WHAT IS KARATE?

Karate is a martial art in which people don’t use weapons. The word karate means ‘empty hand’. These days more people are joining karate courses to defend themselves and learn life skills.

Karate students train at a dojo, or gym. When they enter a dojo, they bow their heads to show good manners. The karate teacher is called a sensei. The sensei has many lessons to pass on. Students learn to listen to their sensei and follow the rules of the dojo.

Students have to wear the right clothes before they start to train. In the dojo, they wear a special robe or gi, with a coloured belt around the waist. Students move on to different coloured belts as they train and gain new skills. However, getting a new belt isn’t just about learning new moves. They also have to learn many good habits, such as self-control and patience. So, karate also teaches students how to behave in their lives.

Students earn new coloured belts in a certain order. One story tells the meaning of each colour through the growth of a plant. The different colours of the belts stand for the colours of the sun, plants and sky. A student grows much like a young plant. They grow as time passes and gain new skills.

One of the karate students, Timothy, is telling his friends about his karate experience: “When I go to the dojo, the first thing I do is put on my belt and bow my head. I enjoy doing karate. It is teaching me how to be more patient in my life.”