Canétois Patrick Rault has just obtained his 8th dan in karate. Beyond the prowess, this is a first for such a grade in Roussillon.
Parades, dodges, sweeps, throws, keys … Every week, Patrick Rault, graduate karate teacher, teaches the subtleties of this martial art to dozens of students of all ages. Whether they are licensed at the Catalan Judo Club in Perpignan or the Karate-do-Kyudokan in Sorède, these tatami enthusiasts measure their privilege at each session. Because at the beginning of December, “the teacher” was given in Paris, from the hands of Francis Didier, president of the French Federation of karate, the diploma of black belt “8th dan”. In other words, a rank never obtained by a sportsman in Roussillon, all martial arts combined!
At 61, this native of Versailles, but Catalan at heart, was unanimous among the judges. Thanks to his perfect knowledge of the discipline, combined with a total mastery of the mind. An exceptional athlete, but not only that. Going to meet Patrick Rault sounds like an invitation to travel. Between the walls of the Perpignan dojo where he teaches, the most Japanese of Ile-de-France residents unrolls his ball of memories. Selected words and guaranteed zen attitude.
First Frenchman to train in Japan
It all started in Okinawa, Japan, the cradle of the discipline. “I’m a karate enthusiast, it’s my whole life. To fully live my passion, I came to Japan in 1985 with a one-year student visa, and four cents in my pocket. Okinawa is the Mecca of this discipline. I learned there the depth of karate and Kobudo (fighting techniques with weapons) practiced for several hundred years. I immersed myself alone, in another world where you learn to be silent and to serve others. ” Immersion in an austere dojo, a true sacred place dedicated to the work of the rough.
A timeless space where rigor and benevolence are harmoniously combined. With his two first Sensei (masters), guarantors of an ancestral technique and know-how, Patrick Rault works tirelessly. Totally imbued with this unique culture. Eager to know, in the light of a rustic apprenticeship, Patrick sleeps on a Spartan tatami for a year. The hard way, far from western comfort. At the end of this uncompromising training, the good student goes to the city of the Sun King, Versailles. But the Japanese call comes back like a boomerang. “I went back there to deepen my knowledge and because I hadn’t been around karate, far from it. So I worked a lot. Enormously .. ”The time of a decade. After Okinawa, head for Tokyo. In one of the capital’s countless parks, the Canetois resident teaches karate to children and adults every Saturday morning. Then the opportunity to join new students in a public room arises. Trilingual, he then became the first French to train Japanese karatekas and even became Okinawan’s civilian ambassador… The next step was the opening of his own Shorin-ryu dojo in the early 90s. of his skillful knowledge. And his insatiable curiosity to push Patrick to learn the art of calligraphy.
And five years in London …
In the shadow of the imperial palaces, this art of the layout called “Shodo” will open a certain way of life. “What is learned in Japan must be applied in everyday life and it has also become my daily life. Calligraphy allowed me to understand Japanese culture a little more in depth. This technique demonstrates that the void around the lines is as important as the lines themselves. We can draw a parallel with karate. It is a whole philosophy that is often incomprehensible to Westerners and it is normal. But over the years, it has become mine. “
Unconditionally in the service of others, the altruistic Patrick Rault rebounded in London where he would teach for five years. A new experience before returning to France to provide, among other things, his precious advice to a certain William Geoffrey. Result of the races, in 2018 in front of more than 1,000 spectators, William Goeffrey, the best karateka in France, won the first “Okinawa Karate International Tournament” kata. In other words, the equivalent of the traditional Karate Worlds. A success which partly bears the stamp of Patrick Rault. A discreet line, tinged with this wisdom that leads to great victories.
Alain bonnerai
