A Guiding Principle of Karate

  "The ultimate aim of the art of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the characters of its participants" - Gichin Funakoshi

What Does Funakoshi mean by this quote ?  This comes from his book, “The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate“. The goal in the writing of this post, is not to attempt to give you all the answers, but an attempt to get you to think, use your mind, and look deeply into the understanding of the meaning of the thoughts behind the words.

Martial Arts emphasizes on balance-- balance of the mind and body. Both should work as one. Therefore ever student of martial arts needs to find a balance between the Karate and the "Do".  Gichin Funakoshi had great balance between the Fighting aspect and the way of the art. Every student should not focus on just the  physical aspect of Karate, but to  take the time to study the true meaning behind Karate-Do and Martial Arts. Limiting yourself to the physical aspect of Martial Arts,  will only result in learning just one element of the Martial Arts. The mind and spirit combined with the physical  is as integral  in accomplishing the whole; the essence of Karate and the Martial Arts;  The balance of the mind, body and spirit - True balance. It offers the calm of not only balance but the discipline to accomplish it. The physical training offers great  benefits but remember martial arts is also about mental training and,  developing greater character, and that gives you a stronger spirit, and a confident mind and greater consciousness of oneself and the freedom to know you are doing the right by your being.