Karate Articles

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Author: Todd

To effectively defend themselves, nowadays, many people have engaged in training martial art like karate. This art is one of the most effective martial arts when it comes to self defense and improvement. Karate is an effective martial art that can help you improve your self defense. Through proper practice and training of karate, you will certainly increase your defense mechanisms including power, speed and coordination. These aspects alone can help you defend yourself better against a normal attacker.

It is important to practice and train karate within a supervision of an expert instructor. Professional karate sensei is precise with the techniques that he is teaching. You will not only learn self defense, but you will also be able to improve your attitude and self discipline. For you to become a true martial artist, you will also need to improve your spirit as a warrior. Martial artists are brave and wise warriors who are using martial arts as their weapon. Develop your inner and outer strength so that you can overcome your fears. It is very important for a karate student to overcome his fears so that the concentration during a fight is not distracted.

Karate consists of various benefits. These benefits include self defense, self discipline, self control, body improvement and emotional development. In fact, there are plenty of Karate students who don't care about fighting but they care about getting a quality physique. When seriously taught, karate can help you significantly increase your method of overcoming an opponent. Make sure that your sensei is a qualified karate instructor. However, we cannot predict an outcome unless it is finish. So, it is always better to avoid a battle. Avoiding battles makes you wise enough as martial artist. As years goes by, your karate career will teach about the true meaning of a martial artist. Martial artist does not look for a fight but seek for peace. The reason for this is that a karate student knows that a serious battle can result to devastating consequences, so it is better to always find ways to avoid any battle.

Even though, being faster, mentally tougher, flexible and strong can help anyone to become a better fighter, karate students are already at its best when they find the best possible way to clear themselves away from trouble. This is the world of karate. It is the kind of art which can create a devastating damage but at the same time, this art always find ways to avoid a battle. Remember that a true martial artist doesn't need to prove himself.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/the-way-of-karate-4055538.html

About the Author
Troy Macraft is an independent content writer who specializes in the martial arts. Troy's passion is in the mixed martial arts as he is working for The MMA Zone as the online martial arts supplies store. Shop The MMA Zone for great prices on all your Karate Gi's!

Author: Paul A. Walker

Beginner level Karate Kids seem to be getting younger and younger nowadays. What is the right age to start the martial arts? Is your little one ready to become a karate kid?

Back when I started practicing martial arts in the early 1980s in England the youngest child my local karate school would take was 8 years old. Consequently I started karate at the age of 8. I was then thrown in with the older kids and the adults and was given the option to "sink or swim".

As karate has become more popular over the years, kids of a younger age are getting started in the martial arts. There has of course been a strong influence from the Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers but also with the ever expanding commercial karate schools, specialized programs for the little kids are becoming more and more popular. Programs with names such as Tiny Tigers, Little Ninjas or Little Dragons abound in most martial arts schools. So at what age are kids being accepted into these programs?

It seems that the age of 3 ½ to 4 years old is the youngest age for kids to be accepted into a martial arts program. This basically coincides with the age that a child can begin pre-school and this is no coincidence. So if your child is around 4 years old then he or she will probably be accepted into your local martial arts school. However there are other factors that you should be aware of.

· Is this the first time your child has been involved in a group activity? If so be prepared for some initial nervousness and unwillingness to get out on the floor without you.

· Have you already taken your child to your local martial arts school to watch a class? If not, then do so as this is a great opportunity to pre-frame your child so he or she knows what is expected and what a karate school and karate class looks like.

· Do you have realistic expectations for your child? Karate for a 4-year old should be about coordination, focus and fun. It is not about self-defense or hard core discipline at this age. These aspects will be gradually introduced over time as they get older.

· Can your child stay focused for about a half-hour at a time? Most young kids have very short attention spans and consequently when teaching karate to a 4-year old an instructor needs to use a series of short but focused drills that flow from one to the other. Be sure to find an instructor who uses this type of method so that your child will maintain interest for the whole duration of the class.

·Can your child follow one or two-step instructions? Your child needs to be able to follow basic directions in order to function in the karate class.

If your child does not do this at home then it may be a sign that he or she will also struggle at first in the karate class. On the other hand a karate class may be the ideal place to help your child learn the value of structure and basic discipline.

All of the above points are just some ideas that you should ask yourself when thinking about enrolling your young child in a martial arts class. The bottom line is you probably won't know all of the answers unless you give it a go but at the very least you should have some ideas of what to expect and how you can help your child make a successful transition into a fun and very valuable activity.

If you want some more tips on how to make a successful start in your karate practice then check out my FREE Report "Karate for Newcomers: How To Find Out Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Karate Practice". You will find out how to download it at http://www.freekarateinformation.com.

Good luck and best wishes on your journey in karate.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/is-your-little-one-ready-to-become-a-karate-kid-294806.html

About the Author
Paul A. Walker, is a 4th degree black belt karate instructor with over 25 years of experience in the martial arts. In June 2003 he attained his 4th degree black belt, after studying with the legendary Karate Master, Hirokazu Kanazawa at his Headquarters Dojo in Tokyo for three years. Additional free information on karate for people who are investigating, just beginning, are advanced practitioners, or who are instructors, is available at Paul's website at http://www.freekarateinformation.com

Author: toby deppt
The History of Shotokan Karate

Almost every book written about karate contains a short history, which tells the reader the same thing: there is very, very little information on the early development of the martial arts. Most accounts cite China as having a significant influence on its initial rise, however, it is clearly Okinawa that spawned what we know today as karate.


