Sanchin

People do Karate for many reasons. I mostly have three reasons.

Sanchin is a word that pops up often in Karate. It literally means Three Battles. There are Katas by that name, and stances, and attitudes.

I find it describes my overall view of Karate.

Three Battles. Three Struggles. Not all are equal.

The least of my Three Struggles, is Karate's self defence aspect. Let me count the total number of incidents I've had since starting Karate in 1981. Let's see, street fights, assaults, muggings, bar room brawls...it adds up to zero. Maybe I should include all the close calls. Still zero.

It would be pretty silly if my major reason for being in Karate was to protect myself from a threat that is pretty minimal.

Far up the scale of my Three Aspects of Karate is Sport. This includes tournament competition, and training that reflects sport.

I've only ever been in one major tournament, and a half dozen minor ones. In class, we often free spar, and this is sport as well.

I like sparring. It is a chance to measure oneself against others. It is also a hoot to do. It is fun to help produce people who enter tournaments, even if I don't compete much myself.

I'd say for me Sport is an order of magnitude more significant than Self-Defence.

The most significant of my Three Struggles is Self Improvement. I do this by pushing myself inch by inch down the endless road to perfection of technique.

Each punch is like a brush stroke on a canvas. The goal is to make each such stroke as perfect as possible, trying to make the finest art possible.

Karate is normally a pretty boisterous activity. Usually lots of yelling, and loudly vocalized instructions. Sometimes I like it done in silence. It can totally change the feeling. It can feel more perfect.

Sometimes I manage to reach a state of no-mind while doing basics or Kata. That's where one is able to perform at one's highest level, and yet not think at all. The Japanese call this Zen. Attaining this state is part of my Third Struggle. I love it.

To me, this self improvement is ten times more important than sport, and a hundred times more significant than self-defence.

Of course, this is not true of everyone. It might well be unique to me.

Sanchin.