What is karate?
Karate is a martial art from Okinawa, Japan, that uses punches, kicks, knee and elbow strikes and open-hand techniques. Its name means empty hand.
Karate developed on the Ryukyu Islands, now Okinawa, influenced by Chinese martial arts. It spread to mainland Japan in the 1920s, when masters like Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan karate, began teaching it. After World War II, it spread around the world through US servicemen and Japanese instructors.
Training includes kihon, basic techniques, kata, set patterns of movements performed alone, and kumite, sparring with a partner. Students advance through colored belts to black belt, with higher degrees called dan. Major styles include Shotokan, Gōjū-ryū, Wadō-ryū and Kyokushin.
At the Olympics
Karate made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021, with events in kata and kumite. It was not included in the Paris 2024 program or the Los Angeles 2028 Games, but it remains popular in competitions like the Karate World Championships.
Did You Know?
The famous karate move of breaking boards and bricks, called tameshiwari, is used in demonstrations to show power and focus.