MY FIRST POST

 The word karate is a combination of two kanji (Chinese characters): kara, meaning empty, and te, meaning hand; thus, karate means "empty hand." Adding the suffix "-dō" (pronounced "daw"), meaning "the way/path," karate-dō, implies karate as a total way of life that goes well beyond the self-defense applications.

The purpose of Traditional Karate is to develop well-balanced mind and body, through training in fighting techniques. Traditional Karate also shares the ultimate aim with Budo, which is to cultivate great human character of a higher class that prevents any violent attack before an actual fight occurs.

Nonetheless, Karate is one of the most popular and well-known martial arts for a simple reason: It's safe, easy to learn, requires little space and is very effective if done right. Just make sure you do it right. Because “martial” always comes first.

Types of karate include:

1. Shotokan. Shotokan karate is one of the most well-known types. ...
2. Goju-ryu. Goju-ryu karate is based on the complimentary principles of hard and soft. ...
3. Uechi-ryu. Uechi-ryu karate was founded by Kanbun Uechi in Okinawa during the early 1900s. ...
4. Wado-ryu. ...
5. Shorin-ryu. ...
6. Kyokushin. ...
7. Shito-ryu. ...
8. Ashihara