What is Karate? by Rob Redmond
Karate is a system of hand-to-hand fighting using the hands, feet, head, knees, and elbows as striking weapons. Karate was developed on the island of Okinawa from the 17th century and brought to Japan in the early 20th Century. Karate is a high risk, high yield martial art with an emphasis on maximizing the damage caused by each strike by harnessing every possible ounce of physical and mental leverage to exceed the normal limitations of the practitioner.
Karate has an extensive history, which can best be discovered by reading a book by Harry Cook called Shotokan Karate: A Precise History. What we know of karate's history is probably best summarized by saying that it originates with Chinese martial arts, particularly those of the city of Fuzhou in the Southeast of China. Documented travels to Fuzhou City by the diplomats and leaders of Okinawa, who studied Chinese martial arts there and returned home to teach them, show that karate originated there.
Karate also originated on Okinawa, as these Chinese arts were combined in with native Okinawan fighting methods resulting in an art the Okinawans called Toudi (Toh-Te in standard Japanese).
Over the years, the arts the Chinese practiced evolved and changed, and as this happened, the Okinawans absorbed several different systems into their fighting culture which eventually resulted in the creation of several different systems of karate.
During the early 20th Century, the nation of Japan was pursuing empire and was sending armies abroad into Asia on a mission of conquest and colonization. Engaged in extensive combat and occupational work in Korea and Manchuria, the Japanese government was quick to see karate as valuable and invite karate experts to travel to Japan and train people there. Funakoshi Gichin, the man identified as first bringing karate to Japan, moved there in 1922 and was assisted by several sponsors in establishing himself as a karate instructor. Most notable among his patrons was the man who founded Judo, Kano Jigoro.
While in the hands of the Japanese, karate has changed dramatically. The colorful belt system and uniforming of Judo were adopted, practices were changed from free-form to more rigorous, militarized methods better suited to teaching large groups of people. And, as more Okinawans moved to Japan to teach karate, the Japanese, in their nationalism, dropped the characters for Toh-Te and began referring to the art as Kara-Te, removing the reference to the Chinese from the name. As the Japanese were at war with China, this was not a surprising development, though many Okinawans protested.During the war, karate spread through Japan rather quickly, seen valuable to young men who feared they would soon be conscripted and sent overseas, karate instructors found themselves teaching large groups of people, and karate changed from being an interesting art of China to being the preferred fist and foot fighting method of Japan.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, karate was initially banned by the Occupational Authorities. This ban was lifted when many martial artists worked diligently to retool the presentation of their arts not as combat systems (Jutsu), but as paths to enlightenment and spiritual development (Do).
Karate became known as Karate-Do, and the emphasis was changed toward development of international understanding of Japan's culture, promoting personal development, and participation in karate sporting events, the first of which were held in the late 1950's. Since that time, karate has continued to develop into sport, exercise, self-defense method, and, for some, a lifestyle.
Karate today is difficult to define, as there are many systems of practice in use which vary greatly in their technical approaches and practice methods. Perhaps the best way to learn what karate is like is to compare it to other martial arts. Below are some comparisons to well-known martial arts as I have experienced them. Please forgive me for making such generalizations, but generalizing is the only way to possibly compare these diverse and large bodies of combat practice to one another and have it make any sense or provide a useful definition. And, unfortunately, these generalizations will be as inaccurate as my interpretation of my experience.
Karate vs. Boxing
Boxing and karate both have the goal of damaging the opponent aggressively. Unlike boxing, the Karate fighter keeps his center of gravity low to the ground and depends upon his legs, buttocks, and upright torso to power his strikes. Therefore, the Karate enthusiast does not lean in while punching. Also unlike boxers, Karate enthusiasts are generally taught to strike sensitive weak points in the human body like the throat and places where large nerves or weak bones are vulnerable. Karateists do not usually train wearing protective gear, so they learn to use only one or two knuckles on their fists as striking points making their blows very precise and controlled.
Boxers are limited to punching alone, at least during competitions, but the karate enthusiast will use his feet, elbows, knees, and head as weapons as well as a large variety of hand techniques. A boxer attempts to rain down blows upon the opponent's head and stomach in order to weaken him and hopefully induce unconsciousness. A karateist will strike more cautiously, waiting for just the right moment to take advantage of some perceived loss of concentration or physical weakness, and then will strike with one to three blows. This difference in tactics is probably influenced by the lack of protective gear in karate. A karate player will attempt to unbalance or take down an opponent by sweeping or damaging his legs. Unlike a boxer, the karateist will follow the opponent to the ground after he has fallen, and will continue to strike him until he is thoroughly defeated. Boxing is practiced exclusively according to sport rules. Some amount of training in karate is practiced without regards to the rules of the sporting component. However, none of that means that someone trained in boxing will not try to kick his opponent if the opportunity presents itself.
