On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Caitlin Carvalho and her three teenage sons, Luke, Joseph and Ben Bosco, were at the Northampton Karate dojo practicing, as they often do, together.
It was an impressive sight as they executed a series of movements — Wankan, Pinan Godan, Naihanchi Sho and Naihanchi Ni — in precise strikes, kicks and blocks in graceful, precise symmetry.
The quickness of their movements was audible as the sleeves of their traditional white cotton gis snapped with every punch. At times, loud stomps thundered through the dojo and offensive moves were punctuated with loud, crisp kiais or short yells.
Around each of their waists was a black belt, the highest belt a practitioner can achieve.
“It is unusual to have a family of black belts in one dojo,” said Northampton Karate owner Jason Foster. When it does occur, he said, it’s typically two adults who are spouses. “To have a mom and three sons all with black belts at the same dojo is just exceptionally rare.”
Typically, it takes a young person 10 years of consistent training at least two to three days a week, to achieve a black belt, Foster said. “Our classes will start at 40 or 50 kids, and only 10 percent make it to the top.”
That makes Carvalho beam.
“I am very proud of all of my boys,” she said.
The youngest, Ben, 14, was the last of the brothers to earn his black belt, a junior black belt which he received June 11. An individual is eligible to test for a junior black belt at age 14, according to Foster. Ben’s birthday was May 19. To test for an adult black belt, a person must be 16.
To achieve his black belt, Ben completed a rigorous test that involved performing several katas, which are series of movements, breaking boards with his hand and answering questions regarding the history and philosophy of the Shorin-Ryu karate style that they practice. One of the major modern Okinawan martial arts, Shorin-Ryu is a variant of Shaolin White Crane Kung Fu, as practiced in FuJian, China.
The training at Northampton Karate, located on Riverside Drive in Florence, is structured to encourage confidence, intention and discipline in a respectful, courteous atmosphere, Foster says. The emphasis is on self-development and individual progress.
Within the black belt rank there are 10 advanced levels or degrees that can be achieved. Carvalho is a second-degree black belt and an instructor for the children’s and youth classes at the dojo. She received her black belt in 2012, the first in the family to achieve it.
But it was Luke, 18, who got the family into the martial art when he was in first grade. A classmate was taking lessons and he wanted to do so, as well.
“It just really clicked with me,” he said.
Carvalho, who had studied martial arts at a dojo in Boston when she was a college student, said she had enjoyed watching the children who were training there.
“I would see the kids there and I thought if I ever had kids, I would love it if they did this,” she said.
As they watched their brother advance, each of her younger sons developed an interest, and each signed up to train when he turned 5 or 6.
With all the time she was spending at the dojo, it wasn’t much of a leap from there for Carvalho to get back into training herself.
“I really got to know the Sensei and he would ask me when I was going to start. Well, that planted the seed. … I went to my first class and I immediately thought Oh, my God, I love this!”
Carvalho said that everything she had learned in the past came right back and she started training as much as she could.
That was eight years ago.
Now, she and her sons have not only progressed in rank, but, she says, they have embraced the physical, mental, moral and ethical teachings of their practice. It brings deeper meaning to their lives, she says, and provides them with a special camaraderie.
“We train together outside of class and it is just another level of how I can connect with my boys,” she said.
For three weeks in the summer, the family gets away — often visiting family. And though they enjoy the break from the dojo, Carvalho says, they bring their gis and bos — long wooden staffs — on vacation and practice together.
Carvalho, who is divorced, said that while her sons are typical teenage boys who can get into brotherly spats or rough housing, they are clear about when it is appropriate to use their karate skills and when it is not.
“Their teacher, Earl Delue, is amazing,” Carvalho said. “He stresses that karate is not to be used as an offensive skill.”
Foster said it is challenging for children to develop the discipline it takes to excel in karate and fit it into the rest of their lives with school, sports, music, friends and other interests vying for attention.
The physical demands of training and sparring are difficult, he says, and it takes rigorous mental discipline to maintain a commitment to the practice. Practitioners also must embrace high standards of integrity, he says.
“The pressure is not from the outside, it comes from within oneself to be the best that they can be,” Foster said. “We all share that and we all learn a mental toughness, discipline and the ability to be calm and focused. I know that for myself it helps me to have a lot more patience outside the dojo to stay calm both physically and mentally under high-pressure scenarios.”
Ben says he has seen that in himself as well.
“Physically karate has definitely strengthened me and it has sharpened my focus and I am not spacing out in class,” he said.
Learning self-defense also has been a benefit, he notes. “I have it, but I have never had to use it and I don’t believe that has come up for my brothers either.”
Caitlin Carvalho says she is glad that her sons know how to defend themselves if a physical confrontation ever arises. But she adds that it is the inner strength they have developed that will help them throughout their lives
“You learn not to give up, how to keep pushing, how to work hard and persevere,” she said. “It is such a good thing for kids to have.”
Carvalho said that Luke, a recent Northampton High School graduate who will be attending the University of Massachusetts in the fall, always has been the most serious about his training. Having received his adult black belt two years ago, he recently earned his second degree.
“Karate is crucial to many parts of my life,” he said. “It helps me to stay calm to manage stress and it has taught me how to buckle down and push through many things. You just don’t find this kind of intense training, commitment or dedication in many other parts of our culture.”
Foster says it is rare for a person to achieve a second degree black belt before graduating high school.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” he said. “That really speaks to his dedication.”
For Joseph, 16, the quietest of the brothers, at least when it came to discussing his training, karate is a private endeavor. He earned his adult first degree black belt in May.
“I think that a lot of people don’t really understand what karate is,” he said. “For me, I think that once you attain a certain level, it becomes a very personal thing, and that is really all I have to say about it.”
Carvalho says that while she never has forced her sons to train, she always encourages them to stick to their commitments.
“I understand that sometimes you just don’t feel like training. But 95 percent of the time when I have encouraged them to go, they say ‘I’m so glad you made me go, mom,’ because they come away feeling like they accomplished something.”
She notes that karate is not for everyone, but it has strengthened the bonds in her family.
“I love it,” she said. “It is a part of our lives that we share. It is almost a spiritual practice for me and it has changed my life.”
Fran Ryan can be reached at fryan.gazette@gmail.com.