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Liga de Karate de Bogotá: My Karate Years

·1 min
Club Chrysler karatekas of all ages in white gis, posing on the tatami with the Dojo Kun banners behind them
Club Chrysler, Liga de Karate de Bogotá.
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Before the pandemic, I spent a significant part of my life training karate in the Liga de Karate de Bogotá. More than a sport, it was a place to learn discipline, respect and perseverance, surrounded by people of every age who shared the same mat and the same spirit.

This is us: Club Chrysler, the club within the league where I trained, and the people I was closest to.

I’m the one smiling at the very back, right below the banner that reads 礼儀を重んずること (Respect others).

Dojo Kun #

Behind us hang the banners of the Dojo Kun, the five principles of karate. Each one begins with 一 (hitotsu, “one”), as a reminder that every principle matters on its own:

  1. 人格完成に努むること: Seek perfection of character.
  2. 誠の道を守ること: Be faithful.
  3. 努力の精神を養うこと: Endeavor.
  4. 礼儀を重んずること: Respect others.
  5. 血気の勇を戒むること: Refrain from violent behavior.

They are easy to say and take a lifetime to practice, and I still carry them with me.

To my instructors and teammates: thank you for the training, the patience and the friendship. I remember you with great affection. Osu!