9781422286678

K A R A T E

a progressive curriculum, starting with the most basic techniques and working up to those that require considerable skill. Practicing karate increases confidence, im- proves posture, and cultivates power, grace, and skill. Karate also fosters patience, tolerance, and understanding. In fact, the virtues developed through proper karate training often outweigh its combative value; after all, the one thing a well-trained karate-ka wants to avoid is a fight. In this sense, karate really is not about fighting—it is actually about not fighting! This illustration depicts the Japanese characters (kanji) for “empty hands,” meaning karate.

BREAKING TECHNIQUES Karate was first introduced to the West in the 1960s (Western karate teachers were still learning the art in the 1950s) and was seen as some- thing new and exotic. Often, the highlight of a karate demonstration was the showing of the “breaking techniques,” called tameshiwara . Some schools still teach these techniques today, where they are part of the grad- ing requirement for a black belt. However, most modern karate schools no longer practice breaking techniques because they can lead to injury. Originally devised in ancient times as both a test of strength and a means of demonstration, there are, of course, natural limits to what a human can smash or break with bare hands. The typical materials chosen to be broken are softwood squares measuring 12 x 12 in (30 x 30 cm) and

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