Spend enough time in the martial arts world and you’re going to hear every question imaginable. Many of them are insightful, some are funny, and a few are just down right silly. Today I’ve decided to tackle some of the recent ones I’ve seen cropping up online.
Is Karate Japanese or Chinese?
Both, and neither! While today Karate is categorized as a Japanese martial art, it originated on the small island of Okinawa (formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom) and was heavily influenced in its development by different martial arts including Chinese Kung Fu. For a more in depth treatise on the history of Karate, click here.
What is Karate-do?
Generally, this refers to the styles of Karate that focus on the perfection of one’s character, not just the perfection of fighting techniques. This will include most styles of Karate such as Shotokan, Kyokushin, and Goju ryu. Okinawan styles, however, retain the traditional emphasis on technique.
Is Karate a real martial art?
While quality of instruction varies from one school to the next, as a whole, Karate is a real martial art. Martial arts are codified systems of combat often containing rituals, uniforms, and unique fighting techniques. And Karate fits this to a tee.
Is Karate a powerful martial art?
In general, as a style Karate is centered around delivering powerful blows to an opponent’s body in order to defeat them. Trained properly, Karate strikes can dislocate joints, break bones, or even be fatal if delivered to a vulnerable spot on the body.
Is Karate safe for kids?
Karate is very safe for both kids and adults. Most of their time spent will practicing punches and kicks in the air or against pads, and any sparring will be done with gear to protect your child’s head, hands, torso, etc. Because of this, Karate is considered by many experts to be safer than other sports activities.
Is Karate useful in an actual fight?
Karate is very effective in a real fight, provided that style regularly practices full contact sparring. Without “pressure testing” your techniques under those conditions, you will never really know if they will be effective against someone who intends to do you harm.
What is the best age for a child to start Karate?
Broadly speaking, between 5 and 7 years old is the best time for your child to begin Karate training. In truth, the best age is the age your child is when he/she is interested in Karate. A disinterested 10 year old is going to learn less than an enthusiastic 4 year old.
Can I teach myself Karate?
This is now a common question in our pandemic fearing world. Similarly to learning baseball on your own, you can get the basics, but there will always be something missing. To properly learn Karate you need a teacher and, preferably, other students to spar with.
What does Karate do to your body?
Karate training has many powerful effects on the human body. This includes strengthening muscles, creating denser and stronger bones, and improving reaction time. It also has other health benefits like lower blood pressure, reduced emotional stress, and easier recovery from injury.
Does Karate use weapons?
In spite of “Karate” translating to “empty hand”, Karate has historically used many different weapons. Some of those would include the sai, nunchaku, bo, kama, tonfa, and the suruchin. Today, instruction with these weapons is almost exclusively centered around kata, rather than actual combat.
Does Karate use grappling?
Modern Karate, especially competitive Karate, utilizes very little grappling, if any at all. However, if you go back into the history of Karate, you will find many examples of grappling. This is because Karate was originally a self defense system rather than a martial art sport.
Why does Karate have belts?
The colored belt system was a teaching tool that Karate borrowed from Judo. It allows a sensei to quickly order his class by approximate skill level. This is especially effective so as not to pair high skilled students with low skilled ones during sparring.
Why Is kata important in Karate?
In general, kata has two purposes:
- To allow a Karate-ka to practices the fundamentals of his techniques alone.
- To act as a physical “encyclopedia” of techniques.
Knowing the kata is not enough, though. More importantly, a student must study the bunkai (application) of those techniques.
Is Karate effective?
Karate is very effective. But in order to be useful on the street, you must train in a dojo that practices full contact sparring. Otherwise your body will panic from the pain and shock of being hit and all your training will collapse. Familiarity with the physical reality of violence is the key.
How is Karate different from Taekwondo?
On the surface, both styles may appear very similar, but the main differences is found in where each style focuses its offense. While Karate teaches the use of both hands and feet, Taekwondo has chosen to specialize almost exclusively in attacking with the legs.
Will Karate help me lose weight?
The best way to lose weight is to find an activity you actually enjoy doing, that way sticking to it will be not only easy, but fun! Karate is one of the best martial arts out there to help someone lose weight and have fun doing it. And you are sure to make some new friends at the same time, too.
What is a Karate uniform called?
The Karate uniform, made usually of cotton, is generally split into three parts:
- Uwagi – The jacket.
- Zubon – The pants.
- Obi – The belt.
Collectively, these are simply referred to as a “gi” or “dogi”, or, for the more traditionally minded, a “keikogi” (formal).
What is World Karate Day?
World Karate Day, held each year on October 25th, is a celebration of what may be the most popular martial art in the world. During this celebration people are encouraged to learn more about Okinawan history, culture, and take part in Karate demonstrations.
How old is too old for Karate?
While many older adults are afraid they may be too old to train, as long as you can stand and walk, you are never too old for Karate. The real question is one of health, not age, and should be answered by your physician. For a more in depth look at age and martial arts, try my other article here.
What is the hardest style of Karate?
Bar none, Kyokushin Karate is the toughest style of Karate. Unlike other styles of Karate, sparring is performed with little to no protective gear and at full force. Kyokushin is also famous for its “100-man Kumite” wherein a karate-ka must fight 100 black belt opponents in a single day.
Why isn’t Karate used in MMA?
Don’t be fooled by the lack of gi and kata, Karate is used by some of the biggest stars in MMA including Connor McGregor, George St-Pierre, Lyoto Machida, and Steven Thompson. It is the synthesis of Karate’s hard strikes, along with grappling and ground game, that has allowed these stars to rack up huge wins.
Will Karate help my child’s behavior?
Today when a child misbehaves we are taught to either put the kid on drugs, or admit him into therapy. While modern medicine has its place, odds are good your child just needs to be taught discipline and burn off some excess energy (likely stored up from sitting at his desk call day). Karate is the perfect solution to this problem.
How long does it take to earn a black belt in Karate?
Generally speaking, it can take anywhere from 2 to 10 years depending on your style, dojo, sensei, organization, and your level of skill and commitment. However, it is important to remember that the belt around your waist matters little compared to how hard you have trained. Like Miyagi said…
Final Round
That will conclude Round One of the Karate Q&A. As I’m sure you already know, there is a lot of misinformation out there pertaining to the martial arts and to Karate in particular. Hopefully this quick Q&A session will lay some of those to rest for you.
Photo Attribution:
- Photo by svklimkin on Unsplash
- Photo by Thao Le Hoang on Unsplash
- Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash
- Photo by Thao Le Hoang on Unsplash
- Photo by Alexandra Tran on Unsplash