By Shotokan Karate Leadership School in Santa Rosa, CA
There are many different traditions in the martial arts. The Shotokan Karate tradition, established by the great Master Gichin Funakoshi, values character development over technical prowess. To quote from his Niju Kun, or twenty precepts: “Spirit and mind are more important than technique.”
Master Funakoshi’s successor, Masatoshi Nakayama in his widely acknowledged volumes titled Best Karate says:
“Training means training of body and spirit, and above all else one should treat his opponent courteously and with the proper etiquette. It is not enough to fight with all one’s might; the true objective in karate-do is to do so for the sake of justice.”
Long ago it was recognized that training that developed the mind and spirit, as well as the body, was vastly superior to training that developed only technical prowess. It was also recognized that those who completed this training developed the noble traits of courage, courtesy, integrity, humility and self-control. And, that these traits made them excellent protectors in times of war, and superior leaders in times of peace. We believe that an empathetic person of noble character will act to correct a problem when they see one, and will inspire others to join in their cause. To us, this is what it means to be a leader.
The essence of martial arts training is to prepare oneself to face life or death situations with a calm demeanor. Once 
this training has taken effect, the individual becomes uniquely qualified to lead. But not all martial art programs are alike. Only a training program designed to develop superior character will produce the superior leaders we need today.
We provide a superior training program that develops the mind, body and spirit and it is why we are qualified to teach leadership to children.
Now the question remains, will you answer this call? We sincerely hope you will.
Please visit https://askaboutkarate.com/ for information about our martial arts school in Santa Rosa, CA!