philosophy &
history
"Karate begins and ends with courtesy. There is no first strike in karate. First know yourself, then know others. Mentality over technique. The heart must be set free. Karate is a lifelong pursuit. Do not think of winning...Think, rather, of not losing. Be constantly mindful, diligent, and resourceful, in your pursuit of the Way. " ~ Gichin Funakoshi ~ Legend says that in the sixth century A.D, monk Bodhidharma came from India to the Shaolin temple in the province of Henan, China, to teach monks breathing techniques and exercises that became the basis of Shaolin Boxing and which inspired most of Kung Fu schools. Okinawa techniques that originated Karate were brought by Chinese missionaries.
FITNESS & PERFORMANCE
Martial arts are an ancient method of training your mind, body and spirit to act as one. High quality fitness program is essential to a successful achievement of self defense technicks. The practice of martial arts brings several benefits, both physical and mental. Martial arts training help to lose weight (One hour of intense training can burn up to 700 kcal) and work muscle groups such as glutes, biceps, triceps, abdomen, shoulders, back and calf, while improving the function of internal organs. Martial artists are known for being toned, flexible and physically fit. It is important for children to understand the importance of being healthy and physically fit at an early age.
CHILDREN & cOMPETITION
It’s good for kids to value excellence as long as they don’t feel valued only for their excellence. Research tells us that temperament, culture, talent and the age affect how a child handles competition. The paradox of competition seems to be that the desire to win is a strong motivator and keeps us from getting lazy in the games we play in our life, but as soon as our focus gets too much on winning, we lose the “mening”. Children are not born with competitive urge. They learn it. They don't begin to compete with and compare their skills to others until they're about 5 years old. They also have to be 10 or 11 before they can handle defeat gracefully.
Karate-DO Tradition & sport
In traditional karate victory is not an ultimate aim. Tradition karate is an art of self-defence which uses only and in the most efficient way human body. It employs mainly blocking, blowing, punching and kicking techniques. But martial arts can be used to tell a different story. Ang Lee used martial arts in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to talk about love. Karate is divided into style organizations. These organizations sometimes cooperate in non-style specific sport karate federations. The federations hold competitions (tournaments) from local to international level. Tournaments are designed to confront members of different schools or styles against one another in kata, sparring and weapons demonstration.
KARATE QUEBEC, KARATE CANADA, SPORT ET LOISIR DE L'ILE DE MONTREAL