Laura Swift, Australia
Laura Swift shares with GKR Stories how through karate, she has learned to not let her disability or other people’s pre-judgments diminish her confidence in her own abilities or hold her back from setting and achieving some lofty goals.
I was diagnosed with epilepsy at four years of age. In my life, I have received pre-judgment from people on my capability of doing sports, working and my life skills in general.
My karate journey started with GKR when I was 20 years old. I was working and studying full time, so karate gave me a chance to meet new people, learn life skills, and help build my self-confidence.
I was bullied through school and didn’t know how to physically protect myself. I also wanted to start an activity where I could set goals to work towards and develop different aspects of myself without getting bored in three months.
I was nervous before my first class and contemplated cancelling, not even giving karate a try! Thankfully, I took the first step and went to class, I loved it and couldn’t wait to train again.
When I joined GKR, I didn’t think I could like a sport or martial art as much as I do now. My karate journey certainly has not been easy at times. I have considered quitting but have persevered and am proud of how far I have come. With resilience and the encouragement of my friends and instructors to keep showing up to class, I have reaped the benefits of karate training.
By starting karate I have learnt, and am still learning, self-defence which is a valuable life skill. I am fitter, my mental health has improved, and my self-confidence has increased. Don’t let others’ opinions or your circumstances stop you from believing in your abilities. Within five years, karate has given me many opportunities to grow and do things I never thought possible; help others in their karate journey; compete in regional, states, national and world karate tournaments; and travel to train in Okinawa while meeting fellow GKR Karate students from all over the world.
Karate has helped me with my anxiety and depression, it has also taught me to be more resilient, built up my mental and physical fortitude, and over time has built my spirit which helps me tackle challenges in my everyday life. It’s also a way to get out any of my frustrations on the kick shields and bags.
Anyone can do karate, it’s for everyone regardless of age, gender, disability and physique!
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