Every parent wants to see their children to grow into obedient, smart, intelligent and productive members of society. The child must learn life skills to become successful. These are self-improvement skills which, even as adults, we try to acquire to be more successful in life. These skills can be acquired by both children and adults through karate.

A child can be molded in any direction during his formative years. Karate classes can have a very positive effect on the growth of the child, setting him on a path to improvement in every way.

Advantages of Karate

Learning the art of karate and becoming an expert in it has many advantages for the child, including:

-Mental Alertness: Karate teaches the child to be mentally alert and sharpens his thinking ability. Being mentally alert helps the child to deal with any situation.

-Self Confidence: Learning karate helps in building self-confidence. Self-confidence helps the child to face any difficult situation overcome it successfully.

-Physical Fitness: Karate demands strenuous physical exercises. It helps in shaping and toning the muscles of the body. As the child grows up his body remains agile and fit.

-Positive Attitude and Thinking: Karate classes can have a profound effect in developing positive attitude and positive thinking. As the child works to master the difficult techniques to build a positive attitude, he learns how to overcome fear. The child becomes confident in handling any adverse situation that he or she may face in life.

-Managing Stress: All adults undergo stress during their life. Children are no different. In fact, children can often be under more stress than adults because of the many different kinds of pressures at that age. Karate lessons can help put aside stress. Once the child knows what is causing the stress he can face it and rise to the occasion to tackle it successfully.

-Leadership Qualities: Learning the fine intricacies of karate instills the necessary confidence in the child to face any kind of challenge. Once that self-confidence is built, the child learns to lead the small group of karate class. It helps the child to become a leader. It helps the child to overcome the various pressures of age, including the influence of negative peer groups, illegal drugs and alcohol.

-Achieving Success: A child can learn to grasp the meaning of success, whether it's defined as being mental, physical, spiritual, material or the ability to influence others. Mental success allows the child to apply knowledge gained in karate classes in practical life. A child can influence others by voluntarily helping others in karate classes. Karate training can help the child to be more mature. Once the child has acquired all of these skills, material success becomes more easily attainable as an adult.

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Therefore, there is a special uniform for karate training. All students joining a karate class are required to wear the uniform, not only for freedom of movement, but also so that everyone in the class looks the same. The uniform is applicable for both Japanese and Okinawan karate. Uniforms worn for judo are called Gi. The uniform consists of a jacket, pants and belt.

What is the need for a Gi uniform?

Karate training involves a lot of movement of the body, bending kicking and punching with speed and force. Lots of pushing and pulling is also involved. A student performing all these actions should wear a uniform, which gives him or her the freedom to do so and be comfortable at the same time.

The uniform should be strong and be able to bear the stress of pulling without tearing during karate training. There is a lot of contact with the ground, so it should not get torn after few falls. A Gi uniform is usually has shorter sleeves and pant legs. This prevents tripping and getting fingers or hands caught in the sleeves.

To a karate beginner, the uniform gives a sense of pride and a special feeling of belonging to an elite group. It is important to feel a part of the class along with other the students.

A wide variety of karate uniforms are available in the market to suit different styles, the particular climatic conditions of the area, and different body structures of the students. The Gi uniform identifies a student of martial arts whether it is a Korean or Japanese martial art.

There is a color belt scheme to identify the student's rank and seniority. The color signifies the student's level of achievement in terms of training, education and skills. The color scheme appears to have started with Japanese karate.

Rules for Wearing the Uniform

Students are required to wear the uniform when attending karate classes. The uniform must be clean and neatly pressed. It is believed that the outward appearance of the uniform is a reflection of student's internal mind.

A student is expected to not roll up the sleeves and pant legs. If the uniform requires alteration, it must be done immediately. A shabby and ill-fitting uniform is not accepted in karate classes. The life of the uniform can be prolonged by washing it in warm water with a detergent. Avoid bleaching the uniform.

