Karate and swimming on Nuns’ Island: the second sport, out of the water

01The short answer

02The second sport, before adolescence

The American Academy of Pediatrics writes, in its 2016 clinical report on sports specialization, that participating in multiple sports, at least until puberty, decreases the chances of injuries, stress and burnout in young athletes. Sport for Life, the Canadian long-term development body, puts it another way: early specialization makes no sense if the aim is healthy, lifelong participation rather than the podium. A swimmer and a karateka have this in common: they progress by levels, for themselves, in the middle of a group.

Everything else differs: in the water the body is carried and moves horizontally, with nothing to push against; at the dojo it stands, barefoot on a mat, and every stance is held on its own legs. A child who does both is not asking the body for the same thing twice.

03A complete programme, in the same hour

A length is counted; an hour at the dojo is described. In the WKO Shinkyokushinkai first-year textbook, an examination covers kihon, ido geiko, kata, conditioning (knuckle push-ups, jumping squats), flexibility and kumite. Conditioning and flexibility are graded like the rest — a swimmer already knows what training is when you cannot cheat on repetition. What they discover is technique standing up: stances, blocks, strikes, kicks, on both sides.

The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities gives each described activity a MET value — a multiple of the energy spent at rest. Lap swimming is listed at 5.8 for a slow crawl and 9.8 for a fast one; karate at a moderate pace is at 10.3, and a beginner’s slower practice at 5.3. These values describe an activity as it was observed, not your class or your game: a beginners’ class is closer to karate’s 5.3 at a slower pace than to 10.3. The two sports therefore stay close at every level; what changes is what the hour asks of the body, not how much.

04What the dojo adds for a swimmer

The floor. In the water, balance is given; at the dojo, it is held. Low stances, pivots and kicks on one leg ask the body for what a pool never asks: to carry its weight and move it with nothing to lean on. For a swimmer that is the opposite of everything they know, and that is the point.

The partner. A lane is a space of your own; at the dojo, part of the hour is done in pairs, facing someone who blocks, slips or holds the pads. How difficult is Kyokushin karate? says what that asks of a beginner, without drama.

Dry. No wet hair, no chlorine, no pool bag: comfortable clothes and a bottle of water, and the karategi only once the decision is made.

05The pool calendar

Look at your own pool’s calendar rather than a general rule: between two sessions, or while the child waits for the next level, is the simple moment to come and try. The dojo is open five days a week all year, and its hours add to the pool’s rather than replacing them — one class a week is a start, and the trial class is there to see how the child reacts.

06Swimming keeps its coach

Stroke technique, breathing, the turn and the clock are learned at the pool, and this page does not promise a better time. A karate kick and a flutter kick have nothing in common but the word. Before a first class, parents will find their three questions on Kyokushin for kids.

07On Nuns’ Island, in practice

The dojo is at 550 chemin du Golf, suite 010, on Nuns’ Island (Verdun), and also serves LaSalle, Pointe-Saint-Charles and the Sud-Ouest. Children train from age 4 to 13, adults from 14, five days a week: the schedule gives the groups and times, the pricing page the monthly rates.

The first class is a free trial, and there is nothing to buy beforehand: comfortable clothes and a bottle of water are enough — what to bring to your first class has the list.