By
Shihan Syed Mohiuddin
Founder and Chief Instructor
Lion Budokan Karate International

I feel lucky to have lived my childhood at the times when we did not have handheld gadgets, wifi, and electronic social media. Most of you who are my age or above must be able to relate to what I am referring to here.

The games we played, the way we made friends, our bond with the neighbourhood, families and extended families were incredible.

Having said, I am not or a person who still want to live without accessing technology per se. The reasons why I am trying to emphasize on and base this article on are the qualities and characteristics our kids, and the Karate students are developing by training Karate.

Six years at LBKI in Auckland and about three decades of Karate training, I have learned the following benefits the Karate practitioner instills within:

Karate teaches self-discipline. There is a myth that kids become violent when they join any combative sport. With the Karate it’s the other way round. Karate practitioners learn self-control, focus and patience. They develop the level of confidence within and use this as a vital life skill in their career growth.

In addition to some external qualities like strength, flexibility, agility, athleticism, balance and technique, martial arts also teaches to keep calm and alert at some unfavorable circumstances. How to punch an opponent and how to block that attack are just the basics they learn as part of Karate. What they discover by joining a Dojo and practicing with their peers is how to avoid a fighting situation in the first place and how to use techniques if the situation they are in is not favorable

It demands dedication and determination. If a practitioner manages to walk the path and reaches the level of the black belt – it means he/she has already demonstrated these personal qualities that lie within him/her.

Please do not discontinue or give Karate a break due to your studies. Have you heard of that proverb? “Sound mind in a sound body”. If you are good at self-assessing your habits and developments, you will surely agree with me that a tough karate session will only help you be more attentive and help you give your best in your studies too. Spending a couple of hours over a week at the Dojo will sure give your mind a fresh feeling that you can utilize in your studies. During my studies, I had never found a day when Karate sessions didn’t help me mentally and help solve me those robust Mathematical and Software algorithms.

If you have not read my other article ‘Karate for everyone’, please visit this link https://www.budokan.co.nz/karate-nz/ and have a read.

About the author:

Syed Mohiuddin is an Entrepreneur and a Business consultant. He is the founder of a Web Development and Digital Marketing company in Auckland, New Zealand. He has also found a Karate club and holds the position of Chief Instructor at Lion Budokan Karate International New Zealand.

Graduated in Master of Computer Applications and Business Management, Syed enjoys helping and mentoring students and small businesses with their personal growth and business growth respectively. Syed sees himself as a coach who can challenge people’s thoughts and help them pick a direction for their growth – be a personal or business.