About Practice

When I write about karate training on this page I find that I use the word "practice" quite a lot. When we train together in the dojo, we spend a great deal of time doing things in a controlled way - it is not common for people to simply bow towards one another and then begin fighting wildly.

Dojo training is usually led by a senior instructor, or Sensei. In a martial arts class the Sensei's main job is to teach his students how to perform correctly. When training together we are expected to be civil and respectful towards one another at all times, this includes during sparring sessions when you might expect people to fight and try to hurt one another. Although fighting is part of karate, just as it is a part of life, in the dojo environment we don't ever try to harm our training partners. This is against the dojo rules in most martial arts clubs. So, in order to learn how to use effective techniques against an opponent, sparring is taught very slowly and in a set manner.

The simulated sparring exercises used in a dojo are quite unrealistic - as an example, two people who are training together will stand face to face. One partner will step forward to punch his opponent in the chest, before the strike is thrown both people know what is going to happen next. A strike will be delivered at a set target. Hopefully in this situation the person punching would not change the target and hit his partner in the face instead!

Performing techniques that have been pre-arranged is called Practice. We practice again and again until we are satisfied that the technique is being performed correctly. Then we practice some more! Many martial arts movements are not natural movements. By that I mean that we might find them difficult to perform them on the first go. Practicing the same movements again and again for an extended period of time causes your body to do things differently, as you begin to "learn" the movement and perform it in a particular way. This process is also known as muscle memory. The more often we practice doing anything, whether it is martial arts or kicking a ball or driving a car, the better our muscle memory becomes. Also, it is possible to lose muscle memory - just stop training for a few weeks and then try to go back to where you left off. The body "forgets" movement easily.

Karate training is all about practice and repeating the same routines and techniques many times over. The more we practice doing a certain movement, the better we get at performing it and the easier it is to do. As long as you have good instruction, repeated practice of any given movement can be improved and after a while your ability to perform increases. The key is practice.