I spent much of the weekend sitting in the courtyard outside a karate studio, waiting for my daughter. Saturday afternoon was filled with anxious children, eager to practice and show doting grandparents all they had learned. Sunday was the belt test and pre-belt test class. There was no room in the studio for me, but the courtyard offered a peaceful view of my daughter through the large studio windows without disrupting her activities with my presence. That is one of the best parts of having a teenager – watching them interact with the world without you. It is a chance to see their true selves – without you, the mother, interfering just by being there.
And as I watched I realized that this Karate teacher, or sensei, has designed his program to do the same thing – allow the inner self, or soul. to emerge.
I took Karate as a child and again in college, and my sister became a black belt in Tai Kwon Do and even taught at a studio while she was away at college. I also watched my sister teach my children the basics of karate when they were toddlers. But none of my past experiences with Karate compare to this teacher and his program.
While I sat outside and watched a group of blackbelts practice in the studio, it became even more obvious. There was a young girl so full of grace that her kata was more of a dance. There was the young man exuding power. The warrior was next to him. The poet was in the back, older and and more thoughtful in his kata than the others, reflecting his age and many years spent contemplating life. The thing that shone through was a reflection of how each person views the world. It all shows while you do a kata. For this sensei and his way of teaching, the way to master karate leads to that reflection of your inner thoughts and personality.
The one aspect everyone of them share, beyond having the kata memorized, is a singular focus. Young and old, from the ten year old to the 60 year old – they are all absolutely focused. And the beauty of that shared focus is, I think, the beauty of karate and perhaps the reason that this sensei calls it, ‘the way of the soft touch.’ He is touching the souls of his students with karate and what emerges is a view into their true selves. Once that emerges, the sensei reaches out and nurtures the soul of each student as an individual and help them to grow and develop with that gentle touch.
