How to Start Doing Karate Do

Karate Do is commonly known as karate. It is a good means of self defense, but it is also great for getting exercise, toning/losing weight, and just having fun. Karate originated on the Islands of Okinawa, based on the Shaolin Kung Fu brought to the Island. Later, many masters moved to mainland Japan in the 20th century. ‘Karate Do’ means “the way of the empty hand" in Japanese.

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Choosing a Karate Style and School

  1. It is not that one is better than the other in general, but there are some that are better for certain people. More popular styles benefit from more people to learn from, more funding and the occasional visit from a master from Japan. Here are the most popular styles:
    • Goju Ryu. Its founder, Gogen Yamaguchi, was famously taken prisoner by the Russians in World War 2. The Russians attempted to feed him to a hungry tiger, but he killed the tiger with his bare hands. Goju has many more circular and close in/grappling techniques.
    • Shotokan. Shotokan is the most traditional Japanese style. It takes its name from a pen name that Master Funakoshi used in his poetry. [1] The name means the "house where you hear the wind blowing through the pine trees. It is very direct, with strong movements in a linear fashion towards the target.
    • Shito ryu. Shito is an attempt to unify the linear Shotokan and the circular Goju into one combined discipline.
    • Wado ryu. Wado contains various Judo like throws.
    • Kyokushin Kai. Kyokushin has a reputation for being very intense and is good if you aspire to full contact fighting. It's founder, Mas Oyama, was known for fighting bulls in demonstrations, and repeatedly cut off bull's horns with an open hand (knife) strike.
  2. As in anything, the actual teacher may be more important that the school.
    • Make sure the School follows your philosophy. Some schools are full of 18 year olds with lots of contact, excitement, and broken bones. Some are spiritual and have no contact. This is probably the most important thing to consider in choosing.
    • Ensure lessons are at a convenient time and place for you.
    • Watch a lesson before you actually join, to see if you like the style.
    • Decide if you want to practice with children or not. It is very hard to make a living teaching karate, and many schools make their cash by teaching a lot of children. That may be fine with you, or may not be.
    • Don't worry about toning, strengthening and weight loss. All forms of karate are great exercise. Karate is a full body exercise, and is great for aerobic /heart rate training and endurance. Any school will help in this area, all you have to do is go to one.
    • Most karate instructors are very honest. However, be careful not to join a school with some kind of restrictive contract.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Getting Into the Groove

  1. Improvement in karate comes from repetition, honing and muscle memory. You can go, once, twice, 3 times a week, it doesn't matter that much. More is better, but most important is the regular schedule.
  2. Do the warming up exercises/stretches and cooling down exercises at the beginning and end of each practice. Not only are they good for you, but all the stretches allow you to become flexible enough to learn more advanced techniques.
  3. There is a lot to learn, but just take it one at a time.
    • Kihon means basic training. Most classes will start with some Kihon to get into the swing of things. Since karate is learned by muscle memory, repeating basics is helpful (and fun.) It includes basic punches, kicks, blocks, and stances.
    • "Kumite" means, "sparring." In almost all schools, beginning sparring is structured, with no contact allowed. As you progress, you get to more and more free forms until you are doing free sparring.
    • "Kata" means "prearranged exercises/Form." Kata's consist of between 8 and 72 choreographed moves, where you can show your skill in front of others. Katas will be different in the different styles of karate.
  4. Mostly, they consist of kata and kumite contests. By seeing other schools compete, you will learn a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of your school.
  5. There are tests occasionally, where you can show your stuff and get a great new colored belt. Although you barely can find this American System its well known and practiced in Western and Southwest Asian societies. Normally, the instructors only let you take the test if you can pass it.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Learning the Deeper Meaning

  1. Etiquette is how Karate-ka balance the power of karate and stay humble. Enjoy your growing strength and power, but do it humbly. [2]
    • Always bow entering and leaving the dojo. Bow to teachers. Say thank you.
    • Say osu to your teachers and seniors. Also do the same if anyone says that to you.
  2. The "Do" in Karate-Do refers to the journey one takes in learning. You can learn a lot by reading or watching about the great masters. [3]
    • "The Karate Kid" is not that deep (although based on Goju Ryu, the main focus is in the spiritual way of the Karate Do). After practicing karate for just a few months, you will be able to how bad the kicks are in that movie. Still, it does have a few lessons for us.
  3. Some comments from Master Kanazawa, the founder of SKIF [4] include:
    • "By better breathing, your techniques get more fluid."
    • "The most dangerous person in the Dojo is the brown belt who does not know control. They should be strong and aggressive, but need to understand grace and humility to move to black belt."
    • "You start training at first degree black belt."
    • "After breaking my elbow on the block of ice, I understood Ki much more than before."
    • "I no longer fear death."
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is Wing Chun the same as taekwondo and karate, or is it just a spin off?
    Community Answer
    No. All three are from different countries and based on different fighting methods. Wing Chun (China) is based on a direct and relaxed fighting method utilizing mostly hand strikes and very few kicks. It is primarily a self defense system and not used in sports. Taekwondo (Korea) is mostly kicking & in modern forms is usually used for sporting events & tournaments. Karate (Japan/Okinawa) is an umbrella term covering any form of Japanese martial arts. Karate systems usually (though not exclusively) are based on equal parts punching & kicking. Some, such as Okinawan Karate, are primarily for self defense whereas Kyokushin Karate is, for the most part, used in tournaments and combat sports.
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  • Question
    How long does it take to learn the basics?
    Community Answer
    It depends. If you are a good student, it won't take a month. If your teacher (sensei) is good and talented, it won't take more than 2 months. If you already did martial arts for more than a year, it won't take a week.
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      References

      1. ↑ http://ska.org/about/master-funakoshi/
      2. ↑ http://www.skifworld.com/rei-and-setsu.php
      3. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Karate-Do-Way-Life-Gichin-Funakoshi/dp/0870114638
      4. ↑ http://www.skifworld.com/soke-kanazawa.php

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