Oct 282009
 

Karate is known to been an effective form of marital arts, so why is it so and what moves are there that we can learn today to get an idea of its effectiveness? First off, you should know that karate was originally developed by ordinary farming folks in Okinawa, Japan. Tired of being attacked and pillaged by armed bandits. These people took it upon themselves to develop a form of empty-handed combat which were effective against these mounted raiders.

Weapons were forbidden to be carried by the common Japanese folks if they were not samurai or the warrior class. This is one of the main reasons why you see flying or high kicks in karate. It was due to the necessity in knocking off these bandits or warriors from their horses.

Now what are some of the moves we can analyze that shows the effectiveness of these karate moves? Among the many moves, there are some common effective ones, like the back hand lash, the bottom fist, side hand hammer blow and choker.

Lets take a quick look at these.The back hand lash was one of the original attack moves in karate and how it is done is that when an opponent comes at you, you lash out with your palms straightened and tightened. It works like a plank of wood being smashed against the enemy’s ribs.

For the bottom fist it is delivered best against an enemy that is wearing amour. In the olden days, most warriors wore some form of armor. What this meant was that normal killing blows to the soft vulnerable spots were not feasible. Hence this move was created to smash against hard armor, thereby creating concussion effects on the enemy. Hitting it on the head is effective as it can disorient and even knock out the enemy.

Another move sometimes used by karate practitioners is the heel of palm attack. As the name implies, your striking surface is the heel of the palm. This is powerful for several reasons. If delivered correctly and with connection power, the blow can be devastating to the opponent and can knock them out pretty quick.

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Oct 202009
 

Karate a wildly popular form of modern sports in our history and its roots goes back to it being an form of effective and deadly marital arts. While it is less practiced as a marital arts nowadays, many people have the common perception that karate is a violent and aggressive marital arts, created by warriors. Was this really the case? If we interviewed 20 people on the streets, the answer would probably have been yes from most of them.

Totally true or not, what we do know is that the founder of modern karate, Mr Gichin Funakoshi was an advocate for peace. He did not believe in violence and wrote a series of essays on his principles and thoughts on the art of karate. He also promoted the idea that in karate one should not strike first.

What does this mean? Usually in most other martial arts, the practitioner usually makes the first move so as to maximize speed and attain victory. In the case of Gichin Funakoshi he emphasized that karate was meant for self-defense, hence one should not attack first unless provoked.

That is you would noticed in some martial arts there are only killing blows and no blocks while in Karate there are a variety of blocks, trapping and grappling moves designed to not only ward off attacks, but also subdue the opponents. If karate was solely designed for killing enemies, these specific katas would not have developed.

So what does this mean for those of you who are aspiring to learn karate? It means that when you start to learn karate, you not only practice it as a form of self-defense and sport, but a kind of philosophy as well. What good does it do if the person practicing a marital art is strong and powerful but is just a bully?

In conclusion, we can see that despite common notions that karate was just a violent marital art used for killing, there is actually a broader and deeper side to it, where in the case of Gichin Funakoshi,the founder of modern karate, brought out brilliantly these thoughts in his written works.

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Oct 122009
 

Ok so what is karate? It is a Japanese marital art evolved from the islands of Okinawa. The story goes that this marital art was developed due to the necessity of the farmers living there to protect themselves from armed bandits wearing amour.

What this means is that karate was an art that was meant for killing and fighting. While today’s karate has evolved to become more of a sport, this was where it’s roots came from. Knowing that, it is imperative that you know the purpose you are learning karate for. Are you learning it just as a hobby and sport? If so then carry on with your kata movements and get good at tagging opponents in karate tournaments. If you are looking to learn it as a serious form of self-defense, then you must learn it as a marital art and not a sport.

Historically speaking, original early karate tournaments back in Japan were given points for hitting the kill-zones of the body. While it is common sense many karate practitioners gloss over this point and have the mistaken notion that being able to ‘fight’ well in tournaments equates to actual fighting skills. This is a misnomer and can get you killed.

