UAE’s pioneer karate master recounts 5-decade journey including teaching children of determination

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00:00And from Syria, from Damascus, I came here to United Arab Emirates since 1975 as a first

00:25karate instructor.

00:26I came first to Abu Dhabi.

00:28I started teaching karate there for a few months.

00:31And then I came to Sharjah.

00:34And then I started also teaching karate in some places.

00:38Teach in Ajman, in Sharjah, and also I teach in Al Ain sometime, until I get first license

00:46from municipality.

00:47It was 1980.

00:48And we start practice very well in club.

00:53This I think it was first karate center in UAE.

00:56Of course, I follow my teacher, Hideki Okamoto.

00:59He's in charge for Middle East and Africa.

01:01I visit him many, many, many time.

01:04And where is the training courses in anywhere in Europe, in Canada, in Emirates, in Egypt,

01:13I go to follow my teacher.

01:16And then 2010, I get my seven done as first karate instructor from area, Middle East and

01:24Africa.

01:25And I get first done from Tokyo, from Japan.

01:27I love to make also a show to explain for movement people what is karate.

01:33It's not only just to kill people, to hit people, to hurt people.

01:36No, to make them more polite, to control themselves, to control their body, to control their mind.

01:43And I believe karate instructor can help children more than parents because the children love

01:50to hear from the other, not from parents.

01:54Because parents always talking to them, but they like to hear from the other.

01:58I made also two books for karate for children.

02:01I love to make a show to explain people about karate, what is karate.

02:06And what make me enjoy, what make me happy, to see sometime very naughty boy.

02:14And then after one year, then he change.

02:16He become very calm, very nice, very good.

02:18Or who practice with me, I have fight for them.

02:21Ah, these are the student's files.

02:23Ah, what is the first file, which year?

02:28It was number 001, it's 171980.

02:32I teach many children.

02:34Some of them have special need.

02:36And I help, they improve after a long time, of course, they don't have that training.

02:41One of them in 2018, in the world championship in Spain, she get third position.

02:48I was very proud about her.

02:50I'm very happy with that.

02:51And of course, parents was very, very happy.

02:54Parents, they love their children to be strong, to be good, to teach them how to self-defense

02:59and to trust themselves.

03:01They send me here, send their children here to teach them.

03:05The most important thing to student, trust themselves.

03:08This is very important.

03:10Because when they trust themselves, they don't need to fight.

03:15The anybody won't try to attack them, to do trouble with them.

03:19When they feel there is something in this boy or this girl, so they will not attack them.

03:24So it become more safe, because of our sport.

03:28Not to use this martial art outside.

03:31This is very important.

03:32Because their energy, they can spend energy here in the club.

03:36They fight here, they fight here, they make very hard training, tough training.

03:42So they will go home, feel more relaxed.

03:44Then they can focus more for studying.

03:47This is what I believe.

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