Karate?????

i%26#039;v taken katate for some time now and i was wondering of some things about it like for example kung fu is alot about speed or take wan do is a lot of power whats karate|||Um, Karate is about self control. lol I don%26#039;t know. But Tae Kwon Do is not just about power, because if it was my master would stop yelling, %26quot;faster,%26quot; at me.|||karate is practicle?karate is also about speed and power combined,not quite that simple but it answers your question.|||go see karate tournaments on youtube, its all about bashing each other with no technique, the karate fighters from the 70s and 80s wer waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better at least.|||what style makes you feel so good you want to practice all the time? that%26#039;s the best style.......... for you!|||In general, there are many components to modern karate training. One common division is between the areas of kihon (basics or fundamentals), kata (forms), and kumite (sparring). Another popular division is between art, sport, and self defense training. Weapons (kobudo) comprise another important training area, as well as the psychological elements incorporated into a proper kokoro (attitude) such as perseverance, fearlessness, virtue, and leadership skills. Often in the execution of a technique, karateka are encouraged to issue a loud kiai or %26#039;spirit shout%26#039;.








[edit] Kata (Forms)


Karate kata (型:かた) means %26quot;form%26quot; or %26quot;pattern,%26quot; and despite how they might appear to the outsider, are not simply aerobic routines. They are patterns of movements and techniques that demonstrate physical combat principles. Kata may be thought of as a sequence of specific Karate movements that address various types of attack and defense under ideal circumstances. It is important to remember that they were developed before literacy was commonplace in Okinawa or China, so physical routines were the logical method for preserving a body of this type of information. It is also important to remember that the moves themselves may have multiple interpretations as self-defense techniques - there is no %26#039;standard right or wrong%26#039; way to interpret them, but interpretations may have more or less utility for actual fighting. In karate, there are many types of Kata available. Depending on the current grade of the pupil, a specific Kata must be practiced and ready to perform at a grading for one to grade to the next Kyu or Dan level.





Kata by the same name are often performed with variations between styles, within schools of the same style, or even under the same instructor over time. None of these variations are more %26quot;correct%26quot; than the other, though during testing only one version is typically accepted all around the world.








[edit] Types of karate


There are many different styles of karate today. The styles listed by the World Union of Karate-do Organization (WUKO) [2] are Budokan, Goju ryu, Kyokushinkai, Shinto ryu, Shorin ryu, Shotokan, Uechi ryu and Wado ryu.








[edit] Kumite (Sparring)


Kumite (組手:くみて) literally means %26quot;meeting of hands,%26quot; and has many incarnations. Sparring may be constrained by many rules or it may be free sparring, and today is practiced both as sport and for self-defense training. Sport sparring tends to be one hit %26quot;tag%26quot; type for points. Depending on style or teacher, takedowns and grappling may be involved alongside the punching and kicking.





Types of Kumite





Ippon kumite - one step sparring, typically used for self defense drills


Sanbon kumite - three step sparring, typically used to develop speed, strength, and technique


Kiso kumite - structured sparring drawn from a kata


Jiyu kumite - free sparring


Basic Footwork





Nusumi ashi - back foot steps in first, front foot steps second to close distance


Okuri ashi - front foot steps in first to close distance, back foot follow


Tsugi ashi - stutter step, typically the front foot makes a small closing step followed by a much larger one to close distance with the back foot following as needed


Ayu shi - the back foot steps through to the front to close distance





[edit] Dojo Kun (the karate code)


Karate has a dojo kun which is basically a set of guidelines for kareteka%26#039;s to follow both in the dojo(a room in which karate is taught) and out the dojo, in a kareteka%26#039;s everyday life.





