For me Martial Arts, Karate in particular,
has always fascinated me.
The techniques seemed almost magical,
mythical, mysterious.
When I was running through the forms,
I was no longer in inner-city Salford,
but in another world,
another realm somehow,
far off in the Orient.
When a friend sneered and asked
what was the point?
Adding that Karate was useless,
and would never save my life,
my mind went back to the hours
spent practising and perfecting
technique and Kata,
these moves and routines that
dated back hundreds of years,
to the island of Okinawa,
of the many hours of enjoyment
I’d had training in the Dojo,
How do you know it hasn’t already?
I asked.
When he said he didn’t understand the answer,
I said he didn’t understand the question.