So with that in mind, let’s look at what you can do to get started if you are totally new to karate. One of the best and most cost effective way to learn karate is to buy a karate-book and start learning the katas. Wait a second; don’t they say that you can’t learn martial arts from a book? While that is partially true. If you are a total beginner, the main concern you should have is to ingrain the karate moves into your body. Concentrate only on getting the movements correctly. Developing the hitting power and timing comes later when you get good at the moves and you already are learning from a good karate school.

To summarize, it is perfectly fine for beginners to learn karate moves at home and familiarize yourself with it. You could even get good at it training karate at home. Eventually though, what you want to do is to transit from that to learning from a competent instructor.

They will be able to show you the finer points in Karate. Remember, regardless of which karate school you enroll in or book you purchase from, it pays to know what you are learning karate for. Having an end-goal in mind is important and can save a lot of wasted time and possible dangerous habits.

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Oct 062009
 

There are many reasons why people take up the art of karate. It could be for protecting themselves from danger. It could be practiced as a hobby. Some use it as a form of sport that keeps them disciplined. Karate originated from Japan and has many lineages that spread throughout the country centuries ago. It consists of punches, kicks, blocks, throws and fighting on the ground. For people who are new to karate and wish to get their feet wet, they can try out the following basic routine.

First, beginners should stretch themselves fully. This is important as it prepares the body for more demanding movements and minimizes injury. It helps to let your muscles relax and gets the blood flowing. You should stretch for about 20 minutes before commencing to the actual katas or training. Be sure to stretch the entire body, especially the body joints.

Next, you should familiarize yourself with karate movements. At this point, you do not need to worry about speed, accuracy or power. The main key here is to just know how to execute the karate stances, punches and kicks correctly. Relax and breathe normally. Do not tense up as it can slow down your movements. Remember at the beginner stage you do not need to worry about other factors except getting the movements ingrained into your body.

After about an hour or two of practicing the karate movements, warm down by stretching again. This will help to prevent possible injuries and blockages. Practicing karate can be demanding so you should ensure that your body is well taken care of.

That’s just a few simple tips for the absolute beginners who want a taste of karate. You can do this at home with a good karate manual showing illustrations on how the karate moves are being executed.

For those who wish to move on the next step, they should start to introduce other elements of practice into play. For example, they can concentrate on getting power in their punches. Once that has been ingrained, add in another element, like speed or accuracy. This kind of progressive training will ensure maximum results and cut down errors and picking up bad habits which may inhibit the beginners growth.

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Oct 012009
 

There are many reasons why people take up the art of karate. It could be for protecting themselves from danger. It could be practiced as a hobby. Some use it as a form of sport that keeps them disciplined. Karate originated from Japan and has many lineages that spread throughout the country centuries ago. It consists of punches, kicks, blocks, throws and fighting on the ground. For people who are new to karate and wish to get their feet wet, they can try out the following basic routine.

First, beginners should stretch themselves fully. This is important as it prepares the body for more demanding movements and minimizes injury. It helps to let your muscles relax and gets the blood flowing. You should stretch for about 20 minutes before commencing to the actual katas or training. Be sure to stretch the entire body, especially the body joints.

Next, you should familiarize yourself with karate movements. At this point, you do not need to worry about speed, accuracy or power. The main key here is to just know how to execute the karate stances, punches and kicks correctly. Relax and breathe normally. Do not tense up as it can slow down your movements. Remember at the beginner stage you do not need to worry about other factors except getting the movements ingrained into your body.

After about an hour or two of practicing the karate movements, warm down by stretching again. This will help to prevent possible injuries and blockages. Practicing karate can be demanding so you should ensure that your body is well taken care of.

That’s just a few simple tips for the absolute beginners who want a taste of karate. You can do this at home with a good karate manual showing illustrations on how the karate moves are being executed.

For those who wish to move on the next step, they should start to introduce other elements of practice into play. For example, they can concentrate on getting power in their punches. Once that has been ingrained, add in another element, like speed or accuracy. This kind of progressive training will ensure maximum results and cut down errors and picking up bad habits which may inhibit the beginners growth.

About the Author: