Eastleigh & Fair Oak Karate Blog

                                   I have often wondered "How good is my self discipline?" I was brought up with a background in Karate which is a very disciplined art, so naturally I figured I would be good. Karate teaches respect: respect to your superiors, respect to others in the class, respect to the art & respect for yourself. Does it teach self discipline to survive in the rigours of daily life? What are the self discipline skills required for everyday life? I think: Punctuality, hygiene, personal appearance, politeness, accepting criticism, working within a team, reliability, composure & attitude. So how does Karate fit in here? Punctuality and reliability It doesn't teach punctuality, it is just expected. If we were late, we weren't refused entry. We had to wait on our knees at the back until invited to enter the class. I learned some patience, but not really punctuality. But, ente...

Karate and Mental Health  - The effects of Karate and Martial arts on health have been fairly well researched, but the effects on mental health less so. We know that physical activity can help with depression, anxiety, and wellness, so anecdotally and from opinion, it would seem likely that Martial arts and subsequently Karate would help, but does it really? A meta-analysis (a study of studies which is a gold standard in the quality of evidence) by Moore et al, (2022) analysing 14 studies found that martial arts has a positive effect on wellness and feelings of wellbeing, a moderate effect in reducing mild depression and anxiety, but did not show an effect in reducing aggression with some studies showing negative results. Therefore, it should be suggested that using Martial arts to combat aggression may be a bad idea! Having said that, a study conducted fairly recently (Parsamajd & Teymori, 2024) found positive outcomes in behavioural measures that include aggression and de...