FAQ's

Karate is a martial art and system of self-defense that originated hundreds of years ago in Okinawa, but was greatly influenced by an even older tradition from India. Literally, "karate-do" means "the way of the empty hand," referring to the fact that its practitioners use no weapons to attack and defend, but only the hands, feet, and body. Yet karate is much more than merely physical. It is founded on a grand philosophical and spiritual tradition based on Zen Buddhist principles. Through hard training and practice, karate develops not only the body, but also the mind and character.

The ultimate purpose of karate is not physical prowess or the winning of matches, but the development of balance, harmony and spiritual and physical strength through strict, disciplined training. Karate schools you in natural, effortless action, and imbues you with an openness, peace and wholeness of character that vastly enrich day-to-day life.

The only real requirement is a disciplined commitment to work hard and train patiently. As long as that commitment is there, karate is for everyone—regardless of age, sex, or ethnic background. Children can benefit from the self-discipline, and the skills acquired will improve their self-confidence and character. The training is non-competitive. Older people have gained their black belts after 60 and have practiced the art into their 80's. Older students receive the same training as younger people, although naturally the instructor will not demand the same level of endurance. Everyone's training is with oneself - the instructor only expects the best that you can achieve; there is no competition with anyone else in the lesson. You can adjust your training to suit your own stamina and abilities, but the harder you train the more you will benefit.

Not really. Since karate will gradually improve your fitness as you progress, your starting point is less important than the effort you put into it along the way. You are expected to be committed to your karate training, and to attend classes on a regular basis.

You are expected to give your karate training your maximum effort, and to work hard during practice. You are expected to demonstrate the respect, humility and courtesy upon which karate’s long-standing tradition is founded..

Karate has tremendous benefits for body, mind and spirit. Physically, karate is good for the heart, strengthens bones, builds muscle, creates resilience, develops hand-eye coordination, and makes the body less susceptible to sickness and injury. Mentally, karate helps develop patience, discipline, perseverance, understanding and open-mindedness, as well as concentration and focus. Spiritually, karate builds confidence, develops self-control and increases calmness and peace.

It's really up to you. The more you practice, the more you will improve - for your entire life. There is no limit to mastering karate, no "Final destination" at which you can arrive. There are benchmarks along the way however. In the AIZIKA, you progress through a series of belt levels (7th to 1st Kyu). After that, you receive a Black Belt, and progress through another 9 degrees of Black Belt (1st to 10th Dan). A student with no prior training joins the AIZIKA as 7th Kyu, and is eligible to take ranking examinations every 5 months of training. Since there are 7 examinations you must pass to attain a black belt, the 1st Dan requires a minimum three years of diligent training. It takes several years to attain each subsequent Dan. At these higher levels, you will see that karate is not just something to be learned, but something to be lived. And that takes a lifetime.

At the AIZIKA, karate is not a sport or a game of points; it is a way of life based on Zen Isshinryu.

In true karate, the body, mind and spirit—the whole person—must be developed simultaneously. Through intense practice, the physical and mental aspects of karate can be brought together. The result is natural, effortless action, and the confidence, humility, openness and peace only possible through perfect unity of body and mind. This is the core teaching of Zen Isshinryu Karate.

While Karate is a contact sport it is by no means full contact. At normal training, particularly at the start, you will not be hitting each other at all. If you decide to do competitions you will be given pads and will actually be penalised if you hurt the opponent, the skill is stopping your punch or kick just as you touch. That said, accidents and injuries do happen but they are more often at high level competitions. Also karate is not all about kumite (fighting/sparring). From self defence to kata (forms) theres something for everybody.

Normally we train in a "gi" ( Karate Uniform ), but till you get your Uniform we would advise that you turn up wearing some comfortable loose fitting clothing, and be prepared to train in bare feet.

Absolutely not. Children learn a lot about what it means to be respectful and polite here. As a result, kids who weren't violent in the first place become even more respectful and kind. Kids with behavior problems often become very respectful and calm.