At the Orillia Academy of Karate, students come from all walks of life in all age groups and all shapes and sizes. And they all have their own reasons for joining, ranging from the desire to be able to defend themselves to the desire to get in shape.
Here are a few reasons to try karate that you may not have even considered. Hopefully some of these points will inspire you to come and try us out:
Self Confidence
Karate will help improve your posture, balance, awareness and the ability to protect yourself. Also, as your karate training progresses, you will be encouraged to perform and speak before the group and take a leadership role, either in a small group situation or with the entire class. All of this combined will have a profound effect on your confidence level in everyday life.
Self Defense
One of the most common reasons to attend karate classes is to learn how to defend oneself. You will first of all learn how to block an attack and you’ll get to practice many different potential situations and techniques. Pretty soon you’ll find you have the ability to respond automatically and without hesitation to any physical attack.
It’s important to note that we never initiate a violent situation but rather are ready to control one should it be forced upon us.
Self Discipline
Karate requires and promotes as high a degree of training of the mind as it does the body. Self discipline is a particular requirement in sparring, which should always be controlled, non-contact and non-violent. The idea is not to win over an opponent, but to conquer oneself.
Coordination
Karate requires a lot of hand, foot, eye, and mental coordination, which is developed over time. If you consider yourself as an uncoordinated person, our training will help you grow those skills. Even if you are a natural athlete, standing on one foot while kicking with the other and blocking with your hands is quite difficult and involves a lot of coordination.
Family Enjoyment
We encourage entire families to join and train together – it’s a great way to spend time with your family. We’ve even had families all test together for various belt levels.
Meet New People
People who begin karate together develop a bonding friendship and very often obtain their next belt levels at the same time because they work together and encourage each other during class time. Many lasting friendships have been created at the Orillia Academy of Karate over the years.
Whatever your top reason to try karate, we hope to welcome you soon!
