Karate

The main concept of karate is the art of self-defense. It is a weaponless martial art that requires use of all parts of the body in numerous attacking and defensive techniques. Belt colors are used to signify a karate student's level, white being a beginner level, and black being a highly advanced level. There are three different types of karate practices, known as Kihon (basic technique), Kata (combat simulation), and Kumite (sparring).

Table of Contents

• History
• Playing Surface
• Equipment
• Gameplay
• Positions and Roles
• Rules and Regulations
• Referees and Officials
• Lingo and Terminology
• Coaching
• Skills and Techniques
• Strategy
• Drills
• Olympic Karate
• Karate Brands
• Karate Youth Organizations
• Karate Coaches
• Karate Players
• Karate Leagues
• Karate Teams
• Karate Events
• Karate Tournaments
• Karate Books
• Karate Websites
• FAQ
• What is Karate?
• What country is karate from?
• What is the purpose of karate?
• How dangerous is karate?
• What does karate literally mean?

History

Karate originated from Japan, and was heavily influenced by Chinese Martial Arts. There have been over 75 different styles of karate taught over the years, but 4 have become most prominent over time. The styles are known as Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Wado-Ryu, and Goju-Ryu. Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu originated from the Shuri region in Okinawa, Japan, while Gofu-Ryu originated from the Naha province in Okinawa, Japan.

Playing Surface

The main purpose of dojo surfaces is to have a good balance between safety, comfort, and flexibility for movement. A typical dojo floor is made up of high-density foam around 1 to 1 and half inches thick. Crash pads are also used often in dojos to protect fighters when rolling or performing takedowns.

Equipment

The main piece of equipment required for karate is the uniform. An extension of a karate uniform is a karate belt. Other important equipment for karate are groin protectors, mouth guards, hand guards, chest protectors, and foot guards. Other equipment can be purchased for training purposes, such as training dummies.

Gameplay

A karate fight or spar is known as Kumite. Many competitive karate fights are overseen by the World Karate Federation. The goal of a karate fight is to score points by landing kicks, punches, and throws. Points are awarded based on where the hits land and how good a fighter's technique is when a hit lands.

Positions and Roles

Karate consists of two fighters, a referee, and judges for deciding on points scored. The fighters go head-to-head against each other, while the referee ensures a fair and safe fight. Along with that, referees also indicate to judges when they think a scoring technique was used, and the judges have final say on how many points were scored.

Rules and Regulations

The basic rules of karate revolve around scoring. There are seven areas of the body a hit can land in order to get points. They are the head, face, neck, abdomen, chest, back, and sides. There is also a criteria for scoring techniques. The criteria consists of observing form, timing, distance, vigorous application, awareness, and a sporting attitude. Fighters can score 1, 2, or 3 points based on types of technique used.

Referees and Officials

Referees serve the purpose of ensuring the fighters abide by the rules of karate. They also help with the scoring for the fight. A singular referee watches over a fight, and indicates to a group of judges when they think a scoring technique took place. The judges decide if they agree, award the amount of points they deem fitting, and then the fight continues.

Lingo and Terminology

Important lingo to know during a karate fight involves scoring. Ippon is the term for three points awarded, Waza-ari is the term for two points awarded, and Yuko is the term for one point awarded. Other important terminology is said by referees. When a referee shouts "Shobu Hajime" to begin the fight, "Yame" when they think a scoring technique occurred, and "Tsuzukete Hajime" to resume the fight after the judges judge the alleged scoring technique.

Coaching

Karate coaches, more commonly known as instructors, teach groups of karate students or a single student all the different techniques in karate. Instructors not only teach the physical skills required in karate, but also attempt to teach the core values of martial arts. Instructors teach karate classes with a belt progression system. If one of their students enters a competition, they may even go with the student to guide them.

Skills and Techniques

While karate is a contact sport, it mainly focuses on being quick, agile, and a skilled fighter. There are 5 main techniques that karate beginners must know to get better. They are front kicking (mae-geri), upper blocks (jodan uke), knee strikes (hiza-geri), elbow strikes (hiji ate), and palm-heel strikes (shotei uchi).

Strategy

A karate match can be won in 4 different ways. When one fighter has more points than the other at the end, one fighter obtains an 8 point lead, a fighter is deemed unable to carry on, or a fighter is disqualified. The basic strategy of karate is to try land hits with good technique without the opponent landing hits. The more difficult the technique, the more points a fighter earns, but that also leaves them more vulnerable to take a hit.

Drills

There are numerous drills people can do to get better at karate. The main focus of drills include developing instinct, footwork, striking, agility, and coordination. A great example of a common drill is having two fighters spar with each other and putting restrictions on each one to force them to work on something specific, such as their weak side for striking.

Olympic Karate

Karate was not a part of the Olympics until very recently. It made its Olympic debut at the youth Olympic games in Buenos Aires in 2018, and was scheduled to debut at the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020. The Tokyo Olympics have been pushed back to 2021, and worst case, karate should make its debut in 2022 in Dakar.

Karate Brands

There are 10 well known brands for karate uniforms. Traditional karate uniforms are also known as a "gi" or "dogi".

Karate Youth Organizations

There are many different karate organizations that have influence in different parts of the world for young and up and coming fighters. There are 34 different organizations that focus on karate and youth fighters.

Karate Coaches

While fighters get most of the credit, coaches are very important for success in karate as well. Here are some of the most famous coaches in the world.

Karate Players

While there are many famous karate fighters, most of them live double lives that made them famous along with their famous karate careers. Here are a few examples:

Karate Leagues

While karate isn't as closely followed as other sports, there are still plenty of leagues. While there are leagues with things similar to karate such as kickboxing and taekwondo, there are 4 premier leagues that focus on karate specifically.

Karate Teams

While there are many small club teams in karate, the real high level teams are the national teams. Here are the 3 best countries based on medal count in the Karate World Championships.

Karate Events

There are many different events that take place within a karate competition. Using the World Karate Championship as a guide, here are a few examples of events.

Karate Tournaments

While there are plenty of karate tournaments out there, none of them rival the importance and pedigree of the Karate World Championships. Fighters represent their countries, the most important aspect of sports to many athletes.

Karate Books

While karate is a tough sport to master, there are plenty of books out there that help people to learn the sport. Here are a few of the most well received books in the karate community.

Karate Websites

While there are many different karate websites on the internet, a few stand out. Here are some of the most respected websites in the karate community.

FAQ