July 2021 CDP: Self-Control

Our CDP message for the month of July is Self Control. Self-control is being able to resist acting immediately and/or abruptly in order to achieve important goals, learn something or be kind. This can include things like holding a rest stance, being patient, controlling your temper, not demanding what you want immediately, and thinking before you say something that could be hurtful. We know it can be challenging at times, so we will be talking about ways to practice having self-control and how it’s very important and useful in life.

You can practice self-control by having control of your body and awareness of the space around your body. It’s important in karate so that you don’t hurt others around you, or even yourself! It’s also important to practice controlling your body for things like school or work by sitting still, focusing your eyes forward, keeping your hands to yourself, and not fidgeting.

You can also practice self-control by gaining control of your thoughts. At times, everyone can experience feelings of stress, worry, anger, frustration, or low self-confidence. It’s important to acknowledge these thoughts, but then not let them take over your day, week, or life in general, and practice moving forward from them. We can do this by taking deep breaths, focusing on one thing at a time, practicing patience and keeping our cool in times of frustration.

Being able to control one’s body and mind will help to have the most successful karate training that’s fun, educational, and good exercise.