Karate

Karate is a popular Japanese martial arts style that focuses on punches, elbow strikes, knee strikes, kicks and weapons training. There are many sub-styles of Karate. Some of the major sub-styles include Goju-Ryu, Kyokushin, Shito-Ryu, Shorin-Ryu, Shotokan and Wado-Ryu.

A look at the development of karate history, from its humble beginnings in Okinawa, to its growth in the 20 century to becoming one of the most respected and well-known world martial arts.

Karate is a Japanese martial art whose physical aspects seek the development of defensive and counterattacking body movements. The themes of traditional karate training are fighting and self-defense, though its mental and moral aspects target the overall improvement of the individual. This is facilitated by the discipline and persistent effort required in training. If karate had to be described in only one sentence, then the most suitable one may arguably be "You never attack first in karate." This is a a maxim of Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), the Okinawan who brought karate to Japan in 1922, and who is accepted as the father of modern karate.

The following is a list of Japanese terms commonly used in karate training. Some of these terms are used at the Academy of Traditional Karate, though many more are included for reference. The typical pronunciations and English meanings are given, along with a kanji representation where available. These are not presented as the literal translations, but rather how the terms are generally used in karate training. They have been researched and compiled from a rich variety of sources across the web.

Karate (空手) (English: /kəˈrɑːtiː/; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] (About this sound listen); Okinawan pronunciation: Ryukyuan pronunciation: [kaɽati]) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tii in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane.[1][2] Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open-hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Historically, and in some modern styles, grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital-point strikes are also taught.[3] A karate practitioner is called a karateka (空手家).