Karate Team

Hello, I'm Gülsen Demirtürk. I am a 4th grade student of Physical Education and Sports Teaching in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Sakarya University of Applied Sciences. I have been doing sports for 10 years in Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Kağıtspor club. I have been actively participating in the national team for 9 years. Karate is a defense sport. It has spread from Japan to the world and means “empty hand”. Mixed techniques can be used in karate with hands and feet. It is divided into two branches as “kata” and “kumite”. The kata branch is called the imaginary fight around 360° and is evaluated by the referees in order to assess the score. You can only be alone on the tatami, but on the kumite tatami, there are 2 people in the middle with you within 5 referees, where you fight with your opponent. All of the hand techniques you do in Kumite are equal to one point, or yuka. Foot striking techniques on the back are equal to 2 points, namely vazari. Every kick to the head or ashi barai technique you hit down is equal to 3 points. Matches in Kumites last 3 minutes. It is possible to end the match before 3 minutes. If one gets 8 point a head of his/her opponent, one will win the match with technical superiority before the end of 3 minutes. We do our trainings at the Karate Sports Hall in our Faculty of Sport Sciences. We usually try to train 6 times a week, every day, regardless of the matches, so that we stay fit. However, we try to double our training on weekends during match periods. Turkey Championships are usually held twice a year in two categories as U21 and young adults. Our European Championships are held every year. Our World Champions are held every two years. In addition, we have our premier leagues and A leagues. We also participate in Balkan Championships and international special tournaments. The leagues of our university are held between different universities every year. We participated in these leagues in Elazig. I have achieved championship for my university. Then I went to Japan, where the world championship was held, thanks to my university. I had my first success in my first year 2011 when I got the 3rd place. Afterwards, I had the 3rd position in Balkans. Then I got second and third places in Turkey in young adults category. I had the second place in a European Championship hel in Cyprus. I participated in the U21 Championship again in Turkey, and after winning that, I had the second place in World Championship of 2019 that was held in Chile. Furthermore, I won the Turkey Championship in the adult category. I represented my country in the Balkan championships and came in third. I went back to the national team and became the senior champion in the A league. This sport has made a huge impact on my self-esteem development. In addition, I was able to stand on my own feet thanks to the financial and moral values that this sport gave me and I made my family and myself proud. Every second I do this sport, I feel a little stronger, a little freer, a little more ready for the future. This sport has led to very good developments in my education life, and, since I am a national athlete, it was easier for me to enter this department at this university. In addition, my life has been made easier with the national scholarship. I wish success to my friends who will come to Sakarya University of Applied Sciences.