The origin of Karate is one of the most unknown in regards to the Mixed Martial Arts world. According to The History of Fighting, the current version of Karate is only a couple of hundred years old, but the sport itself dates back thousands of years. Karate was first noted back on the Japanese island of Okinawa with influences from the Chinese Art of Kung Fu.
When the art first emerged, it was kept very hush-hush by the Japanese. There was a strict ruling that prohibited the spread of Martial Arts which led to the absence of the history being written down. The Japanese Samurai forbid the use of weapons in any matter, so the word “Karate” translates to, “open hands”.
The earliest bit of information that was found written down, was the fact that a person named Kushanku from China brought over a form of martial arts that was called “Kung Fu”.
Once the 20th Century came around, Anko Itosu received word that the secrecy surrounding the spread of Martial Arts had ended and he quickly began teaching Karate. Itosu’s student, Sensei Gichin Funakoshi began rapidly spreading Karate to all parts of Japan in 1922.
Sensei Gichin Funakoshi was instrumental in the worldwide spread of Karate and also the governing body of the sport, Japanese Karate Association (JKA).
This movement is commonly referred to as a “Jab”. One hand is formed in a fist that shoots straight in front of the student, while the other is typically kept with a bent elbow, in a fist, against the hip.
This kick is performed by either your front or your back foot and must be done in a quick, “snapping” motion. This kick is initiated first by drawing the knee up and then extending the leg forward while making sure that contact is made with the flat bottom part of the foot.
This movement is a more complicated kick than the front kick. The power of this movement is generated from the hips when the body is sent into a twisted position. The kick comes from the back leg and lands onto the opponent using the top of the foot.
California is known for a lot of popular Karate studios such as:
Studio City Martial Arts in Studio City, California
Power One Karate in Long Beach, California
Uechi-Ryu Sacramento in Sacramento, California
Colorado is known for a lot of popular Karate studios such as:
Denver Karate Academy in Denver, Colorado
Karate Denver in Denver, Colorado
Ata Karate Denver in Denver, Colorado
Pennsylvania is known for a lot of popular Karate studios such as:
The Empty Hand Family Karate Studio in West Chester, Pennsylvania
Aikikai of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Daniel Pope Karate in Springfield, Pennsylvania
Visiting any of these studios soon? Be sure to post a selfie post-workout and tag us on social!