What is Karate?" - The usual question Karate Instructors get, often followed by "Is it the one with the kicks and punches?"
Most respond to this by reciting the history of karate as they were told by their instructor or from what they read in a book rather than actually answer the real question of what it is (as an aside, this history is usually incomplete or incorrect. We have included the findings of our research in the Information & Resources section of the site).
Karate is quite simply whatever you want it to be!!
As long as a student of Karate is honest about their reasons for training, then they should be able to find a club and instructor who can teach them what they want. A good instructor's first question should therefore always be "Why do you wish to train and what do you want to get from it?"
- If you want to get fit, all Karate will help you do this, but you will only get the results of the effort you put in
- If you want to learn self defence, Karate will always give some benefit, but an instructor who specialises in self defence and street bunkai should be found
- If you want to learn to smash through wood, yes, some Karate training will include this (though not generally within the Bushido Martial Arts Association!!)
- If you want to gain confidence, with the right instructor, Karate will do this
- If you want to win competitions, yes, a more sport-oriented club will help you to do this
- …… the list goes on and on!!
Essentially, Karate should be a study of movement and psychology.
What you do with the knowledge and abilities you gain from training will differ from person to person, but we are really studying these two elements. This is why in Bushido we do not limit ourselves or demand our clubs stick to one style; the Hombu (Head Club) trains in what we call Generic Karate where all techniques are allowed and all body parts can be used appropriately. There are other clubs within the association that specialise within certain styles as these fit the instructors and members. The Karate taught by an instructor needs to be they Karate that they want it to be.
Just kicking and punching?
No!! Karate was a mixture of the fighting arts in Okinawa and other countries that traded with the Islands… making it a Mixed Martial Art (MMA) hundreds of years before the modern UFC style tournaments were ever thought of!!
Karate does not have any kind of limitation on techniques, if a movement can be used in combat then it is Karate. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees, arm locks, grappling, ground fighting and even head-butts are all valid karate techniques. It is not what you do, but how you do it! Many training techniques are labelled as not being effect for use in a real life situation, it should be remembered that Karate training is not a constant barage of real life situations, a large portion of training up to black belt is purely for education about how the body works, increased control (including perfecting the aiming of a technique) and body conditioning to enable you to perform the techniques that would be required in a real life situation.