After thinking about it, I realized that I have no sense of how common these terms are for people NOT in the martial arts world and so it may be worth spending time talking about martial arts in general.
“Martial arts” are a catch-all term used to describe a
number of different fighting traditions and methods. I would say that martial
arts usually have two sides to them –
1) specific techniques students can use in a violent
confrontation with another person (the martial part)
2) a competitive or
philosophical focus on improving the student (the art part)
“Martial arts” is such a general term that there is lively debate over what fits in and what doesn’t.
For example:
- Boxing and kickboxing are sports. It’s about competition and besting your opponent, not necessarily self-improvement or self-defense. So are these martial arts?
- Tai chi and similar practices focus on developing balance, breathing, and cultivating inner harmony. Very few Tai Chi practitioners are focused on attacking or defending against attacks. So is Tai Chi a martial art?
Eh, I don’t know. This argument shouldn’t be taken so seriously,
and, after all, “martial arts” is supposed to be an umbrella term. How big of
an umbrella do you want?
A final point: The term “martial arts” usually suggests
Japan, China, or other East Asian origins. I think this is a holdover from the
post-war period when a lot of Eastern martial arts were being introduced to the
West, along with a strong component of exoticism. This seems to have died down
as familiarity has grown with terms like karate, kung fu, and tae
kwon do, and as more Western practitioners have reached high ranks in these arts. But there are Western martial arts as well. Boxing and wrestling, for sure, but also there has been a revival of European weapon traditions contained in medieval manuals for broadsword, longsword, rapier, and
whatever else.
Alright so in this stew of martial arts, what is karate?
Karate is an unarmed martial art, originated in Okinawa and
spread through Japan, that focuses on self-defense and self-cultivation. Karate-do
translates as The Way of the Empty Hand. “The Way” signifies a journey as
the student progresses through the art, while “Empty Hand” simply means weapons
are not used, but rather the hands and feet are developed for blocking and striking.
One last point about karate – it isn’t actually very martial. Meaning it was not developed by or for the military and it was not used on the
battlefield. Unlike other martial arts, like Japanese jujitsu which is rooted
in techniques that samurai would use if they were disarmed, Okinawan karate was
developed by civilians for self-protection in the ports and on the ships of Asia.
As a maritime trading nation, the Ryukyu Kingdom had extensive relations across
southeast Asia, China, and Japan. This could be dangerous, but also provided plenty
of opportunity for learning other martial arts from the region, especially
southern China. A few hundred years of this resulted in a good martial arts
base on the islands, which would be further refined after the Japanese conquest
(and ban on weapons) in 1609.
More emphasis on personal development and personal
improvement would continue to be added to karate, especially when Okinawans start
promoting the art in mainland Japan in around the 1900’s.
Contrary to most of what you may read on the internet about
karate, I believe that today we are seeing a great flourishing of karate in all
its forms. Sport karate is a mature arena that includes many different types of
contests, from point sparring to forms to full-contact fighting. Many karate
students practice “healthy lifestyle” karate to stay active and fit as they age
(it doesn’t have to be all bang-and-crash). And many practitioners have turned
their karate study towards practical self-defense applications. For myself, I
have decided to focus on teaching karate as a martial art. Not a sport or a defensive
tactics course. And I’m certainly not the only one doing that.
I hope this explanation helps a bit with the terminology.
Like any enthusiast, it’s fun to learn and debate different martial arts and
styles, but I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in it. The best martial art is one
you enjoy training in and can get to class regularly.
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