KARATE
Karate is a martial art that began in Japan. It means 'empty hand'. It was created for self defence, during a war. Nowadays, there are many different styles of karate. I will focus on a newer, more modern style called 'Yoshukai'. Yoshukai Karate International is a style based on the old style of 'Chito Ryu'. It was a style founded by Sensai Michael Foster. It is based in Florida, United States. The style is quite small; only about 15 clubs in the world, two of which are in Canada. I will describe ranking, kata, and kumite.
In Yoshukai, the ranking technique is quite simple. You begin at white (beginner level) and advance from there, but there are two different systems for children under 16 and adults. The childrenšs system goes as follows: white, yellow white stripe, yellow, orange white stripe, orange, green white stripe, green, blue white stripe, blue, brown, black white stripe. You cannot receive your black belt before the age of 16, but in certain cases, you are allowed to test for your junior black. After you receive your junior black, you may retest for black when age allows you to. The adult curriculum is different. There are no 'white stripes'. They also have to know a lot more about katas and kumite.
Kumite is another word for fighting, or sparring. It is used for testing one's ability to use techniques in a real situation. There are rules in kumite, so it is not dangerous. In children's kumite, there is no aiming for the head. In adult kumite, you are allowed to hit anywhere, but you have to control your technique. There are many different kinds of kumite. There is free-style, 'go-hon' (five movements), 'san-bon' (three movements) and others. Kata, or forms, are an essential part of karate. They take memory, skill, technique, precision, balance, and timing. You have to learn two or three forms every time you pass to a different level. The first form you learn is 'H-Form 1', which is repetitive. They get more difficult as you advance.
I hope you have learned quite a bit about karate from my text. There is plenty of history behind it, and it is very interesting, but I could not fit it in to this short text. If you, or your family wish to find out more on this subject, just go to your local library, or visit www.yoshukaicanada.com.
By Alexandra Winn