Othodox Priest Teaches Karate?!

That’s right; a Siberian orthodox priest teaches karate to paratrooper and schoolchildren!!
In Ishim, Siberia Father Petr Lysenko, a Russian Orthodox priest and rector of the Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God, teaches karate at the local airborne unit and the local children’s sports school in Ishim near Tymen (Siberia). ‘What I am doing is a martial art with an age-long tradition. I teach the Oriental martial art, but put Orthodoxy in the basis of my teaching’, Father Petr said in an interview published in Trud daily on Saturday. His lessons differ from the traditional Eastern school in that during coaching he does not concentrates his energy but rather reads an Orthodox prayer asking God for strength. He teaches his charges to do the same. Father Petr believes his lessons in the army unit and at the children’s sport school to be very important because today’s youth, in his view, have grown feeble.

Wow, what a great story! Many people are wary of the getting involved in the Martial Arts due to misconceptions about its ties with eastern religions. Here is a great example of the Martial Arts taught with a different perspective. However, the most interesting observation Father Petr made was that today’s youth have grown feeble! You can argue if you want but he is correct. Especially in the Martial Arts many do not receive the same intensity/type of instruction as previous generations since by today’s standards we consider many of those ways cruel, mean and abusive. I speak primarily for the United Sates here but see Father Petr is seeing similar situations even in the harsh environment of Siberia.
[SOURCE]

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