Every Sunday at 9:00am, 50 young boys and girls between the ages of 7-17, meet at Amahoro National Stadium for Karate at the Lionceau Karate club. The children do this for fun at the dojo (training hall). Karate is a sure way to prepare these young bloods to grow towards becoming Rwanda’s Olympic gold medalists.
Every Sunday at 9:00am, 50 young boys and girls between the ages of 7-17, meet at Amahoro National Stadium for Karate at the Lionceau Karate club.
The children do this for fun at the dojo (training hall). Karate is a sure way to prepare these young bloods to grow towards becoming Rwanda’s Olympic gold medalists.
Martial art as a sport is based on the principles of respect and ‘Do no harm.’ This means that unlike what we see in karate movies which show violence, karate means nonviolence except if its self-defence.
Besides exercising, this sport instills proper conduct and self-discipline in these children. Today martial art training is known to build a solid foundation of self-esteem and confidence in children.
This can well be seen at the dojo as children interact. Furthermore, when children master the Kata (martial arts movements), they develop good memorisation, aerobic exercise as well as body balance and coordination.
The writer is a karate student