The complete history of Karate is unclear – many people argue over its true origins. It is safe to say, however, that the very first inception of Karate was in Okinawa. Although some people consider Okinawa and Japan to be the same entity, during the time of Karate’s creation, the two were separate. It was actually much later after Karate had become popular in Okinawa that it became popular in Japan. Karate began as a form of martial arts known as “ti” and was practiced widely by the royal and influential people of Okinawa.

So you are thinking of starting to train in okinawan karate. There are a lot of choices as far as okinawan karate schools are concerned. Which school do you choose ? What is the best school or system? If you are a parent, what okinawan karate school is best for your children?

In the 80’s I was a short, skinny eight-year old. You know the type. Always picked on but never picked for the team. When I started high school, things didn’t get much better. We had just moved to central New Jersey and I was the new kid on the block with no friends. My grades dipped. My guidance counselor thought I was so weird that he measured my head. In those days, they had never heard of Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD.

Karate is a system of self-defence that has developed over many years and which now contains elements of keeping fit and keeping a supple body. Both the mind and body are focused whilst karate classes take place and this gives the practitioner the opportunity to escape the normal pressures of everyday life. In a good karate club there should be a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, so that somebody who is new to the club does not feel intimidated or frightened.

How can karate actually benefit your health?

Perfect one‘s character:

Do not harbor hatred and bitterness. Negativity breeds negativity. Love one another. Enough cannot be said on this.

Dedicate oneself to others:

And not just to oneself. Selfishness leads to hate, which leads to anger. Anger consumes all in its path and is never quenched, except by effort, which rebuilds. This may be one’s own effort, or the effort of another, changing your nature and your life from the inside out. This will influence those around you.

Uphold honor, bravery, and justice:

"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants."
- Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate

Aside from the dojo precepts, kata is traditionally Karate-do’s primary tool for personal development. It is the textbook of Karate-do that is to be learned, understood, and applied. It is the tool by which Karate-do demonstrates fighting principles, but also creates unity in one’s body, mind, and soul.

Hironori Ohtsuka founded Wado-Ryu, the 1st Japanese form of Karate in 1938. It was the result of many years of training in various forms of Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Okinawan Karate, as well as Aikido, developed into a single fluid, powerful, yet peaceful martial art. Wado-Ryu Karate is the Way of Peace and Harmony, and is practiced as a way of life by millions of people worldwide.

Nonetheless, Ohtsuka’s path as a budoka was set by this point, and would soon take its first fateful turn. He would soon meet the father of modern karate, Gichin Funakoshi. In the fall of 1922, Ohtsuka was giving thought to his future. Although his job at the bank appeared secure, he was not satisfied. He wanted to devote his life to his true passion, the martial arts. This interest was heightened even more when Ohtsuka found out that an Okinawan school teacher, Gichin Funakoshi, was invited by Crown Prince Hirohito to perform karate before the Emperor of Japan at a public hall in Tokyo.

Ohtsuka gradually incorporated knowledge from Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, and the other karate sensei he trained with, into the classes Funakoshi-sensei had put him in charge of. This included free fighting, and weaving his newfound principles into the kata. While many students agreed with the changes being made, Funakoshi-sensei viewed them as contrary to his teachings. Due to their disagreements, it was in 1930 that Ohtsuka-sensei and Funakoshi-sensei finally parted ways.

Do you want to give your child everything in life you never had? Of course you do; you want to give your child all of the opportunities that you didn’t have. That’s what every responsible parent wants for his or her children. However, it’s hard to keep up with all the new and expensive toys available today.

This section covers two extremely valuable life skills that many adults pay a “king’s ransom” to attain. Adults pay a life coach, business coach, or read plenty of self-improvement books, to gain this knowledge and develop these life skills. However, within a Karate class, children can be molded toward a lifetime of achievement.

Success

Here are three more valuable life skills for children who study Karate.

Attraction

Doesn’t everyone want to feel appreciated, popular, and get some recognition? Children need it even more that you do. This is why a child, who has leadership, success, and social skills, will go far among his or her peers. This is one more reason why a child who studies Karate will avoid following the crowd and become a trend setter.

Here are two more fantastic life skills your child can gain from a kids Karate class.

Goal Setting

Any child, who starts to learn Karate, arrives to class with a few goals in mind. These goals are as simple as learning a new Karate technique, advancing to the next belt rank, and impressing his or her parents. Once a short-term goal is achieved, confidence settles in, and Karate training is a succession of goals.

This is the last article in this series, with the last two life skills, and three additional benefits that children receive from attending Karate classes, on a regular basis.

Self-Confidence

Many adults struggle with self esteem, so it is natural that children would also feel a lack of confidence. Also, children of parents who have self-confidence issues will copy their parent’s example.

The Way of Peace School of The Empty Hand

We should seek unity, harmony, and peace within ourselves and the world around us. Do not look to one way of doing things or one technique. Instead, internalize all you have learned, to become water that takes the shape of the situation, and the path of least resistance. Do not meet force with force, but avoid attacks with body movements, footwork, and deflection. Blend naturally with opposing energy to find an advantage or solution.

