Martial Arts Stack Exchange
Martial Arts Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [karate]

A collection of empty-handed martial arts originating in Okinawa, Japan.

A collection of empty-handed martial arts originating in Okinawa, Japan.

Major Japanese styles include Goju-ryu, Uechi-ryu, Shotokan, Kyokushin, Wado-ryu and Shito-ryu. There are many Okinawan and American styles.

Most karate schools focus primarily on kicking and punching, though grappling and other techniques are common as well.

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Isshinryu karate - seisan kata - opening move bunkai

As of 1989, there were 336 Branches of Isshin-ryu Karate (a style only named as of January 15, 1956). Given this fragmentation, I have chosen a fairly recognized figure in the Isshinryu world, the grandmaster: Shimabuku-soke. He performs Seisan in…
Anon
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Was Goju-ryu developed specifically for use by the Japanese navy?

I need to know the real and original history of Goju-ryu karate. In other words, I need to find why this style of karate was introduced. I am a Goju player, this is what I know: Goju is specially developed to fight in small places like boats and…
PeakGen
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Moving from Karate Style

I have been practicing Karate-do Shotokan for 2 years now and I am moving to a town where there is no Shotokan Dojo. I want to keep training Karate-do but there are only Gojo-ryu and Kyokushinkai dojos and I would like to know which one would be…
user6135
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How to properly initiate or use karate( any style that uses the beginning blocks since they're actually grappling techniques)grappling techniques

Not a lot of people know the truth about karate but it is actually a grappling martial art. If you study the beginning blocks you will realise this and you can see it on karate by jessies website. They aren't taught so much because some dojo have…
Silver back gorrila
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Between Kyokushin and Shotokan, which focuses more on hard sparring and less on kata?

I like full contact hard body sparring. I'm not much of a fan of a lot of katas, since I've been through enough of that in TKD. However, I wouldn't mind some kata. I'm also not a fan of karate joint locks. If I wanted to emphasize that, I'd take BJJ…
vikash
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Should I learn karate if I had a slip disc problem in past?

I am 20 years old. I had a disc herniation two years ago, before that it was more than 1.5 years. I have been feeling good for the past six months. I do regular exercises and gymming, swimming, little aerobics. I want to learn karate. Will that do…
user655
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Why does WKF not allow Mae geri (Front Snap Kick) and Yoko geri (Side Kick)?

I am a Shotokan Karate practitioner and I have good control over my kick. However, even with that I am not doing well under WKF sparring because these two kicks are disallowed. I find them very effective as they go to the centre of the body and are…
Nisarg Desai
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Why don't karateka practice ground-fighting and takedown defense?

Why don't karateka train in any kind of ground fighting or takedown defense? Karate contains takedowns, throws, leg sweeps etc. yet I've never seen anyone teach sprawling in karate and getting up from the ground and back on your feet isn't practised…
nettux
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How did the modernization of Karate weaken its self-defense applications?

I have been doing Karate for 3 years and during that time I have researched the history of Karate. My research indicates that during the propagation of Karate to Japan and the rest of the world, some techniques (and indeed the whole concept of…
Captain_Custard
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What is the main technical focus of Bushin Ryu?

I have met many practitioners of Bushin Ryu over the years and all seemed very skillful. It seems an admirable martial art and something I aspire to. However, I am unsure what exactly the focus is of this style. And specifically - What is the main…
karateka
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Age and Restrictions, Learning Karate

I have been a fan of martial arts since I was a kid. I begged my father when I was a teen to register me into a martial art school, like Aikido, but he never actually did it. I was frustrated, and learned boohoo moves from movies (Jackie Chan, Jet…
Xelza
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Why is an Ippon rarely awarded when attacking fallen opponents?

Somewhat recently I was at a somewhat major (national-level, so the referees were competent) karate tournament which used the standard WKF rules when it comes to scoring. While watching others fight, I noticed that not a single time I had seen an…
SEJPM
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Leg conditioning advice

I've just gotten back into karate about a month ago after a long long break, and I'm finding it hard to cope with kicks to the legs (with or without pads), especially the quads. Being a cyclist I have fairly well developed quads but even one hit…
Darko
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What is the best way to determine board-breaking ability?

Suppose you have a room full of people. You have access to all their biometrics: the mass of their arms, their body, and so on. You can also make them punch in open air and measure their punching speed or whatever else. Without making them actually…
developer747
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How do I make sure students refer to me by my title during class

At the last grading, I was promoted, and given the title Dai Sempai by the Shihan. He told all of us who had been promoted to make sure all of the students refered to each other using the correct title to show respect. Both before and since the…
Oscar McPherson
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