Seek Perfection of character[3]


Be Faithful[4]


Endeavor[5]


Respect Others[6]


Refrain from violent behavior[7]





[edit] Kokoro (Attitude)


Kokoro (心:こころ) is a concept that crosses through many martial arts, but has no single discrete meaning. In context, it means something like %26quot;heart,%26quot; %26quot;character,%26quot; or %26quot;attitude.%26quot; Character is a central concept in karate, and in keeping with the dō nature of modern karate, there is a great emphasis on improving oneself. It is often said that the art of karate is for self-defense; not injuring one%26#039;s opponent is the highest expression of the art. Some popularly repeated quotes implicating this concept include:





%26quot;The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.%26quot; -Gichin Funakoshi[citation needed]


%26quot;The Way is not meant as a way of fighting. It is a path on which you travel to find your own inner peace and harmony. It is yours to seek and find.%26quot; -Hironori Ohtsuka[citation needed]


Respect is another very important part of karate; it is about cleansing one%26#039;s self and strengthening character. The spirit of %26quot;osu%26quot; is to push one%26#039;s self to the limit of one%26#039;s ability, to persevere under pressure, to endure. This is why it is said that %26quot;Karate always begins and ends with rei.%26quot;[citation needed]








[edit] Traditional Concepts


The Three Attacks





Sen sen no sen - to attack first


Go no sen - to let the opponent attack first


Tai no sen - to attack simultaneously


Kumite Priorities





Ichi gan - first, eyes (awareness)


Ni soku - second, footwork (ability and foundation)


San tan - third, spirit (willingness to fight)


Shi riki - fourth, strength (fitness of the body)


The Three Spirits





Fukutsu no seishin - never give up


Kanto no seishin - good fighting spirit


Hissho no seishin - winning spirit


The Four Sicknesses





Fear


Surprise


Doubt


Confusion


The Three Minds





Mushin - no mind (no need to think)


Fudoshin - immobile mind (unaffected by anything external)


Heijushin - common mind (always ready)


Other Concepts





Seme - pressure towards the opponent


Zanshin - awareness of self and surroundings


Ki - universal life spirit


Do - the %26quot;way%26quot;


Embusen - location of the opponent


Seichusen - center/centerline of either the opponent or yourself





[edit] Kobudō (Weapons Training) 個武道 ? or 古武道 ?


Although technically meaning only %26quot;old martial way,%26quot;[8][9] in context kobudō refers specifically to the old martial way of Okinawa, and even more specifically, to the traditional weapons of Okinawa. These include most notably the kama (sickle), tonfa (baton with side-handle), sai (three-pronged blunt knife), and bō (6%26#039; staff) jo (4%26#039; staff) , although there are several others, as well.








[edit] Conditioning


Many styles of karate also include specialized conditioning equipment, known in Japanese collectively as %26quot;hojo undo.%26quot; Some of the more common devices are the makiwara, the chi-ishi (a kind of off center free weight), and nigiri game (large jars used for grip strength).








[edit] Sport


Karate competition can be in three disciplines: sparring (kumite), forms kata (empty handed forms), or kobudō kata (weapons forms). Competitors may enter either as individuals or as part of a team. Evaluation for kata and kobudō are done by a panel of judges; sparring is judged by a head referee, usually with assistant referees at the side of the sparring area. Sparring matches are often divided by weight, age, gender, and experience classes.





Some traditionalists are concerned that the emphasis on competition is antithetical to the deeper values of the art. They feel that sport competition promotes a highly compromised interpretation of the art, including point fighting and demonstration of forms for entertainment value. In less traditional forms of tournament, usually in the United States of America, kata are occasionally set to music and even weapons that light up or glow are sometimes used. In extreme cases, martial practicality is eschewed in favor of gymnastics. Traditionalists feel this should not be regarded as emblematic of karate; others feel the publicity is helpful.[citation needed]





Karate may be practiced for many reasons, but was originally developed for self-defense. The kata contain a variety of techniques intended for this purpose: hand strikes, kicks, locking, and grappling. However, proper training is required to make these techniques usable against a determined aggressor. Most styles include some form of two-person pre-arranged self-defense exercises as well as sparring or semi-sparring (structured sparring with limited options allowed for either partner). This allows for the development of a sense of range and timing. A number of styles practice hard-contact sparring.





