Midway into watching 1984’s ‘The Karate Kid’, I became adamant to learn karate or any other form of martial arts. The idea of accurately (because my aim was that bad) punching those who were mean to me was enticing. However, there was one particular dialogue by Mr Miyagi which changed the way I thought about it – “Karate for defence only”.
According to a report by The Sun UK, 10-year-old Charlie Fichera, a purple belt Karate champ, had never used the martial arts form in the outside world. However, when one day he was on the road, he was attacked by 3 robbers. The slapped him across his face and forcefully took his bag from him which contained his mobile.
So, Charlie ran to the guy who took his bag and performed a few Karate moves on him. He twisted the guy’s arm behind his back till he let the bag go.
“He dropped it (the bag), I picked it up and then legged it. There was a bit of a struggle with the others but they backed off,” Charlie said.
Charlie has been practising Karate for the past three years.
“I’ve never had to use it in a situation like this before. They’ve learned their lesson,” he said.
Charlie’s parents, who both know mixed martial arts, called the police later. The three robbers have been arrested.
Knowing at least one form of self-defence can be extremely helpful during a crisis like this. More so for women, whose safety is still a question in our society!