June 10, 2009

Karate from an Outsider’s Perspective: It Turns Out It’s Not All “Hiiii-yah!”

My name is Lauren Balogh, and I am a karate virgin.

Yep, that’s right. I said it. I’ve never done karate.

Which made it particularly interesting when, almost four years ago, I started dating my boyfriend, a practitioner of Okinawa Kenpo Karate and Kobudo. I wasn’t sure what that meant, or what that meant for the relationship I was about to get into. Was he going to hit me? If he got mad, was he capable of killing me?

I knew a few guys that practiced martial arts around the college campus that we attended. They were mostly into MMA, which was crawling into the general public’s awareness at that time. What I knew of MMA was scary—a bunch of rough looking dudes who had a bone to pick (evidently a pretty big one) with other rough looking dudes beat the life out of each other, leaving teeth and blood in their wake. I kind of assumed this is what all martial arts were like, and figured maybe this wasn’t something I was looking to bring into my life.

But my boyfriend (who shall remain unnamed) changed that. Well…maybe not right away. A few dates in, while hanging out with friends, he showed me a self-defense move that put my right arm in quite the awkward—and mildly painful—position. But he didn’t do it out of anger, nor did he hold it for long. After my first surprised “ow!” he let go, and never did it again. My admittedly vague opinion of karate was already beginning to change.

A few more dates in, he showed me some self-defense moves. At the time, we both lived in a not-exactly-family-friendly part of town, and he wanted me to be able to get out of a bad situation if I needed to. “But isn’t karate about bringing down your attacker and stuff?” I remember asking, confused. No, he explained. Karate is about finding a way out; it’s about defense, not aggression. “Well what about those MMA guys on campus and on TV who are always kicking the crap out of each other?” I then witnessed the first of many eye rolls my boyfriend would direct toward pop culture’s MMA. Still, I wasn’t ready to believe that the martial arts weren't all “hiiiiii-yah!” and beating up bad guys.

It wasn’t until I saw my boyfriend in action that I really grasped the “arts” portion of the term “martial arts.” There really was nothing aggressive about it. Sure, he had a variety of weapons in his hands that he was wielding toward other people. But it was almost a kind of moving meditation; a conversation of limbs between two highly skilled people. The surprising lack of aggression really forced my perception of karate and the martial arts to change that night. I started seeing the martial arts, as, well, an art.

Watching him practice karate and kobudo gave me some perspective on understanding and acceptance. I watched him deftly handle people flying at him with swords and screaming, blocking their blows and maneuvering easily. He had to know exactly what his body was doing, and was capable of, at all times, otherwise the exercise could end pretty badly. He showed patience and understanding of his body, and had the willpower to focus his mind completely on what he was doing. He showed understanding and acceptance of his capabilities, and I admired him for it.

I was learning that it was all about discipline, not frustration. He wasn’t doing karate because he lacked of control of his emotions, he was doing as a way of controlling his emotions. Karate and the martial arts in general were not the flashy, backflip-heavy fight fest I thought it was—it was a tool for bringing out the best in people, both mentally and physically.

I may not know how to defend myself from a bo using sai (that actually kind of sounds like a bad idea), but I can say that after four years, my perspective of karate and the martial arts in general has changed drastically. When someone says they practice the martial arts, I no longer automatically picture one MMA dude punching another MMA dude until he’s unconscious—I now admire the person for showing such discipline and dedication to an ancient art. I don’t jump to the assumption that they are the bad guy, running up walls and roundhouse kicking people in the face. While I’m not exactly seeing karate from the inside, I can now say I can see it a little clearer—and I like what I’m seeing.

Lauren Balogh writes her own blog called "Get Fox'd" which features "travel reviews, insights and goals."