The Karate Primer: Understanding the Goals of Karate

If you've ever seen a movie fight sequence, there's a good chance you already know what the public perception of "karate" looks like. A hand chop here, a punch and block there; essentially, it looks like choreographed dancing. But in reality, Karate is more than fighting well enough that you look good; it's about understanding the power already contained within yourself to become a more assertive, disciplined human being. Let's take a look at some of the goals and characteristics that make karate, karate.

First, karate is primarily a form of martial arts that focuses on striking, much like Tae Kwon Do. Striking refers to blows you rein down on an opponent through the use of the legs and the arms. Punching, kicking, and blocking are emphasized heavily in karate. If you want to know how to both throw a punch and block a punch, studying karate would be the right discipline to choose. It also introduces more elements than a martial art like boxing in that you can use your feet and legs more aggressively.

Karate also incorporates locks and throws, which gets closer to a more Brazilian jiu-jitsu style of fighting without fully embracing it. You might think of karate as learning how to fight at a medium distance: you aren't locked fully with your opponent, but you aren't shooting arrows at them, either. In karate, you can get close enough to "throw" an opponent, but this isn't always the primary way of fighting.

Karate emphasizes self-defense. By teaching you how to strike and block strikes, it gives you an ability to read a situation and adapt through a variety of self-defense techniques. In other words, you learn how to defend yourself. You learn to strike back so you can disable your opponent, as well as how to take them aground so that the fight can end.

Like many martial arts, much of karate emphasizes self-discipline and confidence that allows you to carry yourself in a more assertive way, hopefully leading to a decrease in the amount of people that want to attack you in the first place. Through training and dedication, you can give off the energy of "someone who knows Karate" and avoid fights before they happen, which hopefully leads to a greater amount of peace both in your life and throughout the world.

Photo Credits: tomer.gabel

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Posted by Martial Arts Karate Kung Fu on August 6, 2009 in Martial Arts, karate. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.