The student is required to identify the uniform owner by putting their name on the inside tag or the lapel of the uniform. Girls are required to wear a white T- shirt under the Gi top.

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Today's children are the leaders of tomorrow. What could be better if they are taught the good virtues of life and are instilled with the spirits of comradeship, friendship and positive attitude so that they become good and helpful members of the society when they grow up? Children like to play, shout and create a nuisance most of the time. These unharnessed energies can be controlled and directed for the betterment of the society and for the child itself. What can be better than karate training at this young age?

Normally children are under stress due to school, parents pressure to do well, their own fears and because of the menace of bullies at school and on the streets. Playing on the streets is often unsafe, leaving children with nowhere to go and causing worries and problems for their parents. Karate is an important outlet for children to vent their feelings and frustrations. Karate helps in bringing the child and the parents together as a family.

How does Karate help in Development?

Karate has taken center stage in many of the schools, relegating a number of other physical programs to the background. Karate is a physical exercise involving punching, kicking and body movements that teach self-defense and control of the mind and body, allowing the child to learn to handle life's frustrations. Karate also teaches the children to count and yell, known as kia. Of course, it is normal for a child to shout and yell, but karate controls and directs the shouting among the children into something positive and educational.

Children at such a young age are full of life and energy. They are daring and not afraid of taking any risk. While young, it is easy to learn any art. Children who get less physical activity suffer more stress. They are always being told to remain still and quiet, generating even more stress and leading to feelings of frustration and anger. Karate is a safe physical exercise done under the guidance of an experienced instructor which allows children to shed away their frustrations.

Karate not only energies the child, but also teaches them to control their anger. Many parents whose children have been put into the regime of karate training have found their children doing better in their studies, sleeping well, doing their homework on time and seem to be more cooperative in their behavior, not only in the house but also in the classroom. Such children appear calmer and less likely to shy away from a difficult situation. For these reasons, karate training has no parallels in focusing a child's energy and building their character.

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Different techniques of Wadu Ryu karate have been developed to defend against an attacker. The martial artist should be able to blend with the situation and adjust his or her position as water changes shape and adjusts itself to various shapes of the container.

Wadu Ryu karate teaches one to remain cool, poised in difficult situations and gives inner peace and harmony. It also teaches that force should not be met with force. Adopting different body movements and postures, using excellent footwork and deflecting the attackers' attacks without hurting yourself or the attacker, should avoid all attacks.

The principles behind the Wadu Ryu karate should be practiced for self-defense. Complete awareness is obtained by practicing Zanshin. The practice of Haragei teaches how to keep the body relaxed and focused and allows the body to flow and settle naturally.

By practicing Mushin, the mind is freed, allowing the brain to think of and the body to perform more than one technique at a time. A karate expert must be flexible in his or her approach and not allow them to be influenced by anything. This can be achieved through kiai. Tai Sabai teaches how the karate movements can be executed with minimal stress on the body.

The attacker's body movements determine when and how to counter-attack. Go No Sen is a counter-attack used once the attack is completed but before the attacker can attack again. Sen is the act of fighting the attacker to disrupt his movements. Sensen No Sen is preemptive action taken by sensing the attackers intentions.

The attacker's energy can be controlled by various defensive actions, which are an outcome of Shindo Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu. The timing of these counter-attacks are vital. The direct brunt of the attack can be avoided by maneuvering in an evasive action as close as to the line of attack as possible. Keeping in close to the attacker in such a way adds to the defenders advantage. This can be achieved by practicing Nagasu. The opponent's movements can be controlled and channeled away without causing any harm to either party. This is known as Noru. Moving under or inside or around the attacker is a movement called Inasu. Similarly, Irimi is a move that can be made to get in to the attacker.

The practice of Maai allows the martial artist to keep a safe distance away from the attacker. The reaction of the attacker can then be turned into an advantage. Ki Ken Tai No Ichi allows coordination of the mind and body movements. Finally, Hei Jo Shin gives the confidence to face an attacker who has a weapon.