Okinawa is one of the 60 small islands south of mainland Japan and owing to its strategic location, it was often visited by the Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and other foreigners. Likewise, many of its natives visited, worked and studied in these countries. This facilitated the exchange of goods and services and of course, knowledge. It is unclear whether this exchange of knowledge had a truly significant influence on the development of the indigenous fighting system, Okinawa-te. However, there is little doubt that necessity had the strongest role in Okinawa-te's maturation into what is known today as karate.


Okinawa had always experienced problems between rival kingdoms, but in 1429, the kingdoms were united and in order to maintain this unity, a decree was issued which banned possession of all weapons. This seemed to work fairly well for almost 200 years, however, in 1609, Okinawa was, without much resistance, conquered by the rulers of the Satsuma Domain of Kyushu. Of course, there was no incentive for the new rulers to permit the Okinawans to own weapons and they went even further by forcing them to check out their farming implements (which could double as weapons) each morning and return them each evening.


Without weapons to defend themselves and their families, the Okinawans began to develop the art of empty-handed combat in earnest. It was taught and trained in secret through the beginning of the eighteenth century. Much of the training was done at night while the oppressors of the Okinawan people slept and therefore, the practioners trained in the sleeping garments (the predecessor to the modern karate "gi").


Over the years the prohibition against karate training began to diminish and legends began to develop. Although there are too many to describe in this brief history, the most notable would definitely include Sokon Matsumura (aka Bushi Matsumura) who taught many great instructors including Azato and Itosu. These two gentlemen became the instructors of Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan.

Gichin Funakoshi
Gichin Funakoshi was born premature and frail and was given to his maternal grandparents to raise. While attending primary school, he became friends with the son of Yasutsune Azato and shortly thereafter, began receiving karate instruction from the greater master. According to Funakoshi, after he had trained a couple of years, he realized that his health had improved tremendously and that he was no longer frail. It was at this time, he began to contemplate making Karate-do "a way of life".
Gichin Funakoshi became a school teacher, but continued to train at the house of Master Azato and also under a number of other great instructors. At the time, there were not many formal "schools" of karate and many karateka sought and received instruction from a number of great masters. These masters also shared information amongst themselves, often not seeing themselves in competition with each other, but as kindred spirits with the same love of martial arts.


It is also during the early years of Gichin Funakoshi that great changes swept through Okinawa and mainland Japan. The government actively sought to develop a stronger sense of nationalism and militarism and martial arts was definitely a major player in nationalist mores. In 1902, Funakoshi performed the first formal recorded demonstration of karate. As a result of this and other demonstrations throughout mainland Japan, karate not only earned the approval of the Ministry of Education and introduced into public school curriculums, but it also became an institution in Japanese youth organizations, the military, colleges, commercial businesses, and with the general public. Funakoshi was extensively sought after as an instructor and found himself permanently relocating to mainland Japan to pursue instruction of karate to the Japanese people. His students initiated the building of the first public karate dojo (training hall) which opened in 1939 and which was called the "Shoto-kan" (using the pen name of Funakoshi - "Shoto" and "kan" for hall).


Although the road was never an easy one for Funakoshi, karate flourished on mainland Japan and as a result, in 1948, the Japan Karate Association (JKA) was established. The establishment of the JKA lead the way to the spread of karate throughout the world. Masatoshi Nakayama, one of Funakoshi's greatest students, succeeded him as the head of the JKA. To say that Nakayama played a pivotal role in the expansion of karate throughout the world would definitely be an understatement.

Visit King Lam on the web at http://www.kinglamtaichi-karate.com or call his Dojo at 504-866-2241 for more information.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/new-orleans-karate-and-tai-chi-3146668.html

About the Author
Master King Lam has studied the martial arts for more than 40 years. He has studied the arts of Shotokan Karate, Chinese Kenpo Karate, Yang and Chen style Tai Chi Chuan, the Filipino art of Kali and Japanese Jujitsu. He has the rank of 8th degree Shotokan Karate black belt. His quest for knowledge has taken him to study in Tokyo, Japan, Beijing, China, Taipei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Philippine Islands. He has studied with Masters Jou, Tsung Hwa, Jyh Jian Soong, Yang Yang, Cheng, Jin Cai, Chen Xiao Wang, Zhu Tian Cai, Dan Inosanto, Takayuki Mikami, Ed Parker, Richard“Hukâ€ÂÂPlanas, and Gene Roos. He is the founder of Tamashii Karate and Tai Chi Center. He is the director of the New Orleans Chapter of the U.S.A. Chen Tai Chi Federation. Member of the National Qi Gong Association.

Master King Lam is a retired 30-year professional social studies teacher who taught at Mc Main High School in New Orleans and a member of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He has conducted classes and seminars at the University of New Orleans, Tulane University, Loyola University, Food and Drug Administration, Shell Oil, Chevron, Freeport McMoran, Magnolia School, New Orleans Center of Creative Arts, Strike Force Security Systems and throughout the United States.

Master King Lam is a national and international judge & competitor in Tai Chi and Karate competition. In July 2006, he won 5 gold medals in the Chin Woo Taiji Legacy tournament. In August, 2007 he won a Silver medal in Chen style forms and a Bronze medal in Chen style weapons at the 4th International Tai Chi Exchange in Jiaozuo, China.