Karate vs. Judo
Judo, being a grappling and throwing art, provides methods for immobilizing the opponent. Judo is best described to a novice as a Japanese form of Greek wrestling. While the judo player will attempt to cling to the opponent, unbalance him, and then lock his joints while pressing him into the floor, karate players most often try to hold opponents away from them at medium to long range distance so that they can employ the more powerful blows that travel at high velocity across the longest possible distance. Karateists will generally avoid becoming entangled with an opponent that has not been stunned or damaged by an initial attack. Karate players do have short range techniques, but they prefer the high risk stakes of attempting a combination that will result in a finishing blow delivered before the opponent can close. The karate player plans to completely disable his opponent during the first exchange.
Judo emphasizes grabbing the opponent and pulling or pushing him off balance. Karate concentrates on aggressively defeating the opponent before he can complete his decision to attack. The judo uniform is a heavy, strong material that is suited to being grabbed and pulled. The karate uniform is not suited to being grabbed and pulled upon as it is made of lighter, less sturdy material.
Karate vs. Aikido
The differences between karate and judo also apply to aikido with a few exceptions. Unlike judo, aikido contains heavy Japanese spiritual and religious overtones. There is much bowing, saluting, meditating, and there are many religious lectures of a spiritual nature. Usually there is some talk of ki, the supposed force that some think they can harness to increase their success.
There is a focus on different types of techniques in aikido as well. However, the aikidoist will attempt to latch on to and hold the opponent so that he can be unbalanced and then trapped against the floor or thrown violently. The karateist will punch and kick with some foot sweeping primarily, and will only use short range techniques when forced to do so.
Aikido is more merciful in that an opponent can be neutralized without permanently maiming him. However, karate is optimized to deliver damage effectively and quickly such that multiple opponents can be disabled in a comparatively short time. Victims of Shotokan blows are not expected to be able to stand back up after being struck.
Tae Kwon Do vs. Karate
A tae kwon do artist will utilize kicking as his primary method of striking at his opponent. His stance is high, and his arms are used mostly for protection. Foot sweeping and following the opponent to ground are not utilized in tae kwon do sparring the way that they are in karate matches. Unlike tae kwon do, karate emphasizes solid footing, and kicking high is generally shunned in favor of punching and striking with the hands while unbalancing with the feet. The tae kwon do uniform is lightweight like the karate uniform, but the jacket does not come open as a karate jacket does. Instead, it has a v-neck, and sometimes the cuffs and edges are trimmed with some color, where the karate uniform is usually stark white with perhaps one plain emblem on the left breast. Tae Kwon Do, or TKD as it is commonly referred to by karate communities, is a Korean art thought to be based upon Japanese karate brought to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea during 1910-1945.
Karate vs. Tai Chi
The motions in tai chi are generally smooth and slow. Emphasis is placed upon relaxation and maintaining a calm demeanor. Tai chi routines are quiet and long, and involve many flowing circular actions. Karate, by contrast, utilizes sharp, violent motions. Where Tai Chi is an exercise in relaxed meditative movement, karate is an exercise in violent athleticism. In karate, an emphasis is placed on speed and strength, and while relaxation is important, it must be achieved within the context of quick, vicious movements that are direct and simple. Unlike the Tai Chi search for harmony and peace of mind, karate players, while claiming otherwise, are very competitive people and in my experience carry themselves with a certain machismo. Karateists usually wear an unemotional, cold, aggressive expression on their faces in contrast to the peaceful, approachable face of the tai chi artist practicing the Long Form.
Karate vs. Kung Fu
While there is truly no single art called "kung fu", the word is used here as Westerners use it to describe the many karate-like arts of China that are not tai chi such as southern praying mantis, white crane, and northern boxing.
Unlike many Chinese styles of fighting, Karate involves simple motions that depend upon proper timing and distancing in order to be effective, rather than complicated techniques in which both arms and one leg might be used together. Where the Chinese stylist may assume an extremely low stance and then a high one, karateists usually attempt to keep their hips level during motion and generally avoid bobbing, weaving, ducking, and other non-linear activity. Also, karate is devoid of the many acrobatics frequently seen in Chinese styles of fighting. The differences in performance are very similar to the differences in culture: the Chinese prefer the colorful, vivid, and flamboyant; The Japanese prefer the understated and elegant.
Summary
Karate training typically consists of wearing a white, cotton uniform, stretching for flexibility, stepping about the floor kicking and punching in an organized way, sparring with class mates, and practicing the routines known as kata. Karate training has no particular length of time to competency, however, the general consensus is that physical performance expertise requires about a decade. Die-hards have more than 20 years of training. As karate players train, they become more flexible, somewhat faster, a little stronger, and somewhat more resistant to some minor bumps and bruises. Training usually ends with more stretching, and usually is held 3 to 5 times per week for between 1 and 2 hours.
