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METRO WORKOUT

No kidding about Karate

PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM.

Endurance sport Nowadays karate is taught and learned as an art form

Screams, kicks and punches – this is what greets you when you walk into the International Gerikai Karate School of Martial Arts, Nalanchira. Karate, the martial art that is also an endurance sport with lots of intense bursts of physical effort and energy, is yet another way to keep fit.

Talking to Josh Rajan, martial artiste and lawyer, who is the master at this school, you realise how dynamic karate really is. As he puts it: “Karate is the art of self-defence. It gives your body the requisite power to make every offence a defence. In karate, every part of your body is a weapon that can be used with speed and strength to ward off dangerous offences.”

Nowadays karate is taught and learned as an art form that also helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Calisthenics, which is a part of the warm-up, and the cool-down help the body get ready for all the strenuous fight-outs or sparring involved in karate. Sparring keeps your heart rate relatively high because of the constant movement involved. All the kicks, punches and blocks act as good stretch exercises to give you a good workout. Moreover it teaches you self-discipline, enabling you to control your reactions and utilise it to your benefit. It also teaches you the importance of good timing and good reflexes.

For the students at the karate school, training in karate has increased their confidence. “My time management skills have improved after I started learning karate. I have learnt punctuality and discipline through practising karate,” says Abhirami, a 13-year-old whose ‘chops and boots’ appear to be second to none.

At present a sixth belt in karate, Abhirami found the initial knuckle push-ups a little difficult. But now “I can fight with even three opponents,” she grins. Eleven-year-old Rishi, a Green Belt, is confident he can never be bullied because “if one knows all the blocks and attacks then one needs fear no one.” S.M. Ananth, who has just got admission to IIT Kanpur says he owes it all to karate classes. “Karate helped me improve my concentration levels and taught me about persistence and perseverance. Other than helping me keep fit physically, it has also methods to calm a stressful mind with its breathing and meditating techniques.” Then there is Syam who proves that you can learn karate at any age. Doing his Diploma in Pharmacy, he took to karate because he wanted to gain self-confidence. Practising karate for one and a half years now, he has experienced an immense change. “Karate, first and foremost, built my resistance, making me more strong and flexible. It inculcated the master-disciple tradition in me and made me sportive enough to realise that fighting is a game and it isn’t about winning or losing but about mutual mastery of the art.

Agrees Rajan, “Karate is all about perfecting the whole person – physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual. It breeds a positive mentality.”

Contact Josh Rajan: 9447428661.

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