Alban's
Personal view of Karate

Here's what he has to say.

Why karate is important to me.
Karate is important because it gives me a safe environment for me to express myself truly. It's important because not only is it good for (self-defense) but for my health too, it’s also fun and exciting.

It taught me discipline, respect and duty, making me a better person. Because of this I cannot thank my sensei enough for this opportunity; without him I could not have pushed myself to my limits and beyond.

How karate benefits me.
Karate benefits me in many ways; for example, by improving my physical health. The way karate does this is through a variety of different techniques and exercises from cardio to muscle training to many other things.

Karate also brings up my mental health as (somehow) makes me a generally happier person outside of karate.

(2)  Karate also benefits me as it boosts my communication and tactical skills - while training and engaging with other karate-ka, (which I am grateful to have been training with so far - and I would take this opportunity to say Thank You to everyone.)

Communications:
Thanks to the club philosophy and style the karate-ka are always encouraged to communicate with each other and to not corner themselves or feel shy.
Regardless if you like or not the people you train with - in the dojo there is NO LIKE or DISLIKE or choosing with who to train. Respect is for everyone - and I have learned that communicating with fellow students and people is the best way to show it - and the bestway to start earning their respects.

This way you give the opportunity to the other person / karate-ka to communicate with you. By avoiding communication, that opportunity can or will be lost.

Tactical skills:
Although long term planning for a fight in karate isn't always used - quick decisive movement in a short time is used almost all the time - so training like this can and will boost the tactical skills. It does for me.