In this article I will try to explain what in my opinion Kyokushin Karate stands for. Aspects like discipline , perseverance , respect , self confidence and martial skill are part of the Kyokushin spirit I will also try to explain to what point Kyokushin Karate can make a difference in your live and even change for complete.

Kyokushinkai Karate

Kyoku means the ultimate , the extreme
The true meaning of this is that you are prepared to do or give all you got in every situation to finally get what you wanted or achieve your goal

Shin stands for truth.
Only with an iron discipline and a correct mentality is this possible to achieve. You will have to confront yourself with reality without taking shortcuts and when you can do this you will have boosted your self esteem

Kai or cooperation.
Only by helping each other in the correct balance and with respect for every point of view. Respect is an essential part of every relationship between humans.

Al the points mentioned above are to my point of view character building and of major pedagogic importance. Kyokushinkai is very well known for his hard but honest form of karate. Through the hard and rough training you will become very strong , both physical and mental. The positive result of it being more self esteem and auto control. I am truly convinced that Kyokushinkai Karate gives a positive impulse and contributes to your further development in your life , school , work ,etc... 

Many times parents ask me “Isn’t karate very aggressive and dangerous ?" In reality , we see that karate helps keeping people involved in it's training to stay calmer and more disciplined en by acting this way they will try to prevent a "situation" to occur People who are trying karate with the intention to hurt or use it for bad purposes often lack the mentality to keep up with the harsh training. So Karate training is like a filter, keeping the bad guys out.

In all the years that I have practiced Karate I have never seen somebody entering the school asking for mental preparation or training. All entered with the intention to do something with their body or to improve their physical condition, some even come to learn how to fight. Unfortunately most of the people who start training karate are not interested in the mental aspects of Kyokushinkai Karate , independent of their education , profession or beliefs. Most of them prefer to burn some adrenaline in the dojo together with their friends after a hard day on the job or in school  But the surprise come to those who persevere.......without knowing what is this Karate going to do with them on a mental level.

As a teacher one can detect the subtle changes in the practitioner as he becomes more and more involved in Karate. The first signs of these changes are small things like using polite language, taking care of the clothes, hygiene, etc... Later the karateka start to help his juniors without being asked , etc... I think every sensei likes it when parents come up to him saying that the were reluctant when their son / daughter started karate training but now they are glad they did. . Many times they  say that their child has changed a lot and they appreciate the changes.

These changes can be contributed to the positive influence of the strong discipline but friendly ambience that is always present in the dojo, where the Japanese way of courtesy is always present. In the dojo the student finds friendship and a place to burn that extra energy or to get rid of internal tension. He or she will not react immediately aggressively in day to day situations because this aggressive way of resolving conflicts is taken care of in the dojo. Of course the strong rule that all who look for trouble outside the dojo and use their Karate for it will get expelled for live and will loose their training home Student learn to discover  and to control themselves .

A golden rule says that one never has to speak with the starting karateka about spiritual or psychological aspects because he or she most likely will not understand it. This spiritual development will come after years and years of disciplined training  By teaching the spiritual part on the exact moment he or she will wake up and be receptive for this part of karate On the moment the student wakes up he or she will really understand Kyokushinkai- Karate.

Years of experience point out that only the strongest survive and that many people benefit in their daily lives from the positive influences of Kyokushinkai Karate What do I mean with "only the strongest survive”? I will try to explain it

If you look back after years of training already having a higher grade , sitting in the front row , about the boys and girls you started your training with , you will find out that from that group there is almost nobody left. so you will ask yourself " Where did they go " , "Why do so few people keep going " ?

Is it because of your strong desire to keep going or the weakness of those who left ? I think it is due to both. It is a hard reality in Kyokushin Karate that if you keep training , the front row will come and one day you will be seated amongst the senior practitioners , but only thanks to hard work Those who can't do the work will automatically eliminate themselves.

It is all mental disposition and endurance because the physical abilities to perform the techniques correctly only come through hard training. You will have to train and repeat until you drop down and you mastered the technique. Train, train , train even when you don't feel like training . Training nothing more, nothing less  Easy to say but in reality it's not so easy. If it where there would not be so many people dropping out and all would hold brown or black belts. I guess there is no magic formula to make things easier and not everybody will become a black belt.

On every training a student gets confronted with physical exhaustion. The feeling that there is nothing left inside is a test of personality. The student will get confronted by his own weaknesses On this moment his character will decide for him. Give up or continue ? Do I choose for the easy way or do I persevere? Unfortunately all to many people choose the easy way and give up and never get to the higher levels of karate Karate has the great advantage that the only enemy in training will be your inner self and thus you will learn all there is to know about your real enemy , your self.

When you ask yourself, “Why do people want to go through this kind of training " ? Personally I think that the true karateka is searching for his true inner self and the limits of his capabilities and for that he is willing to suffer. The limits are set in your brain, where do I put my limits. A pure psychological process. The process that will help you find your limits is pain and extreme perseverance. The inevitable pain will never go away, only will be controlled. .

Control and perseverance can only be learned by training regularly and intensive. This will help you develop physically. This physical development will give you resistance and protect you against burn out. Off course these limits are different for everybody. The natural process of training will help your body get used to extreme training conditions If you do this in a responsible way by giving your injury's time to heal and your body time to recuperate than there will be no problem at all

Always try to go as far as possible but listen to the signals of your body. Don't give up when things become hard or difficult because you will be amazed by what you can do. Most of us can do a lot more than we are use to do.

Strive On! Be the greatest you can be. This is the true Kyokushin Way!!

Osu !!

Sjaak van de Velde shihan