Sophomore Mihir Samdarshi has participated in many sports, including rowing, boxing and basketball. But the one sport that he thinks impacted his life the most is karate. Besides being physically exerting, karate requires a great deal of mental toughness, since it teaches values such as discipline and dedication.
“All the other sports I was good at only because of my karate training,” Samdarshi said. “[Karate] teaches fitness, discipline and mental toughness, all of which are major components in every sport.”
Samdarshi has trained at the Saratoga Community Center since age 5, and is now training as a purple belt, working toward attaining a black belt when he turns 18.
Samdarshi said though the practices are taxing, he has continued with them for all of these years because of the invaluable set of skills they have ingrained in him.
“In the beginning I did it because I thought it would be fun,” Samdarshi said. “But now I understand the value that it brings to my life.”
Sophomore Michael Ong began participating in karate at the age of 5 when his parents urged him to try it.
“My parents wanted me to do it mainly for discipline,” Ong said. “That way, I would have some knowledge of self-defense and how to protect myself.”
Ong’s karate training came to an abrupt end soon after he started because of conflicts with other commitments. Though the time he spent learning karate was short, he realizes that his little experience actually helped him.
“[Karate] in addition to teaching me self-defense, taught me to become stronger, physically,” Ong said. “Even after I quit, Karate taught me how I could get stronger without lifting weights or anything.”
Many people, like Ong, have gained a lot from a short time in self-defense.
“It’s definitely better if you continue, but doing a little bit, or taking one of those crash courses is better than nothing,” Samdarshi said.
Samdarshi, who has been steadfast in carrying on with his karate training for years, finds that the training has sparked his interest in increasing his stamina in other ways too.
“Because of karate, I learned to do push-ups and got good at them,” Samdarshi said. “I did boxing for some time as well, and I can defend myself if I need to.”
Samdarshi appreciates how karate has both increased his athleticism and improved his knowledge in self-defense.
“Something can always happen in my life, and being able to defend myself would come in handy,” he said.
The main purpose of all forms of martial arts, after all, is self-defense. This skill may not be required on a daily basis, but it rests at the backs of the minds of all who know it, ready to be used whenever necessary.
“I know if I hadn’t done karate, I wouldn’t be even close to my physical capabilities now,” Samdarshi said. “Karate helps me more than I could think every day.”
