Why do we run at the beginning of every practice?

The purpose of the run at the beginning of a practice session is threefold. First, it increases our heart rate and metabolism which is beneficial for the body. Take a few minutes out of your day to watch some children. They run everywhere and they laugh while doing it. As we grow older and settle into adult lives we become more and more sedentary. We lose flexibility and gain weight and then all the other problems that develop as we get older settle in and compound the issue. By running just a little on a daily basis we can stem off some of those effects.

Second, it warms up the muscles and tendons in preparation for the extensions we will be forcing them to perform during our practice, i.e. kicking.

The third is more of a philosophical reason. Karate should be used for defense only. Therefore it reminds us that should someone attack us we should always seek to find an avenue of escape. This is not meant to be an act of cowardice but of common sense. The mere fact that they are attacking means that they feel comfortable doing so in your present location. By moving to a place that evens out or gives you the advantage you may defeat him without throwing a single blow. Remember this, in his treatise on tactics called The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: “The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” By running to higher, more defensible ground or a location where many other people are you put yourself closer to that position where defeat is incomprehensible. Now if your opponent is insistent on continuing the attack then you have met your moral and social obligation to “run away” and can now concentrate on destroying his ability to continue to fight. Utz!

Recommended Reading List: Some of these are out of print but copies can be found online, in libraries and on sale at e-Bay.

Korean Karate: The Art of Tae Kwon Do by Duk Sung Son  
Chung Do Kwan: The Power of Tae Kwon Do by C.A. & A. Simpkins
Karate-Do: My Way of Life by Funakoshi Gichen
The Karate Dojo by Peter Urban
Shin Gi Tai by Michael Clarke
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi