Shotokan Karate is a system of self-defense using the hands, feet, head, knees and elbows as striking weapons.
No one exactly knows where the asian martial arts originated. It is believed that a 5th century Indian Buddhist monk named Bohidharma developed a series of exercises to strenghten the mind and body. He travelled to the Shaolin Temple in China where his zen teachings took hold. From there it spread thoughout Asia and developed into the various martial arts styles we know today.
Karate was developed on the island of Okinawa in the 17th century. Because there were long periods in which weapons were banned, the Okinawans developed a self-defense and fighting techniques system they called karate or "the way of the open hand". Wearing nightclothes (the basis for today's karate gi or uniform) they practiced secretly at night to avoid punishment by the occupying Japanese or even worse death. Karate was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th Century.
Master Gichin Funakoshi is widely
considered the primary "father" of modern karate-do due to his
efforts to introduce the Okinawan art to mainland Japan, from where it spread
to the rest of the world. Funakoshi was also the founder of what is now known
as Shotokan Karate. His style of karate originated from him having trained
under two famous Okinawan karate masters, Yasatsune Azato and Anko Itosu.
Shotokan Karate
practice is divided into the “3 K’s”:
• Kihon (basic drills of stances, blocks, punches, strikes and kicks)
• Kata (pre-arranged forms simulating combat situations)
• Kumite (sparring)
In each category, the beginner is
given instruction at the most basic level until the techniques
become spontaneous. As the student progresses technically, he or she progresses
physically as well, and advanced practices demand greater stamina.
At this stage, the student becomes involved with more intricate and
difficult forms of kata and kumite.
As the student approaches black belt
level, technique, stamina, speed, and coordination become natural as a
result of practice. It is at this stage that the serious student discovers that
his or her study of Shotokan Karate has only just begun. The object of true
Shotokan Karate practice is the perfection of oneself through the perfection of
the art.