Karate Ryu
A ryu is a faction. Karate is practiced in many different ways depending upon the Ryu that the student is learning from. Ryu is a Japanese word which means "flow." The flow from teacher to student is very important to the Japanese and to the Okinawans. Karate in Japan is divided primarily between four factions: Shotokan, Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, and Wado-Ryu. Each of these factions was founded by men who lived near one another on Okinawa and who disagreed with one another about how karate is best practiced and organized. Today, each of the four factions has further subdivided into many hundreds of minor factions.
Shotokan is usually referred to without the suffix - ryu attached to its name. The other three styles usually have -ryu at the end of their names. The four styles are somewhat different from one another. Interestingly, there is actually no art by the name of "Shotokan." The Shoto-Kan was the name of the first karate dojo in Japan. The people who practice Shotokan in Japan usually refer to their art as simply "karate", completely oblivious to the fact that others refer to it as Shotokan. It is in the US and other Western nations that the name Shotokan has become widely used.
Wado-Ryu is an off-shoot of Shotokan and was created in the early 1930's by one of Funakoshi's first students in Japan. Being the son of the leader of a Jujutsu faction, Ohtsuka Hinori left Shotokan to found his own style combining his father's style of jujutsu with the karate he learned from Funakoshi between 1922 and 1929. Wado incorporates less kata, kumite, and basic technique and more jujutsu holds and locks.
Goju-Ryu uses higher and narrower stances and more strengthening and conditioning training than does Shotokan. Like Shito-Ryu, Goju-Ryu also retains much of its Okinawan heritage. The focus of Goju Ryu is on development of strength as opposed to Shotokan's emphasis on technical prowess and speed. Goju-Ryu artists are usually trained to withstand more than a light or miscalculated blow. They sometimes can even withstand medium to moderately heavy strikes to non-critical areas through their conditioning training.
Shito-Ryu has more kata training, some weapons training, and less training in pure technique than Shotokan. Shito-Ryu makes use of higher stances than does Shotokan - but also makes use of Shotokan's lower stances. Shito-Ryu kata retain their Okinawan flavor and their Okinawan names. Shito-Ryu is focused upon kata training, where Shotokan places the emphasis on basic technical training. Shito-Ryu can almost be thought of as a combination between Shotokan and Goju-Ryu.
On Okinawa, there are several styles, but the best known are Goju-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu, and Isshin-Ryu. Goju-Ryu on Okinawa is very much like the Japanese namesake. Shorin-Ryu, which comes in three flavors including Matsubayashi, Shobayashi, and Kobayashi, is the style most like Shotokan. Isshin-Ryu and Uechi-Ryu are Okinawan styles that are similar to Goju-Ryu in many respects, but emphasize a vertical punch and open-handed techniques respectively.
Karate As a Martial Art
From the comparisons above, one can begin to see what type of martial art karate is. Karate is aggressive, and probably easiest to use in an offensive fashion. Certainly it is easier to hit someone when it comes as a surprise. Karate is a striking art in which the opponent will be damaged by offensive and defensive techniques. Damaging the opponent until he is disabled is the designed function of karate. All karate is practiced with a direct approach to fighting such that the opponent is faced head-on, resisted, deflected and suppressed, and finally counter attacked with very few, finely-tuned blows in application.
All of these descriptions and comparisons are generalized and summarized to an extent to provide a novice with a high level overview of their various martial arts options. There is no way to make these descriptions more detailed and contend with endless exceptions without making going into a level of detail that would require a book to learn. And of course hardly anyone can say that they have met a pure martial artist who studies nothing but boxing and fights using nothing but boxing techniques, for example. People are very fluid creatures with changes in lifestyle and interest. People are often very complex and unpredictable.Because martial arts are performed by people, this makes for endless variety and many different blurry boundaries as well as overlap between any possible definition of martial arts. My simple examples, however, may help a little when trying to compartmentalize these arts for the purposes of understanding them on a basic level.
Therefore, I recommend that anyone who is interested in learning more about the different kinds of karate read books, visit classes, try different kinds out, and also take a look at videos to determine for themselves what the differences and merits of each type of martial art or karate method are. It is an impossibly huge subject, and I believe ultimately one is faced with choosing something without full knowledge simply because the knowledge required to make an informed decision is impossible to come by in a reasonable amount of time. Most of we experts in the martial arts simply happened upon the type of martial art we do now by chance and did not engage in massive research before taking them up.
Karate is a widely varied style of hand to hand combat which has been seen to be very effective and sometimes more ritualized than effective, depending on the implementation of it. When asking experts about the vast variations in practice, I have found it true that one man's karate is another man's fraudulent nonsense, and that usually the feelings are mutual. I rather prefer to think that within the martial arts are all of these choices, and that none of them are so much wrong as different approaches to the same thing with different purposes in mind.
