Okinawan Traditional Goju Ryu Karate-do Association
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The Karate Team Spirit

I’d only really played team sports before I decided, with a certain degree of trepidation, to begin training in Goju-Ryu karate with Sensei Andy at Hallam dojo. Would I really enjoy it? Would I get the same buzz in what I saw as an individual sport that I had kicking or hitting a ball around a pitch with 10 other like-minded team mates? Would there be the same team spirit I enjoyed so much in team sports?

So I decided to give karate a go and haven’t looked back. Obviously as a beginner starting a new sport anywhere is pretty tough but the welcome, support and encouragement a newcomer gets at Hallam dojo puts you at ease straight away. As the weeks progressed I became increasingly addicted to the sport and began to relish in the team spirit I doubted I would find. Karate offers a sense of camaraderie and togetherness through cheering others on to complete their 100 th sit-up, a sense of collective achievement as you count the final 10 star jumps for the grading black belt candidate and a satisfaction in knowing that you’ve played your part in everyone’s achievements. Although at Hallam dojo our karate is taken very seriously, the mickey taking and banter that even rise above the grunts and groans of the 50th press-up gets you through…even if I seem to have endured more than my fair share during this football season!

So if you’re thinking about changing sport and fancy an individual sport, maybe you should join the ‘karate team’ - I did and it’s one of the most fun, rewarding moves I’ve ever made!

Claire Humberstone

Sheffield Hallam Dojo
©2011 Okinawan Traditional Goju-ryu Karate-do Association All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Sensei Andrews
    • Youtube
    • Private Lessons
  • Goju Ryu
    • History
    • Kata
  • OTGKA Dojos
    • Honbu Dojo
    • Basildon Dojo
    • Brentwood Dojo
    • Cambridge Dojo
    • Dansankan Dojo
    • Harlow Dojo
    • High Wycombe Dojo
    • Hillingdon Dojo
    • Reading Dojo
    • Slough Dojo
    • Swansea Dojo
  • Courses
  • Articles
    • Archive >
      • About
      • Photos >
        • Gallery1
        • Gallery2
        • Gallery3
      • Course Reports 2010
      • Course Reports 2009
      • Older Articles
      • IOGKF European Gasshuku
      • Budosai
      • Poems
      • Goju Ryu & Karate
      • The Marble Factory
  • Instructors