The Kobe University Kyokushin Karate club
押す！ Since coming to Japan I have been tried and tested. My development, I find, was most noticeably tested through joining the Kobe University Kyokushin Karate club. I hadn’t studied Karate in years, and I thought I’d left it behind when I took up Jeet Kune Do. But with my decision to take Martial Arts seriously this year. Kyokushin seemed to be the best option for my growth as a Martial Artist. If there was a place to do Karate, Japan was probably the best place. For me, Kyokushin’s most defining trait is its focus on physical conditioning. Which translates to less protective gear during training (I’m an insurance nightmare just waiting to happen). And it helped me learn just how far I still have to go. I’m self-teaching in Jeet Kune Do, so I focus on the basics at the expense of body conditioning. Going up against better conditioned students during training is definitely an effective way of keeping my ego in check (Spoiler alert: I got f*cked up). The focus of my gr