What is Karate?

Karate is a form of self defence and was developed in Japan and on the island of Okinawa. It uses punching, kicking, striking and blocking techniques on an attacker / opponent, making the most of the laws of physics to increase the damage caused by each blow.

The karate student will learn (over many years) to perfect each technique enabling him or her to deliver a knock out blow after only a few moves or even one technique.
Aiming at sensitive weak points in the body like the throat and knees, and points where nerves are unprotected by bone and muscle like the neck, means each strike causes as much damage as possible.
Simple moves, proper timing and distancing are used to be effective, unlike many Chinese styles of fighting, which seem to use both hand and both legs in some rather complicated 'balletic' techniques.

The bodies' centre of gravity is kept as low as possible, the power of the strike depending on the legs, buttocks and torso. Solid stances and footing are emphasised, so punching and striking are generally used a lot more frequently than kicking, unlike some other martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do.

Karate means Empty Hand, implying that your hands are empty because there are no weapons in them. Zen Buddhists believe your mind should also be 'empty', which is also frequently used to explain the name.

These days there are three main styles of karate in Japan; Shito-Ryu, Wado-Ryu and Gojo-Ryu.

Each has a different view of training and fighting, and the best way of doing things, but they have the same basis.