Developing Character in the Dojo

Karate is often perceived as a competitive and commercialized sport, but traditionally, its true essence lies in personal growth and character development. The slight change in name from karate to karatedo signifies the importance of the path taken by those who practice it. In Karatedo Doshinkan, we do not spar, do not take part in tournaments, and do not seek to compete against our fellow practitioners. Rather, we work together in our community to better ourselves and one another through our training.

A dojo is a place to develop character.

Many Paths to Develop Character

There are many ways to develop character. When we devote time, energy, and mental focus to a set of mindsets and behaviors, we increase the alignment between who we want to be and who we actually are in relation to nature and other people. Some people do this through woodworking, gardening, or modern dance. Karatedo Doshinkan is also a path that facilitates this alignment.

In our consistent practice during class sessions, we can explore and hone our mindsets and behaviors to become better at training techniques, movement, partner training, and kata. At first, this may feel limited to things happening in the dojo, but eventually, our training translates to life outside the dojo. Regular training helps us reprogram our mental constructs to better approach problems, conflicts, and adversity. It also helps us reset, find peace within, and renew our motivational energy. One of our former teachers would often say at the end of a class, "class has now ended, but training will continue."

The Philosophy Behind Non-Competitive Practice

In non-competitive Karatedo, the emphasis is on self-mastery rather than defeating opponents. This approach allows us to:

• Explore limits: we can push ourselves at our own pace and train within the limits set by our own bodies. This is physically safe and ensures that each of us can continue to develop healthfully and train throughout our lifespan. At the same time, we discover that when consistent effort is applied with intention and over time, we can overcome great challenges.
  

• Foster camaraderie: practicing together creates a supportive community that encourages growth. Our attitude toward a partner is not to defeat them, but rather to provide just the right amount of challenge for them to develop healthfully. This is synergistic rather than antagonistic.
  

• Develop humility: rather than a focus on winning and thereby potentially reinforcing ego, we focus on a continual path of self improvement and positive group impact. Our style of training reveals unlimited opportunities for growth, where a person can develop openness and flexibility in thinking. We don't look at others to find their deficits, but instead look for assets, perspectives, and insights to learn from. In doing this, we develop a habit of humility.
  

When we consistently work to polish these positive, healthful attitudes and behaviors in class, they can also become habits in our outside class interactions.

Conclusion

Our current master, Hanshi Masako Fujimoto-Stock, used the analogy of a watermelon to describe the importance of character. At the grocery store, we may see a melon that looks very nice on the outside. We can try to smell, knock, or do other things to predict how the inside quality may be. Ultimately, when we cut open the melon, we hope to find a juicy and delicious fruit for eating. As practitioners of Karatedo Doshinkan, we hope to polish our exterior by having good looking movement and technique, but also to have a positive disposition and good energy on the inside. Our actions in training and toward others exemplifies how far we have traversed on our training path, both outside and within.