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Ohtsuka was initiated to martial arts by his great uncle Chojiro Ebashi when he was 3 or 4 years old. His great uncle began teaching Ohtsuka the art of grappling called Jiu Jitsu. By the time he was 5 or 6, he was on his way to being initiated into the art of Shindo Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu. This martial art form was founded by Katsunosuke Matsuoka, who was himself a student of Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu. Shindo Yoshin-ryu Jujutsu placed great emphasis on grace and free flow of natural movements.

Ohtsuka continued learning the finer aspects of Jiu Jitsu for a number of years. Even while a student of Economics at Waseda University from 1910 to 1917, he continued practicing Jiu Jitsu and experimenting with various styles and techniques to make it more effective and acceptable as a martial art.

Ohtsuka devoted his full time and energy in refining it. His interest grew further when he learned that Crown Prince Hirohito had invited an Okinawan school teacher, Gichin Funakoshi, to demonstrate karate before the Emperor of Japan in Tokyo. He became his ardent student thereafter. The demonstration was very popular, and as a result, Gichin Funakoshi remained in Tokyo. Ohtsuka learned the art from Gichin Funakoshi every night, and by 1924 had become chief assistant instructor. On April 24th, 1924, he was among the first seven people to be awarded the black belt in karate. By the age of 32, he was a full fledged martial artist.

Ohtsuka soon realized that the karate taught by Funakoshi lacked useful application and did not allow free sparring. It was upon mastering the art of Aikido that he actually combined the spirit behind Aikido, the practical uses of Shindo Yoshin Rayu and Jiu Jitsu, and the evasive movements of Jiu Jitsu and Aikido. His efforts, however, were not appreciated by Funakoshi, which resulted in teacher and student parting their ways.

Over the next few years, Ohtsuka continued teaching on his own, continuously experimenting and developing new budo with the help of students who had left Funakoshi. His greatest contribution to karate was the development of Kihon Kumite Kata. He not only created 36 new kata by combining Jiu Jitsu, Aikido, and Karate, but he also created a new budo.

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In most of the movements in karate-ka, except in sparring and some Katas, the defensive action starts with blocking or countering the attacker. There is very little time spent on how to initiate action in karate training. This is done on purpose.

Normally a person is vulnerable on two occasions. The first is when he or she is least suspecting or not aware of the danger approaching. Attacking an unsuspecting person goes against the principles of karate training and therefore one is not expected to do so. The second is when the individual is being attacked.

During any altercation and before the confrontation starts, the opponent is always on guard. It is not possible to attack a person who is on guard. It is not even possible to initiate attack on an untrained person. However, in every situation a form of karate-ka should be chosen, which presents the least, threatening defensive technique, always with the aim of protecting yourself and the attacker. In any case, if the attacker attacks and does not defend, when the opportunity arises, an appropriate move must be made to protect the attacker and self.

The best thing is to avoid any confrontation. In a situation where the probability of attack is very high, it is important to maintain a non-aggressive attitude. This will help in diffusing the ugly situation. The attacker may not fight an unwilling opponent or they may take the opponent's attitude as a sign of weakness. In this way, the attacker may think he has gained an upper hand and will become overconfident. In the first instance, the confrontation has been avoided which is one of the principles of karate. In the second, the karate practitioner has gained a moral victory over the attacker, which indicates the advantage of karate training. It shows the peace and harmony that has been found through in by karate training.

Karate teaches self-control over the mind and force of will over actions. In a fight against an opponent who does not know martial arts, the knowledge of karate techniques should not be not used to injure the opponent. Though superior by virtue of having learned the techniques of karate, these techniques should never be used to attack. Karate is purely a defensive art.

