Karatekas at a camp organised in Ranchi. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Nov. 25: Ten-year-old Briti was ready for her kumite. She had been practising hard and the day had finally come when she could show her skills to her superiors.

Briti, a brown belt II kyu and a Class IV student of DAV, Shyamali, was among the 250-odd karatekas who attended the inaugural ceremony of a three-day training camp, which began at Jaipal Singh Stadium here on Sunday.

Senior karate expert of Shotokan Karate-Do Federation, Sihan Sona Ghosh, will conduct the advanced training programme. About 40 black belt holders would also come to get their grading for first and second dan. Karatekas from different districts of the state will attend the camp.

The stadium was teeming with karatekas dressed in the traditional gee (dress) with coloured belts, which differentiated one from the other.

The trainees stood in yoi (stance) as they waited for instructions from their Sensei.

A karate display was also presented during the inaugural function and the trainees presented the Yaan Gidaan kata or the fighting sequence.

The trainees will be given a crash course in advanced Kumite, Basai Dai, Zion NP, Onshu, Zeen and Take Sandan katas.

Advanced fighting techniques would also be taught during the camp. “The training will be for all senior karatekas, as we have to keep ourselves abreast with the advanced katas of senior dans. One has to keep practising till he can master the kata. Each dan in black belt has its own katas and they are all different and complex,” said Shotokan Karate-Do Federation vice-president, Sensei Manas Sinha.

For Briti, who is also a dancer, karate means a lot because it teaches her discipline and self-restraint.

The young karateka does not find it difficult to continue fine arts and martial arts simultaneously.

“I have always wanted to learn martial arts and my mother encouraged me to pursue it. She was very eager to send me to a karate school,” said Briti.

“We have always wanted our daughter to learn martial arts. The training will surely help her in future. Karate does not mean only fighting. It inculcates discipline in an individual,” said Briti’s father, S.S. Gangopadhyay.

For Aishwarya, a Class IV student of Loreto Convent, practising karate is a hobby.

“I have been seeing movies based on martial arts since childhood. I was impressed and wanted to learn the techniques. It is very good for self-defence and teaches one to be disciplined.