Best Karate Classes in Waterloo, ON

Today is International Women’s Day! 🌟 One of the most famous women in #Karate history was Tsuru Yonamine. 🇯🇵 nnAccording to the writings of Gichin Funakoshi, at the age of 16 or 17, Tsuru was attacked by a thug who tried to rob her. Fortunately she managed to escape without being harmed, but decided to learn #martialarts. 🥋 nnAccepted as an understudy to a famous teacher, Tsuru trained diligently and ultimately progressed to a level superior to many men. 💪 In fact, her sensei maintained that the only man in Okinawa she couldn’t defeat was Sokon Matsumura [1809-1899] who would later become known as the ”grandfather” of modern Karate. 👊 nnHearing about her skills, Matsumura eventually challenged Tsuru in ”kake-damashi” (a traditional way of testing someone’s skills). ✊ Having great difficulty trying to control her, Matsumura was nearly thrown to the ground himself!nnAs if that wasn't enough of a surprise, the final shock came when Tsuru clutched his hand and proposed marriage! 💍 As strong as Matsumura was, he stood speechless in front of his opponent, finding her irresistible. 😍 nnEver since then, Tsuru became the most famous female martial artist in Ryukyu Kingdom ⛩nn[Note: This photo is not of Tsuru Yonamine, but rather an Okinawan woman from the same era to illustrate what she might have looked like.]...