The Karate Kid

In 1984, at the age of 14, I watched The Karate Kid. As a 14-year-old, movies like this, Bloodsport, etc… excited me and fuelled interest. Watching it then was about the kicks, punches, sparing, comedy and drama that came along with it.

The movie was about a Sensei (Mr Miyagi) imparting knowledge of Karate to his student (Daniel LaRusso). Daniel was an accidental student. He moved from Newark to Reseda, California. Coming from Newark, Daniel stood out like a sore thumb, but his experience also thought him to be street smart, stand up for himself and be different.

For those not familiar, here’s a synopsis of the film.

During his first month in school, Daniel is continuously bullied by Johnny and his Cobra Kai gang. At the school’s Halloween dance, Daniel attempts to get back at Johnny by placing a hose above the toilet stall where Johnny is rolling a joint, getting him wet. However, his scheme backfires. Johnny and his gang chase him and corners him outside his apartment building, assaulting him until Mr Miyagi, the apartment’s maintenance man, intervenes saving Daniel. The next day, Mr Miyagi confronts Cobra Kai’s sensei John Kreese and proposes Daniel and Johnny settle their feud in the upcoming All-Valley Under-18 Karate tournament. Kreese agrees but warns that both Daniel and Mr Miyagi will be declared fair game to Cobra Kai if they do not show up. And so, the story goes on…
Watching this at 14, all I wanted to do was mimic the movie and learn martial arts. Back in the day, you did either Judo, Karate or Tae Kwon Do. I opted for Tae Kwon Do, not knowing very much about it. I learned it out of convenience as opposed for the right reasons. A class opened up in the neighbourhood, and it was convenient. Only later did I realise that it originated from Korea and not Japan, but at 14, who cared! Was I going to be technical about it? Hell no! I was going to learn how to defend myself, like Daniel LaRusso.

As I learned, I remember my Sensei, Raymond Tan, teaching us self-defence and assimilating it into life. Like Mr Miyagi, Raymond coached us for life. He coached us on what it meant to have such knowledge, not using it unnecessarily or bullying others with it. Coaching us that hard work and focus helps accomplish our goals. We worked with our own strengths, weaknesses and believed in our abilities. This allowed us to grow with self-assurance, which made us more confident in other aspects of life.

Watching the movie again, I recognised more coaching than martial arts. I recently completed my coaching training with the International Coaching Federation and honestly enjoyed the process. It gives me a sense of purpose. The ability to work with people on their journey, taking that journey with them is fulfilling. It started out with just wanting to improve my people skills to enjoy what I do and do it for a purpose. The next stage for me is to DO IT WELL!

About The Author

• Ganesh kanapathy is a C-level officer specialising in the education industry, with extensive business development experience, having the successful establishment and development of three distinct companies from the ground-up. All three companies have seen consistent, sustainable growth and strong revenue streams. A train Coach with International Coaching Federation (ICF).
• Program Attended with CTT: ICF Coach Certification Program Level 1, Batch: CTT Cohort-42 GLOL 0820
• Reason for taking this program: To add on skills in coaching
• What worked for you: Actually understanding what coaching is about and what it entails, which is more than just adding skills.
• What benefits you got: It gives me clarity on what I enjoy doing and Coaching has allowed me to conquer my biggest challenge and that’s just talking to people…

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Coach-To-Transformation or its parent company.