate would be best for me.

Before continuing I first have to tell you even know that most of you already know, I cann't get a dojo now so I have to prepare my self for future classes whith Books and dvds so When I get to a dojo I wont be at a complete loss.
I also think it is the best way for me to work on speed and all the other condditioning that I will need for kyokushin.
At first I thought there was a matial art called karate. that was all I knew. karate was it's own art, I used to think.
I bought a book on karate. It was called Karate School By Mas Oyama. If you have ever read this book you would know that in no page does he ever say the word kyokushin. This strengthend my theory of only one karate. A few years later I bought another book this one was called Best karate By Nakayama This book had very simular kihon and kata as my other book; however it called this style shotokan karate. Judging by the simularitys of the books I thought shotokan was what I have always been studing. after reading this book I found out that shotokan does not have full contact kumite. I wanted full contact so I tryed to see if shotokan karate had any full contact versions. I researched it on the internet and came across a site which told me about it. It said that there is no full cantact shotokan but there is another tipe of karate that does:kyokushin.
This sounded good but I still wanted to study the art which I have bean doing for a few years. So I looked up the author of my first book, a man who I knew nothing of at the time.
After reseach I found out that he did stuff which I would normaly call extraordinary and that he had created the art which I will now devote my life to.
That's how I found out about the glory of martial arts. Evan though I could not train in a dojo whith an instructor. I now know that I am attemting to do kyokushinkai karate. OSU!

[Spirit]

Originally Posted by Shokei Marcsui

It is so hard to be a devoted Kyokushin Karateka if your wife, girlfriend, or family do not support you.

I find myself conflicted between Kyokushin and my Fiance.

I guess that is why I didn't get married till I was 34.........

[blackshield]

I guess looking at it I have had two 'starts' in martial arts (at least). When I was little I was always into martial arts, I thought it was so cool; ninjas were cool; karate was cool; kung fu was cool etc... so my parents put me in a tae kwon do class as it seemed a good style for a 6 year old. I really enjoyed it for a few years until we moved country, after which point I seemed to lose interest (I think girls had something to with it, lol).

So skip forward through my school years and I did no martial arts at all. I probably should have, considering the amount of scraps I had, and especially when i think about how few I came out on top! Anyway when I was 18 I went off travelling for a year, alone in the big bad world, lol, and I think my sense of security and confidence took a bit of a hit - and so my long dormant interest in MA re-emerged, but this time with something more 'serious' in mind. I found myself at a Muay thai club, which I loved, and ended up doing muay thai on and off for about 4 years from this point... but I also found myself my first 'karate' club. It was a tiny club called 'Taipans' Zen Do Kai in northern Queensland. There were only 3 guys there when I turned up (to a disussed, outdoors basketball court) - they all looked like bikers and I was immediately intimdated! The sensei was a guy called Kyoshi Mick Parker - he was hard as a coffin nail, and whilst I was only with his club for about 6 months before I had to move on, I deffinately compared everything since to his level of ability/realism and brutal power.

After arriving back home I was off to Uni, and determined to keep training so I continued the Muay thai and after struggling to find a karate club of a good standard started training in Brazillian Jiu Jitsu too. I think this is when I first started realising that it is the teacher and the club that are important, not the style. I loved every minute of BJJ, and did it for about 3 years.

I then moved again, and joined up with Daigaku Goju ryu under shihan Gavin Mulholland. My brother had been training there for years, and as soon as I went in I new it was the best place, for me, around. The training was the hardest and deepest I ever have encountered, the club was made up of full contact fighters, doormen, security personnel, bodyguards, MMA fighters and regular joes...

Eventually I had to move on (moved country) and left the club with a heavy heart after 4-5 years training there. Luckily whilst I had been there, we had often been visited by a couple of members of the british Kyokusjin team, most notably, and most often a guy called Kenny Jarvis... He was awesome, and later that year I saw him fighting in the world tournament at crystal palace. That, and the few times I partnered with him in classes, made me decide to do kyokushin if I ever left Daigaku.

So I am now in Vancouver training in kyokushin (about 2 weeks worth) and loving it.

[BigAl]

Mine's a pretty easy explanation I guess I was always interested in the martial arts and was fortunate enough to get stationed on Okinawa for a full year while I was in the Marines. Let's just say it was love at first sight.

[nzproud]

I started Karate because I'm Japanese, and Karate is considered a Japanese martialarts. I have been living in NZ for a while now, I thought I should do a Japanese martialart so that people recognize me as a Japanese. lol! But I have met a lot of people from different nations... but meh it really doesn't bother me anymore if I'm not seen as Japanese. I love that karate is loved in many countries/culture. Osu.

(ps)I also wanted to get stronger by taking kyokushin karate! Andy Hug from K-1 inspired me after finding out he did kyokushin!

[Bloke]

I was on my way home from a night out and stopped off at the chip shop. Long story short this guy thought I was laughing at him (I wasnt) and he proceeded to headbutt me right on the nose. Turns out we had a mutual friend and so he apologised but I sore then and there it would not happen again. Next week two friends told me about this Karate club they were joining and I went along with them.

Im now one of the instructors of the club.

[Bloke]

Japman

Thats the reason I didnt get married until I was 40!!!

I have had relationships in the past where my gf didnt support me in Karate. But my wife has been supportive ever since we met. She comes to all the tournaments and never gripes. She actually started training earleir this year and got her 10th Kyu about a month ago.

[Shokei Marcsui]

Only in Ireland do you hear things about late nights, chip shops, and head butts to the nose.

With apologies the next day.

Great story Bloke.

[kakatootoshi]

Talking about a supportive spouse, I think of Shihan Yamaki Kenji. It is said that his wife was initially a big fan of Shihan and she always went to watch his fights (read this from an interview of the couple many years ago).

So if you cannot get married, either that you are training too hard or not hard enough.

OSU!

[Shokei Marcsui]

So if you cannot get married, either that you are training too hard or not hard enough.

I am in the middle of the road here.

My fiance thinks I train too hard whereas I think I do not train hard enough.

[Lucy]

I think you have to find a spouse/partner that is going to be right behind your training 100%. If they moan you train too much or they don't understand then what can you do? You can't change what you love doing for them because then you would'nt be happy. The right one for you will be there and be happy no matter what you do and they have to be supportive.

[kakatootoshi]

To save time for looking around, I strongly recommend the establishment of

"kyokushinlavalife"!

OSU!

[effectz]

well my father was 1st kyu in kyokushinkai before he migrated to the US. as a child he always had me doing those "jackie chan" type trainings to build my body i guess, he never really gave me any formal training because i didnt have the attention for it as a child (i was into sports) and my mom was against it to an extent.

when i wanted to take up a martial art, my father told me that he would prefer me training in full contact, however the dojos where in the city and i was too young to commute there. so there came a point where i loved fighting. me and my cousins would fight and try to emulate early pride and ufc fights.

in high school, me and my friends had a fight club. basically only one rule ... no groin attacks. we fought very wild and hard, bare knuckle punches to the face, etc.

in college, i was being trained by a friend who was a former junior golden glove. then i was challenged in the wrestling room by a kid who was a black belt in tkd and shotokan, and was also training in MMA. i won only because i always realized that low leg kicks that are hard enough can stop the best of fighters.

that same nite i went to my dad and told him what happened, and he was showing me so techniques and fighting applications. i jumped on the web, looked up kyokushin dojos near me, and ended up at the dojo i train now.

im now 2nd kyu and enjoying every aspect of kyokushinkai and budo.