Author: Ash Prime

Unfortunately due to sickness there will be no Harrisville class this week.

Term 2 starts this week. 19/4/23

Wednesday – 10-11am. All ages class 7+
Ipswich Girl Guides Hut.

Thursday – 4:30-5:30 pm. All ages class 7+
Harrisville School of Arts.

Saturday- 2-3pm. Adults class.
Ipswich Private Dojo.

Term 2 starts next week. 19/4/23

Wednesday – 10-11am. All ages class 7+
Ipswich Girl Guides Hut.

Thursday – 4:30-5:30 pm. All ages class 7+
Harrisville School of Arts.

Saturday- 2-3pm. Adults class.
Ipswich Private Dojo.

Term 1 2023 starts this week.

Wednesday 10-11am Ipswich

Thursday 4:30-5:30pm Harrisville

Saturday 2-3pm Ipswich

Term 1 2023 starts next week.

Join me on Wednesday 04/01/23 at our Ipswich Dojo for a free training session from 10-11am. All members welcome.

I’ll bring the pads and mats and we’ll do some casual training. I’ll even bring a few kettlebells if anyone (15+) wants to try them out.

Great chance to get some training in before Term 1 kicks off.

That’s the end of classes for 2022.

Congratulations to all who graded this week. Great effort all around. I’ve seen so excellent progress this year.

I want to thank everyone who has been a part of Enso Karate this year.

Thank you to all the students who come along week after week, training hard to improve themselves. Your ongoing commitment to karate is wonderful to see.

Thank you to all of the parents, guardians and carers who take the time to bring students to class. You give them access to an experience that can benefit them for their whole life.

I appreciate every one of you.

Enjoy the holidays and I looks forward to continuing our karate journey in 2023.

Leif

I spend a lot of time thinking about Karate. What to practice myself, what to teach, how to teach, how to grade and so on. I’ve trained in several arts, all with greatly varying approaches to these questions. There is no right answer, because all people are different. In Capoeira, grading was organic, based on your commitment and personal strengths. Everyone learnt the same things together. In Kung Fu there were no grades, but again, based on commitment some students became senior students. As you progressed, more advanced skills were taught. In the school where I learnt Karate, there was a very specific curriculum and testing of skills, as is the case in the majority of Karate schools. I found merit in all of these approaches and draw on them in my own teaching.

Individuals learn differently and have different reasons for training. Some people thrive on structure, with defined tasks to achieve a specific outcome. Some need flexibility, learning at their own pace the things that work for them. All deserve recognition of their efforts.

This brings me to one question: What does a Black Belt mean? Between different schools and even different Black Belts of the same school we can see vast differences. Individuals. Strength, fitness, technical skill, knowledge… all so variable. One thing that all Black Belts have in common is dedication. It takes time. Years. Many who begin will not get there, but those who commit themselves to continuous effort will get there. That effort will look different for everyone. For some, constant mental or physical challenges will keep them motivated. For others, just turning up every week is their best effort and that is enough. Earning a Black Belt should be challenging yet achievable and accessible to all.

Enso Karate was born out of a need for accessible martial arts. I do my best to be inclusive of all abilities, working to individuals strengths and differences. I’ve previously mentioned creating a more defined curriculum for grading. I’ve thought deeply on how to implement this. There is no one way to approach this that works for everyone.

There is a saying within the Karate world – “Black Belt is just the beginning”. A Black Belt is indeed a worthy goal, but once you attain it you will see the truth in these words. A Black Belt is like a key. It unlocks the door to a vast ocean of learning that can continue for a lifetime.

Martial arts such as Karate are generally designed to teach skills to protect oneself from physical harm in the event of an attack. There are other reasons people may train, such as competition, fitness or recreation, all valid reasons for training, yet the original intent of martial arts is self-protection. Protecting yourself from harm. In the context of martial arts we think of the harm as coming from another person, but most people who train in martial arts will not actually have to use their skills. It could happen, but physical attacks are not particularly common, especially if we arm ourselves with good awareness skills. If we truly seek to protect ourselves from harm, we must broaden our vision of what this means.

This could look like self-defence against ourselves. What we think and do on a daily basis can cause us harm. A poor diet, smoking, drugs and alcohol can lead to harmful diseases. These are things we have direct control over. Forget about random attacks by strangers, people cause themselves harm on a daily basis just by our behaviours. This should be considered by those who seek to protect themselves from physical harm.

We can step back even further. Even before actions, negative thoughts can be harmful and we can protect ourselves from these. If we are attempting a difficult task we may think, “I can’t do this, I’m useless”. Over time thoughts like this can cause psychological harm. We can try to re-frame thoughts – “maybe I can do it if I keep trying”.

The information we take in can also have harmful effects. Reading negative comment threads on social media, news coverage of unfortunate events, unhealthy relationships…. there are many sources that can lead to negative thoughts. Some can be more easily avoided than others. Thoughts from within can be the hardest to protect ourselves from. Thoughts are a constant stream. It may seem like we can’t control what is in that stream. We can however learn to let the stream flow, letting go of the undesirable thoughts as they drift away. It is not an easy task, but with practice it is achievable. Meditation or mindfulness training can help to reach a more aware state of mind.

These ideas are complex, but I do feel it is worth considering more than physical attacks when we talk about self-defence.