Martial arts equipment, karate belts, and uniforms

Karate has become such a big part of Western society that it has even infiltrated our pop culture. Everything from the Karate Kid movies to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Ask a Ninja podcast incorporate elements of the Eastern studies of self-defense. Rimartialarts.com is an informational site devoted to clarifying questions and providing answers you might have concerning the prestigious studies. We do not sell anything on this Website, but we try to provide correct information that you can use when deciding on karate items to purchase.
The purpose of karate and other martial arts is learning how to defeat an opponent physically or defend an opponent’s attacks. Students learn this while developing their physical strength and self-confidence. Past cultures have used the studies as training for combat, but modern fans find that it’s also a very good way to stay in shape – which makes it a fun alternative to sweating away on a treadmill.
Among the martial arts, karate is most popular and well-recognized, although Judo is a close second. Judo was developed by Kano Jigoro, whose small stature left him discouraged and chastised during karate practices. Realizing that he would be no good in the offensive during a fight, Jigoro worked on developing a style of self-defense that incorporated using his opponent’s attacks against them. For example, a running enemy becomes incapacitated by stepping aside and tripping them; holds are also common practices in Judo. Also, it was in the Judo form of martial arts that the color rank (dan) system came into fruition. In American dojos, instructors utilize this system for karate; the color of a student’s belt is indicative of how advanced they are. In advancing order, the progress goes as follows: white (beginner), yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, brown, and black (expert).
Karate is not a mere sport but a system of exercises that are meant to clear the mind and produce a self-wholeness. Becoming a master/black belt is not easy, and students must complete many levels of training before they can claim that distinction. In very basic terms, the level of training can be divided into three parts: kihon, kata, and kumite. Students of kihon are beginners and they focus on the fundamentals of karate. Students at this stage repeat a sequence of techniques, either alone or with a large group of people. This helps build dedication and concentration. Kata students are in the intermediate stage, where they focus on strength building and light sparring. Cooperation with others is one of the uniting benefits of practicing karate with a group of people. Finally, kumite prepares students for heavy sparring, or engaging in combat with each other. Sparring differs from teacher to teacher; some require hand to hand fights, others prefer as limited contact as possible. Some kumite students spar using weapons and sparring armor.
Although we place so much emphasis on karate as a fighting sport; the practice has a deep religious and philosophical base. The founder of modern karate Gichen Funakoshi interpreted the art “to purge [oneself] of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can [the practitioner] understand that [knowledge] which he receives.” Such dedication to spirituality is one of the reasons why its popularity grows by the day.

 

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