Karate Is For Everyone
By Tyler Smith

The reason I started karate was because I was looking for a way to spend Saturdays at my school. I soon became fascinated with karate and I wanted to join a club. Luckily I found the one I am still enjoying today. I have been with Wado Kai since I can remember. I started out just like every other member before me has, as a white belt. There were a few people at first but then it gradually grew to larger numbers and soon I was surrounded by fellow white belts who were ready to join.

There were lots of different people already at this club because I wasn't the first to discover it. They had a combination of white, yellow and some orange belts practicing there. I was really starting to enjoy myself.

Soon I was getting the basic of the techniques in my head. We then started learning basic moves such as kicking, punching and blocking. You would think that was easy but for only a white belt it was a lot more difficult than it looked.

I was climbing the ladder to success when I got my yellow belt. When I got that belt I was now dedicated to what I was doing. My friends saw what I was enjoying and some joined and others did not. They thought it would be too hard and you would have to be a real athlete or really co-ordinated to practice this kind of art. I still think that they are totally wrong. I'm going to tell what I told them.

I said "I went into this because I thought it would be fun and it has been a fun time for me." I was not a really stretchable guy when I started out and I was not a real athlete but I was determined and that is all you need.

Determination is the key to karate. If you have that, you can do anything you put your mind to. I am now trying to get more people into karate and I'm telling them that it's not the hardest thing in the world. Anyone can do it as long as they have determination. I have kept going since I started and I am now a blue belt and I'm proud of it. I was determined to reach this level and now that I have it I will use that determination to go farther.

I believe that anyone can do karate. It is for self -defense but it's a good exercise also. I will continue to tell people about the advantages of karate and about how anyone can join because the club has both adult and youth classes so everyone can enjoy the experience of karate.

I hope that I will soon become a black belt so that I can prove that hard work and determination does and always will pay off.

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