Some schools are criticized for claiming to teach practical martial arts despite a lack of two-person training to develop needed attributes. An instructor may believe that practicing kata suffices to develop the necessary skills.





Other schools may intentionally place emphasis on tournament preparation, physical conditioning, or aesthetics (developing form for form%26#039;s sake), rather than self-defense. These schools will typically still teach self-defense techniques as well.








[edit] Rank


Originally, karate training did not use a ranking system, however, Gichin Funakoshi (船越 義珍 Funakoshi Gichin, 1868–1957) adopted the idea from judo founder Jigoro Kano using an identical scheme with a very limited set of belt colors.





As karate became more widespread there was a corresponding increase in the variation of rank numbers and belt colors. In traditional schools there are ten ranks of %26quot;color belt%26quot;, referred to as kyu, and five or more dan or %26quot;black belt%26quot; ranks, with ten being the most common, or eleven if the rank of probational black belt (shodan-ho) is used. It is common for extensive periods of time to be required to pass before being allowed to test for promotion, and Jyudan is frequently awarded only after a notable karateka has passed away.





Shodan-ho


Shodan


Nidan


Sandan


Yondan


Godan


Rokudan


Shichidan


Hachidan


Kyudan


Jyudan


The requirements for each belt vary as a student progresses, and each form of karate has a different grading system, however it is commonly noted that the progression of learning is in the following order:[citation needed]





Position - Stance


Balance - Control of position


Coordination - Control of balance and position in technique


Form - Performing the above correctly


Speed - Increase the rate of performance without loss of form


Power - Strengthening the techinique


Reflex - The technique becomes a natural movement


Conclusion - It is essential that the progression is not rushed, but developed at each stage.


Promotion is frequently a process of demonstration of acquired skill before a panel of judges, usually high ranking black belts of a particular style or school. Promotion can also be awarded by defeating a higher ranking competitor in kumite, particularly at dan levels. This practice is more common in Japan, though may still be practiced elsewhere.





Black belt testing is commonly done in a manner known as shinsa, which typically includes a written examination, a composition, kumite, kata, kobudo, footwork, and demonstrations of blocks, punches, kicks, etc.








[edit] Etymology of %26quot;Karate%26quot;


In the modern world, some could (and do) make the argument that, due to the generic meaning of the word %26quot;karate%26quot; (i.e. %26quot;empty hand%26quot;), any unarmed combat system or sport could technically refer accurately to itself as karate. This can be a difficult and sometimes controversial question, complicated by attitudes toward philosophy and competition, by questions of lineage and primacy, and perhaps above all by questions of nationalism and identity.








[edit] Chinese Hand


The word %26quot;karate%26quot; was used for some time verbally before it was written. The first use of the word %26quot;karate%26quot; in print is attributed to Anko Itosu, who wrote it not as we do today with the kanji (Chinese characters) 空手:からて (empty hand), but rather, as 唐手:からて (Tang Dynasty hand). The Tang Dynasty was a dynasty of China, and although it ended in 907 A.D. (well before Funakoshi%26#039;s time), the kanji representing it remained in use in Okinawa as a way to refer to China, generally.[citation needed]





Thus the writing of %26quot;karate%26quot; was originally a way of expressing %26quot;Chinese hand,%26quot; or %26quot;martial art from China.%26quot;





However, Funakoshi claims in Karate-do Nyumon:





Since there are no written records, it is not known for sure whether the kara in karate was originally written with the character 唐 meaning %26quot;China%26quot; or the character 空 meaning %26quot;empty%26quot;. During the time when admiration for China and things Chinese was at its height in the Ryukus, it was the custom to use the former character when referring to things of fine quality...





Actually, no evidence exists linking the use of the character with the origins of karate. In olden times, people had no specific Chinese characters in mind when they spoke of karate