History of Karate

Karate originated in Okinawa and emphasised on defeating an opponent simply by using strikes and kicks. In the earlier days, it took a lifetime to master the art of Karate and students were expected to have strong physical and mental discipline, in addition to developing good moral character. Today, thanks to Bruce Lee and a host of other actors who have made Karate popular and ‘cool’, many Karate & martial arts schools have sprung up all over the world where students can learn martial arts in a modern setting.

Whilst it is a little known fact, Karate is actually considered a very 'young' style of martial art. Even though Karate has been around for hundreds of years, compared to Taekwon do or Kung Fu which can both be carbon dated (by ancient drawing displaying the practice) back over 3000 years.

So why is the term Karate so well known in the community. We can thank TV and movies. During the 60's and 70's martial arts became popular on TV through movies such as Enter the Dragon starring Bruce Lee, and shows like the Green Hornet (in America). Many veterans returned after World War II from service in Japan and Korean and learnt martial arts while they were there.

As martial arts grew in popularity, the America marketing began, and the term Karate started to become well known. It is ironic, that even to this day in America, you can visit many martial arts school which will have a huge sign out the front saying karate, but when you get to the front door they will display the insignia of the World Taekwondo Federation, the American Hapkido Federation, or the like, in other words it's mainly used for advertising. This of course not to say that Karate isn't a genuine martial art in it's own right, there are many Karate schools too.

One of the movies which brought the term karate to fame, was of course, the Karate Kid, but did you know that the young boy who starred in the movie, had never done martial arts before? He was trained especially for the movie by Chuck Norris, who was eminently qualified for the job as a recent World Karate Champion, but Chuck learnt his skills while in the army in Korea, practicing what the serviceman called Korean Karate, which is known in Australia as Taekwondo. So the star of the Karate Kid was actually taught Taekwondo! It's a funny world!

Today, the word ‘Karate’ has become more of a commonplace term to symbolize any martial art. Interestingly, many techniques and moves in Karate have also influenced so many other forms of martial arts as well. One such martial art which has become very popular over the years in Brisbane is Taekwondo.

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