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Focus, a benefit of karate training

There are many benefits to karate training, the one I'm going to concentrate on today is 'Focus'. The ability to switch off from everything else and concentrate solely on one thing. 

Not focusing completely and allowing other thoughts to come into your mind (did I send that email, what do I need to do tomorrow) it all falls apart, and you forget what you’re supposed to doing.  Not the best position to be in during training when your partner is about to step and punch you! And if you have partners like mine they always punch on target!!

Most karate styles learn ‘katas’; a set series of moves which we learn by rote.  Think Karate Kid and the ‘wax on, wax off’.  Kata training allows us to learn and perfect the moves by repeating them many, many times.  We then develop the understanding of why we’re making these movements by learning the application of them.

When we talk about a kata ‘move’, we’re actually referring to the physical act of moving potentially 3 limbs, simultaneously adjusting our body weight, whilst pivoting our body around our centre line, keeping our eyes on our opponent.  When learning it for the first time there’s a lot of head scratching as you realise you’ve left a limb dangling by your side when it should be protecting your head!

This training teaches us to think of several things at once, putting them in order and completing them efficiently, effectively, and executing them properly.  Whilst I’m talking about karate moves here I’m sure you can all relate this statement to your daily lives, personally and professionally.

Learning to switch off is important for our mental health as well.  Life is much busier than it used to be, we have so many various channels of communication that it can become overwhelming, constantly hearing the pings of notifications.

The physical act of practising kata forces us to breathe, focusing on one move at a time.  I’ve always been told, and now tell my students, don’t move onto the second technique until you’ve completed the first. This is just as relevant to our normal lives.  Shortcuts do not progress us, they often throw other obstacles in the way that then have to be overcome, creating un-necessary delays.

We all need to find a mechanism that allows us to relax and rest our mind, whether it’s a physical activity, completing a crossword, reading a book or the act of meditation.  There may be several, be sure to find what works for you and ensure you work in time for re-focusing your mind.  

If you've enjoyed reading my blog please click here to read 'Why we should all practise kata'