My early Karate days (I am in the middle at the back) and my first competition.
Karate
Ever since I had first seen something resembling the martial arts on television as a boy, I knew I wanted to learn them. I should say that school life was never easy for from Primary 5 or 6 I became the target of bullies. It wasn’t that I was a small weak person, far from it, I guess I just wasn’t much of a fighter. Years later as a Karate Coach I was able to talk to parents who worried about their children at school, and I was also able to talk to the children who trained in my class. Hopefully I was able to help those who were bullied and perhaps give potential bullies some food for thought when they came to learn Karate with me. The bad news for parents is that karate doesn’t change the timid person into an aggressive person, at least not in my experience. What it does do hopefully is help handle situations better and of course aid confidence when one learns that it is possible to defend oneself without being big or having “big” muscles! I mention this only as a background, I did not start in Karate because I was bullied, the whole thing just fascinated me and to be perfectly honest the martial arts still fascinate me as much now as it did then. When I first started training, I was 20 years old, Karate clubs or any Martial arts clubs were very few especially living in rural areas. After some research I heard of a club in Uphall which adjoins Broxburn in West Lothian. I didn’t want to go on my own, so I discovered that my sister Isabel’s boyfriend at that time, Sam, was interested too. We went along to the pub where the class was held in the lounge bar twice a week, it was an adult class, very few if any children trained in these days. We were allowed to watch, I paid particular attention to the exercises thinking I didn’t want to make a fool of myself when I finally went to train properly. After the class finished Sam and I spoke to the instructor and told him we would be along to train regularly. I went home and religiously did the exercises I had seen, even sticking my feet under my bed for the stomach exercises until I could do them without support.
The big night duly arrived, and Sam and I lined up at the back of the class and then I discovered what that even for all my preparation I was still unprepared, my instructor doubled all the exercises and I had decided that I was going to do them all. Well, I had to leave the class and run to the toilet where I was promptly sick, totally different being sick through exercise than any other sickness. I forced myself back and finished the class. I loved the training however looking back and having trained in other classes, in other styles of Karate, with other Instructors I recognise now that this, with my first instructor, was a dangerous type of coaching and would not be allowed today by the regulatory authority. The club was not licensed, however that was not important to me at the time.
Sam gave up eventually by which time I had become integrated in the club. I was always better with my hands as flexibility with my legs was something I had to work on.
It was shortly after Sam left that our coach organised a weekend camp, staying in tents in a field near a river in Broxburn. I had just recently purchased my first Karate suit which was a pristine white. During the camp weekend we were crawling through fields which had their share of Cow droppings and we also spent time training in water in the nearby river. At the end of our first day, I stripped of my wet and dirty Karate suit and got changed for eating and sitting around the campfire. After good night’s sleep I awoke to find my Karate Suit standing where I had left it. The jacket and trousers standing stiff on their own just looked so funny and strange, it was as if they had a life of their own.
After our normal training sessions some of us used to stay behind and do some extra training when the class finished. One night another person, Jock, practised with me. We faced each other and practised kicks. Jock protectively covered his groin, at which (having trained longer than him) I told him he had nothing to worry about. He then relaxed and I practised a very poor side kick which caught him in the groin and had him jump in the air then roll on the floor clutching his vitals. Frankly I couldn’t stop laughing because it is always funny when you are not the one doing the rolling about! Jock was great though once he recovered, he eventually laughed too, much to my relief. One major lesson is that you can’t play with fire and not expect to get burned occasionally. As a coach though you take every precaution to avoid accidents, Karate is a serious sport, but it still provides great fun and adventure. People believe when you achieve your Dan grade (black belt) that is it, you’ve reached that exalted goal! Not so I am afraid, Dan means level, therefore 1st Dan means first level, when you have the tools to start.
