Mother and Daughter Karate Duo

Janette and Olivia are a mother-daughter duo with a passion for karate. They have been training competitively at the Yushikai Karate Academy in Billericay, and have participated in various competitions against people from all over the world. While they have never competed against each other, Olivia stated that they often practise together before competitions. Janette said, “It’s good to practise before competitions and Olivia is a good target.” In fact, it was Olivia who inspired her mum to join because she loved it so much. After only two years of training, Olivia is a purple stripe belt and she was keen to tell me that is just three away from the coveted black belt and her mum who joined a few months later is not far behind with a green belt. They both confirmed that they are competitive and that taking part helps develop discipline, balance, fitness and flexibility and some of the moves required can be very challenging.

Karate is a martial art that originated in Japan. It debuted in the Olympics in 2021, which shows its growth and is recognized as a legitimate sport. Karate competitions involve sparring between opponents, where their power, skills, and techniques are put to the test. 

Olivia told me that she really enjoys the competitions because she can show off her skills and win lots of medals, but I also think they both have lots of fun and it seems a great way to spend time together. They both agreed that Mum is best for speed but that Olivia is technically better. They also told me that it is not all about training hard and that there is time for fun, such as dressing up in inflatable sumo wrestling outfits at an overnight camp, watching everyone falling over and not being able to get back up. Karate may be seen as a violent sport but in this case, it also makes family bonds stronger.