Posted on Wednesday, 6th February 2008 by Captain Chris
So you think you know something about karate do you? Well, it’s one of the most popular martial arts in the world so it would be hard not to know something. In fact when most people see a demonstration, and they aren’t told otherwise, they think they’re seeing karate. Now if you’re searching for Okinawan Karate you at least know a little something about the history of Karatedo or karate which means “empty hand,” a popular competition sport today known by many, but in reality it was created for self defense in lethal close combat situations. Pure Karate was made to kill thieves and even samurai. Over time people have moved away from the more brutal aspects of the style - but make no mistake it was designed to kill.
Karate is a hard style which means you use brute force to beat an opponent or attack. You can employ hand and leg strikes, throws, blocks and grappling. Lethal weapons like the sickle, pitch fork, and staff along with other weapons are part of the traditional arsenal. Karate traces its origins back to Okinawa prior to being taken over by Japan, and includes aspects of both Chinese and Japanese martial arts. Karate would inspire the founder of Tae Kwon Do, and in Russia those who created Sambo for the military would draw inspiration from Karate and Judo.
To look at Karate today you would have to wonder why anyone would use it for self defense. After all, most of the people in the United States who practice Karate are kids, and what they do doesn’t look very dangerous. Keep in mind though, what you have to do is what your seeing is a combat sport. Basically, combat sports look like a fighting style, but watered down. After all it’s just a game and even if a member of another martial arts school is a rival, chances are you don’t want to kill the person. So over time the lethal moves were removed, and the fight became a civilized competition. Okinawan Karate can be tough again though if martial artists take it seriously. Teach self defense techniques and separate them from sport combat ones. Make sure students know how to survive on the street, so they don’t naively think what they already know will work in a real fight.
Tags: karate, Okinawan Karate
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