"It became a wonderful way to relieve stress…"
When I first joined karate I couldn't walk up a flight of steps because of a bad knee. My doctor suggested therapy before surgery, and my husband thought that karate would be good for me.
Besides my thinking he was crazy, since all that kicking and jumping seemed to be out of my ability, I went to see what this was about.
The instructor and my family convinced me that this would be perfect therapy and I gave it a try. I taped my knees so that the kneecap was not scrapping against each other and started the program.
After five years of TRYING this sport, and testing for my Black Belt in November, I can tell you that I was able to avoid surgery. Not only can I do most of the jumps and kicks, but also if I miss too many classes my knee actually starts to hurt more.
When my muscles became stronger I also realized that this type of physical workout was doing me some personal good. As a result of this I have been able to bike ride, ski, roller skate and do just about any sport I haven't been able to do in years.
It became a wonderful way to relieve stress by physically pushing yourself to the limits and then going beyond that. It became a place where my husband and I could go together and beat each other up. It is a place where you could meet people who are in worse condition than you are and help them, and a place to make some great friends.
Now I may not be the best in karate, or the best skier, but now nothing stops me from having fun with my children and that means more to me than you can imagine.
Thanks,
C. Schumacher
USA Karate student