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Karate as a martial art has a significant influence on those who practice and master it. Its greatest influence is building and refining the character of an individual. An individual who trains regularly and masters the skills of self-defense remains agile and physically fit. He or she becomes more mature and thoughtful in handling difficult situations. Karate, if taught in a spiritual environment, gives a feeling to the students of being part of a community under the able guidance of their teacher, always keeping a distinct relationship between the student and the teacher. When a person feels like part of a community, the natural reaction is to develop a helping attitude. The student becomes an active member of the community. Traditional schools of karate treat the students as one family, making it a priority of experienced students to look after the new students. Everyone contributes towards the various expenses of running of the school, acting as a binding force between the students of karate.

Gichin Funakoshi, the architect and father of karate, laid down 20 principles to understaning the meaning of karate. According to Funakoshi, one of the principles is to pursue karate for the whole life. In other words, he meant practice and practice karate without striking others and causing injury to yourself and others until it became a part of your inner self.

Karate is an art which teaches the student to show restraint, to be calm and patient. All students are treated alike and given the same rigorous training so that every one of them is on the same plane. It teaches the student to overcome stress, make constant improvements and build a strong bond and trust among each other. This has a cascading effect in the society as a whole. When students who have learned the arts of restraint and patience interact with outsiders, it has a profound effect on them, the outsiders. Today in the world of short tempers, road rage and other acts of humiliation and pain, a karate student can restore balance and harmony by showing respect, courtesy, equality and fair judgment.

You must remember that the ultimate aim and goal of martial art is to create a strong and a good human being with a stable mind who can defend right from wrong. It is all about conquering the inner self.

Karate Training for Competition

There are people who practice karate for competitive purposes and are making money out of it. This is against the basic principles set forth by the founder. A number of franchise karate schools have opened whose sole purpose is to train children for competition only. But Karate is not meant for competition.

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Martial arts instructors were surprised at this perception of the students. The instructors knew what they were doing and were aware that self-defense was in fact being taught in the early stages of karate training.

The real reason for the students leaving karate training was something different. What the students were looking for in the karate training was how to effectively counter and defend themselves from the more violent street fighting. It was a question of survival for them. They were convinced that karate training could not teach them to defend themselves in a violent street fight. No amount of persuasion could convince the students that karate training was very effective in defending them from any kind of violence or street attack.

Most martial arts instructors know the skills of their martial art, but teaching and passing on the skills of karate to others is a different proposition altogether. It becomes difficult to convince the adult students as an instructor that you know what you are doing.

The threat of terrorism in addition to the omnipresence of crime has altered the situation and most of the adults are no longer interested in learning karate for cosmetic sake only. They are more concerned with whether that person in whose hands they place their lives is an expert in the profession and knows what he or she is doing. After all, the students need to defend themselves in real-life, not just on a padded mat.

So a martial arts instructor is required to have a lot experience to teach marital arts. Teaching karate for self-defense and protection is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the martial arts instructor. If an instructor is not capable of teaching, they should not be teaching. If an instructor is not qualified in the martial art they are teaching, they should not be teaching. A poor instructor will do more harm than good to the students.

If the instructor does not know how karate can benefit the student against violent attack, then how can they convince an intelligent adult student that karate can help them. Remember, one of the principles of karate training is honesty. Since the students are placing their lives in the hands of an expert, the actions and words of the instructor has a profound effect on their minds.

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The word Karate can be split into "Kara" and "te". "Kara" refers to China itself and "te" means hand. Kara also means open hand, which is why karate is practiced with an open hand. As the word "Kara" means China itself, it is obvious that the art has Chinese influences. Originally, karate meant tang hand or Chinese hand, which later acquired the meaning of empty hand in Japanese. It was after the 1933 invasion of Eastern China by Japan that Gichin Funakoshi, popularly known as father of modern karate, gave an identical meaning of Kara as emptiness, rather than Chinese. Thereafter karate came to be known as a martial art practiced with empty or bare hands. It is the art of kicking, striking with knees, elbows and, of course, the use of open bare hands. Locking, throwing, striking the vital parts of the body, grappling and restraining oneself are also part of karate.

