Karate
空手
AI-generated content — may contain inaccuracies
At a Glance
Who It's For
What You'll Learn
Fundamental strikes (突き, tsuki), blocks (受け, uke), and kicks (蹴り, geri)
Kata (型, choreographed forms encoding combat principles)
Kumite (組手, sparring) at progressive contact levels
Hip rotation and stance-based power generation
Board and pad breaking — tameshiwari (試し割り)
Dojo (道場) etiquette and traditional Japanese discipline
Your First Class
Watch & Learn
Gallery
Legends of Karate
Gichin Funakoshi (船越義珍)
Gichin Funakoshi is widely regarded as the father of modern Karate. He brought the Okinawan art to mainland Japan in the early 20th century, transforming it from a regional self-defense system into a globally practiced martial art and sport.
Mas Oyama (大山倍達)
Mas Oyama founded Kyokushin Karate, one of the most demanding full-contact karate styles. Known for his extreme training regimens and legendary feats of strength, he built a worldwide organization that emphasizes physical and mental discipline above all.
Chōjun Miyagi (宮城長順)
Chōjun Miyagi founded Goju-ryu — "hard-soft style" — by blending the hard striking of Okinawan Naha-te with soft Chinese internal techniques he studied in Fujian. He was the first to formally name and register a karate style, and his system's balance of power and flow influenced countless karate lineages worldwide.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris is a martial artist, actor, and cultural icon who won six consecutive Professional Middleweight Karate Championships before transitioning to a Hollywood career. He holds black belts in multiple disciplines and founded his own system, Chun Kuk Do.
Related Styles
Taekwondo
Taekwondo (태권도) is a Korean martial art known for its fast, high, and spinning kicks. It is one of only two martial arts in the Olympic Games and is practiced by over 80 million people worldwide.
Kung Fu
Kung Fu — gongfu (功夫) — is a broad term for Chinese martial arts, or wushu (武術), encompassing hundreds of styles. Training typically includes forms — taolu (套路) — conditioning, and combat applications with an emphasis on philosophy and tradition.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is a stand-up combat sport that combines boxing punches with kicks. It encompasses several rulesets including full-contact, low-kick, and K-1 rules.
Kenpo
American Kenpo is a practical self-defense system developed by Ed Parker, blending Chinese and Japanese martial arts with modern street-defense principles. It emphasizes rapid combinations and situational awareness.
Popular With
Technician
Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless.
Traditionalist
The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.
Completionist
There is no limit. When you reach one goal, find a new one.
Weaponologist
Give me any weapon.
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