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By: Ikedi Ani-okoye

Karate is a centuries old marital art and sport that originates from Japan. It is an art whereby the person practices to harmonize their mind body and spirit. It trains them to be disciplined and focused. It is not just about fighting, but also teaches you how to control and master yourself.

So how is it like to learn in a formal setting? Well, firstly, you will walk into a huge and spacious place called the dojo. Your sensei (teacher) will then greet you and on to the first lesson you will go with your fellow peers. Lessons are generally spent on stances and various strikes and blocks.

One can also get to practice with a partner on the various sequences to familiarize themselves with it. Usually, one will be the attacker and the other will be the defender. After a few rounds, the sensei will ask positions to switch. Meaning the attacker now becomes the defender and the defender is now the attacker.

The beginners will start with their rank of white belt and gradually through demonstration and sparring tests, will progressed to yellow belt, then red,etc all the way to black belt. Now being at black belt doesn't mean you are at the pinnacle of marital arts. There are still specifically ten dans to go through. You can then progress to 1st degree black bellt, then 2nd degree, all the way up to 10th degree black belt.

Now is not just about beating people up, on the contrary, it should only be used to defend yourself. Being a black belt in does not mean you are invincible and can beat people up. It does mean there is a greater sense of responsibility in not causing grievous hurt to people and protecting those around you.

Karate can be a rewarding sports and martial arts to take up, and if you want to start learning it without first committing to formal lessons, you can learn from manuscripts from your own home. It is a great introduction to and you can familiarize yourself with the sequences first. But remember real life ability to defend yourself comes from learning from a competent instructor.