Budocentral Martial Arts in Halifax – Dartmouth, NS is the home of some of the most exciting and dynamic martial arts you can find. We are not a commercial venture but a team of dedicated volunteers and martial arts enthusiasts. Both Karate and Ju-Jitsu are non-tournament styles where the emphasis is on student development, fitness and self-esteem building. All our programs including our women’s self-defence and anti-bullying workshops are life-changing and empowering.
Please register for the next term under the program you are interested in.
We accept new students in January, April, and September.
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Budocentral Blogs
Sword Class
I always try to do sword class a couple of times a term. My students for the most part seem to enjoy swinging a bokken or wooden sword whether an adult or child there is just something fun about it. Bokken class offers a different kind of focus from regular training. Distances are different and things change when have a weapon in your hands. I love the moving meditation aspect especially when it comes to partner practice.
At the beginning of bokken class I usually play some Kodo drum music and students lay on their back on matts while I give them an imagery story about being a samurai hundreds of years ago. I have several stories I cycle through all designed to see yourself in a warrior state. The kids love this practice, I have actually had a few adults fall asleep lol.
Sword and children can be a challenge, especially if they are excited as they usually are. Safety is priority but they have a good time.
Many people have a hard time getting their heads around the idea of non-competitive karate and assume that if you practice karate you must enter tournaments. After all, isn’t karate a sport? Karate was originally developed as a method of unarmed self-defence, not a sport. In addition, over time many teachers realized that there were other benefits to be realized from the practice of martial arts beyond the ability to defend oneself. People who trained in karate for a number of years could learn to be more relaxed, calmer and more focused—not to mention more fit. While it is true that most of us have a certain amount of competitiveness in us, that doesn’t mean that every activity has to be turned into a tournament. We can be competitive without participating in a tournament. One can train or practice an activity without the need for trophies —whether it be karate, playing a musical instrument, running, or what-have-you. Skills can be developed and the activity enjoyed and loved without egotistical symbols. There is nothing inherently wrong with martial arts competitions, but it becomes a problem when too much emphasis is placed on tournaments and commercialism so that winning becomes the primary goal. This also frequently goes hand-in-hand with the glorification of violence. Karate practice without the tournament element can be a rewarding and fulfilling activity. There is time to fully study the techniques, allowing yourself to practice and learn with your training partners, rather than fighting, a joy in developing ones skills and improving. Older or less-talented students don’t get pushed aside in order to focus on the most skilled students who can win trophies for the club. And as we get older we can continue to train and develop our skills, not merely being relegated to coaching. In the KDS we believe that karate is not a competitive sport but rather a life-long activity with an ultimate goal of self-improvement.
Self Defence Workshop Decreases Sexual Assaults
Young females attending university are known to be at significant risk for sexual assault, but a prevention program jointly tested on three Canadian campuses suggests the incidence of such violence can be dramatically reduced with a simple 10 hour women’s self-defence program.
The self-defence program was introduced at the universities and there was a 46 per cent decrease in complete rape across 12 months of all universities, compared with women in the control group. There was also a 63 per cent decrease in the number of attempted sexual assaults, as well as drops in other kinds of non-consensual sexual contact and attempted coercion.
It simply proves that when women have knowledge and skills and confidence, they can stand up for their sexual rights and fight back when necessary.
Build your confidence and invest in your personal protection and security through our ten-week workshop at WASP.
Frank
At some point in a martial artists career whether they are youth or adult, something just clicks. It’s magic really and when “it” clicks, the learning and progress goes through the roof.
The “it” is more mental than physical and anything physical is more effort than talent. “It” is a point when the martial artist pushes through frustration, exhaustion and muscle fatigue. They discover great joy in pushing beyond what was once thought their limit.
I love seeing my students find “it”. As an instructor it’s so rewarding but in the end I can only guide them, it’s up to the student’s self discovery to make things click and find “it”.
Jujitsu is hard enough, add to that years of abuse and an aging body things just don’t work so well or things pain a lot more and injuries seem to take a lot longer to heal.
I suffer from osteo arthritis and its seems even worse with these Nova Scotia winters. You can’t stop a sunrise and there’s only one way to stop aging…. And I don’t see death as an option lol. So I play with the best of my abilities, have fun, stay fit and enjoy the martial arts but even more so enjoy the students especially the kids. My body may be aging but my mind is still young that’s for sure.