Commonly identified with Japan, karate is actually a martial art of Okinawa origin. History of karate shows that it is a mixture of indigenous Ryukyuan fighting techniques and southern China martial arts.

Karate Training

Modern karate training is divided into two basics known as Kihon in Japanese: forms, called Kata, and sparring, called Kumite. Kihon involve the basic techniques of punching, footwork and posture, particularly with reference to the placing of the feet. Normally, the public is under the impression that this is what karate is, but there is much more to it. Kata is the practice of various forms of movements and other techniques that display different physical and combat postures. It also demonstrates the sequences involved in various types of attacks. Sparring allows students of karate to practice in a relaxed manner. There are different sparring practices which allow the attacker and the defender to acquire the basic skills. In sparring, protective gear is not required but is recommended to be worn for the safety of the participants.

The various sequences, movements and postures of karate were developed during the period when literacy in Okinawa and China was low. Therefore, more emphasis was put on the physique of the individual. There are no set patterns, which can be considered right or wrong, and their interpretation is a matter of judgment with each individual. The various forms of kata may be interpreted as a block, punch, lock, throw or a joint strike.

Karate Conditioning Equipment

The many styles of karate use different training equipment to cater to the special needs of the martial art. The equipment is known as "hojo undo" in Japanese. Some of this equipment is makiwara, chi-ishi and nigiri game. Chi-ishi is a weight which is off-center and nigiri game are jars used to strengthen the grip.

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Karate is a martial art practiced by young and old all over the world. Its development over the centuries has been the result of the contributions of many dedicated experts on the subject. The history of karate is shrouded in a bit of mystery, resulting in confusion about its origin. There are many myths and beliefs about the development of karate. It is widely believed that karate originated in India, finding its way to China and then to Okinawa through a monk called Budhidharma. The truth however is otherwise.

There is some debate as to whether karate should be called Japanese or Okinawan. Okinawa, which was officially annexed by the Japanese in 1874, had been under Japanese influence for centuries. So should it be called Japanese or Okinawan karate? The question of calling karate Japanese or Okinawa is akin to calling the Hula dance American or Hawaiian. Until Hawaii became part of USA, the dance was called the Hawaiian dance and still is. The Hula dance is of Hawaiian origin, not American. Similarly Karate is of Okinawan origin.

Okinawan karate stresses various forms of training, including methods of twisting the hips for generating maximum power and of focusing of power at the time of impact, called kime.

Chinese Influence

The word karate is a combination of the word "Kara", meaning China, and "te", meaning a technique of fighting with hands. Thus karate literally means Chinese fighting techniques.

Karate is a combination of the traditional Okinawa art of fighting and the Chinese art of fighting with bare hands. The Chinese art of fighting was made popular by envoys, merchants and sailors coming from the Fuji islands. For this reason, some of the Okinawan karate resembles Fuji martial arts. There are three styles of karate – Shuri-te, Naha-te and Tomari-te. These three styles are associated with the names of the cities from where they originated. Okinawa royals practiced karate.

Beginning of Karate

The first known reference to karate was made in 1762 when Tode Sakugawa, a student of pugilism and staff(bo) fighting in China, began teaching a version of karate which he called karate-no-sakugawa. It was around the 1820s that Sokon Bushi Matsumura popularized the two tes, shuri-te and tomari-te, and Chinese Shaolin. Matsumura passed on his teaching to Anko Itosu, who mainly concentrated on two forms of martial art called kusanku and chiang nan. From these he created the Pinan forms as a simplified form of karate for beginners. Itosu was instrumental in introducing karate into Okinawa public schools, where they are taught today at the elementary school level. Thanks to Itosu, karate is now accepted worldwide. He is also credited with transforming the Naihanchi form known as Tekki in Japan into Naihanchi Shodan, Naihanchi Nidan and Nehahanchi Sadan. No wonder he is called the grandfather of modern karate.

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