What Karate Means To Me

Karate, to me, has been an aid to not only shaping my physical growth, but also my mental development. It has been a teacher on how to be more conscious, both of myself and those around me. Yet, to this day, what continues to surprise me is how different the reality of karate is from my early expectations before I even began practicing Goju Ryu.

My first encounter with martial arts came through the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. I was captivated by the moves and ideals of the actors, especially Jackie Chan. To a ten-year-old, the techniques appeared smooth yet powerful. This is what I thought the essence of karate was - speed and power. It was not until years later that I realised how mistaken I was, not only because the film really should have been called Kung Fu Kid, but because this was only the surface of what martial arts was.

I remember accompanying my father as he visited various karate dojos around Melton. The advertisements always depicted someone aggressively striking forward, which caught my childish self's attention immediately. However, we never ended up at any of those schools, much to my confusion. Instead, we chose a quieter dojo - Shushin Kai Goju Ryu Karate-Do. Even though it was less flashy than the ones that I had seen before, I remember watching the members train with such intensity, inspiring me to give it a try, beginning my journey with karate.

From the outset, my preconceived notions about karate were dismantled, from the proper mechanics of a punch, the importance of hip movement, to the fact that strength comes not from sheer force but from stability. And within this environment that balanced discipline with community, I found myself enjoying the lessons on spirit as much as the ones on technique. One particular teaching comes to mind by Sensei Lincoln during a class that has stayed with me since: "Natural talent will only get you so far"

At the time, I didn't fully understand the significance of these words, but their meaning has been applicable to every aspect of my life. Even when I began to focus on my VCE studies, simply relying on my pre-existing capabilities would not be able to take me to the heights I wished to achieve. When I returned to karate after completing Year 12 even with a stronger more able body, I met a plateau, the boundary between natural and acquired ability. However, what karate has taught me is that through perseverance and dedication, these moments of stagnation can be broken, allowing you to fully immerse yourself and succeed in your commitments. Even though I am by no means close to mastering the various concepts of Goju Ryu, such as the balance of hard and soft, through tenacity I have gained an appreciation and understanding of what karate truly encompasses.

In the end, I guess this is a long way of saying I owe a lot to karate. It has allowed me to become someone able to control himself, in both body and mind. It has made me more able to persevere through difficulties. And above all, it has made me a kinder person. Should I be promoted to black belt, I look forward to the possibilities in karate that I have yet to discover.

Janindu Somarathna began training at Shushinkai karatedo on 8th December, 2022, at age 18 years. He was graded to Shodan on 5th October 2024, at age 41 years.