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Contrary to some
popular stereotypes, karate is less about impressing all-comers with your tough
Eastern cool and more about finding a peaceful and harmonious path through life.
Thanks
largely to Hollywood, martial arts are now firmly fixed in our Western culture.
But our exposure to Karate is often skewed through the screen violence of Bruce
Lee, Tarrantino's Kill Bill and maybe even the enigmatic Mr Mayagi. Mike
Clark has studied karate for over 20 years both here in the UK and in Japan and
now teaches a small group of students at his home in Southampton.
"It's
not seeking to attack or to avoid attack but more seeking to be in harmony with
what's around you - whether it's people or situations", said Mike.
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| Mike
(centre) teaches a small group of select students. | "It's
actually about stopping fighting. But first you need to study conflict so you
can learn how to control it and stop it - when we feel in control we don't need
to fight - it's the fear that makes us fight", he said. The
initial motivation for learning a martial art varies from student to student.
It could be simply wanting to keep fit, but it is often the lure of the black
belt. "For
some people the goal is just the belt", said Mike. "But when they've
achieved that they realise that they are still the same person as they were originally. "It
isn't the belt that is important, it's the way they feel about themselves. The
belt has no power - it isn't a magic talisman - it's only what they put into it
physically, mentally and spiritually." A
good teacher aims to transform the student's motivation to own a black belt into
developing a better understanding of the true nature of karate. Mike
continued: "What starts as a negative - wanting to defeat people and defend
yourself or maybe even belt the hell out of people turns into a realisation that
if you go throught life thinking like that you're going to be unhappy all the
time." Alongside
the physical practice of karate, the spiritual aspect of martial arts is known
as the Do (pronounced "dough") - and means the way or the path. "To
me it's not a religion or a dogma," said Mike. "It's a spiritual way
of life in so far as putting me in tune with my surroundings. "It's
not a belief system as such because I'm not believing in another entity but instead
I'm looking to take responsibility for myself and my actions - and not blame others
or other forces for what I can't do. "A
lot of it is about awarenes", continued Mike. "It's a bit like Zen -
but instead of enclosing yourself in a temple you can do it while you're at work
- think about your balance and your breathing and maintaining an awareness."
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