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Karate - a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan – was created from indigenous fighting methods at a time when, during continuous invasion, Okinawans were not allowed to bear arms, and relied on unarmed combat for defensive purposes.

Influences primarily came from various Kungfu and Chinese boxing styles (most notably White Crane), and were developed to create more efficient techniques based upon generating power through speed rather than strength. Different styles soon developed throughout various towns in Okinawa, including Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Gojo-ryu, Uechi-ryu and Kiokoshinkai, amongst others.

Karate is a traditional martial art based upon the rank system via colour belts for the junior or Kyu grades and black belt grades for the senior Dan grades. Practitioners of Karate are known as ‘Karateka’, their training hall as a dojo and their often white uniform as a ‘gi’.

The main parts of training include Kihon, which are the basic techniques that are repeated by drilling up and down the dojo, however the mainstay of Karate training is based around the Kata, otherwise known as ‘forms’ (sequences of defense and attack movements against imaginary opponents). These Kata often include deep stances to help develop leg strength, and large body movements to help train for upper body power and cardio fitness. They also serve to help develop the karateka’s memory and ability to multi-task, thus aiding them to think under physical pressure.

Whilst Karate has been part of the Oriental culture for centuries, Karate really found its way into the western culture after the Second World War in the 1940’s upon the introduction of free sparring (Kumite). The big screen was also to thank when in the 60’s and 70’s martial arts films hit the cinemas, and Karate has continued to develop as a respected and renown sport worldwide ever since.