Be Safe

Karate is for life. It benefits and enhances one’s life. It can be a lifelong pursuit — one that has lifelong rewards. Most importantly, and most seriously, it is a life-preservation art. Karate practice and the way of karate have benefits for life that have little to do with fighting. And karate as a sport can be lots of fun and very rewarding. But karate at its core must be about self defense; to forget this neglects the essence of this martial art. Self defense includes much more than fighting. For if fighting is the only way to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, we are in trouble.

Fighting is what happens when self-defense goes wrong.

Fighting is a last resort avoided at all costs. If there is anyway to prevent it, we do so. If we have no other choice, we fight hard. Period. No stone left unturned. Nothing is barred. It’s serious, for sure. And that’s why we do everything we can, short of fighting, to keep ourselves out of trouble.

For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” — Sun Tzu

Self-defense training also addresses observation skills and awareness, tactical thinking, emotional response management, and preventative measures. These are things that apply to adults as well as children — just with different scenarios and tools.

Last, but not least, you are safe here at our school. We provide a safe environment for learning and growing.