Zanshin

“Remaining mind” / Awareness.

Haragei

Timings for counter attack

Consider uses for the body shifting methods.

Go no Sen - Defensive attack. Counter once the attack is completed, but before the opponent is able to attack again.

Sen - Simultaneously attack with the attacker. You will complete your counter first, and/or displace the attacker’s movement.

Sensen no Sen - Preempt the attack with your own, by perceiving your opponent’s intent. This will catch him/her off guard, breaking his/her mental balance.

Defensive movements

Budo

Literally translated from Japanese, “Budo” is “The Way of Brave and Enlightened Activity”. Therefore, a “budoka” is not simply one who practices a traditional form of Japanese martial arts, but one who always seeks greater being and awareness for him or herself and others. Budo is heavily rooted in Zen Buddhism, and as such can be considered moving meditation. Budo can be the start of a new personal journey of continual improvement for yourself and all of your loved ones, regardless of your personal faith.
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The two most common martial arts practiced in North America are karate and tae kwon do. Many wonder what the difference between these two martial arts is. This is especially the case for those who are just starting to look around for a martial arts studio. After all, most practitioners in both karate and tae kwon do seem to wear the same type of white gi uniforms with various colored belts.

Gichin Funakoshi is generally regarded as the Father of Modern Karate.

Among his contributions is a list of 20 core beliefs that every karateka should subscribe to.

At the very top is this one: “There is no first strike in karate.”

The idea is that karate is about self-defense, primarily, and only secondarily is it a fighting art.

Funakoshi didn’t want to spawn generations of bullies. I think it is right to say he wanted to sire gentle men and women, people of refinement; in a word, civilized folks, and not just more barbarians.

A while back, I was reacquainting myself with a long time friend during a weekend get together. We were talking about our families’ weekly schedules and I mentioned that my daughter and I spend a couple nights a week at karate. My friend, who’s always been a bit outspoken, surprised me by asking if I could beat up the other guys in our group. I told him that was tough to say because karate is a defensive art. At the time, I said this without thinking, but I have thought about this a lot both before and since the conversation.

Long before I studied karate, I studied karate.

I read books on the subject, involved myself in an appreciation of Eastern philosophy and living practices, and sensed, on a deep level, that my journey and the martial artist’s, are one.

And long after I’ve studied karate, in a formal dojo, I intend to study karate by applying its principles to my life.

The key to karate, as I see it, is your frame of mind.

There is a misconception among many that karate is some sort of religion and practicing it may conflict with ones faith. Parents hesitate to enroll their child into a karate school because they are afraid he or she will be converted. They see everyone dressed in white, barefoot, kneeling and bowing to a picture of a person. No one speaks unless spoken to.

Karate teaches two very important concepts; respect, and discipline. These concepts are best taught through repeated practice through Karate's protocols on respect and discipline.

Is Karate a violent sport?

The quick answer is No, the practice of karate is not violent. To answer this question clearly and completely you should understand what violence is.

History:

Though Karate is often associated with Japanese martial arts, its true origin dwells in Okinawan combat techniques and Southern Chinese martial arts. It is basically a fusion of both arts and was introduced to Japan only in 1921. During this period, Karate was simply known as "Te", or hand, as called by the Okinawans. Chinese influence is evident in the original symbol for Karate - the "Tang Hand" or “Chinese Hand”.

The debate as to whether karate is effective on the streets continues to this very day and with current interest in mixed martial arts training it seems that karate is on the losing side. The no camp are winning this one, and to a certain extent I have to agree with them.

The problem with a lot of karate is the way in which it is trained. If you want to be able to get through a live situation in one piece you have to train for it. Marching about doing your kata and inventing clever bunkai, for instance, simply won't work.

As a martial arts school owner in Pensacola, Florida I see first hand the wonderful changes that the study of Ryukyu Kempo Karate brings to our youngest students; as a matter of fact, I consider it one of my greatest blessings.

I meet the parents of prospective students literally every day (we are in a convenient high-traffic mall location) and the only real troubling question I get every so often is, "Will the martial arts make my child aggressive or dangerous?”

I’d like to respond with a simple and resounding “NO” but that might be an untruth.

Kata is central to good Karate training. Karate kata have existed for hundreds of years and have their origins within the Chinese fighting systems.

There is no direct translation of the term Kata into English. The best we can come up with is form or pattern. Kata is a predefined sequence of movements performed in a special order to maximize your practice time.

Kata teach you about body movement, weight distribution, angles, turning, awareness and how to deal with a variety of situations. Kata are composed of martial-type movements that help you learn certain skills.

For many people, especially those who are not familiar with martial arts, the question often arises on what the difference between karate and kung fu is. Upon watching somebody doing martial arts, the untrained eye will find it hard to tell whether that person is doing karate or kung fu. Even those who are beginning martial arts may sometimes be confused about the different styles until further exposure to them will reveal just how different they really are.