Branden Evans Jr., age 13, of Pittsfield, Mass., for his question:
WHERE DID KARATE ORIGINATE?
Karate, which means "empty hand" in Japanese, is a martial art of unarmed self defense in which directed or focused blows of the hands and feet, accompanied by special breathing and shouts, are dealt from poised positions. Karate originated in the ancient Orient.
Karate is more than 1,000 years old. At first it was a monastic training and later it developed as a defense method used by Chinese peasants against armed bandits. During the 17th century it became highly developed as an art on the island of Okinawa.
It wasn't until 1922 that karate was introduced to the Japanese public by an Okinawan named Funakoshi Gichin. The art is chiefly associated today with Japan.
Karate was introduced into the United States after the military occupation of Japan following World War II. Today, many types of karate, including Korean (tae kwon do), Japanese and Chinese styles are taught in the United States.
Karate is related to judo and jujitsu, but stresses techniques for striking, with a lethal kicks and punches, rather than wrestling or throwing an opponent. The three elements of speed, strength and technique are vital to karate expertise. Constant alertness and a keen sense of timing and surprise are also required.
More than a method of combat, karate emphasizes self discipline, positive attitude and high moral purpose. It is taught professionally at different levels and under different Oriental names as as a basic self defense, a competitive sport and a free style exercise.
Great attention is given to knowing the most vulnerable points of the human body, which may be attacked by the hands, elbows, knees or feet. These areas include the face, neck, solar plexus, spinal column, groin and kidneys.
In ordinary karate competitions or exhibitions, only the area of the body above the waist is allowed as a target, and all blows are are to be pulled.
The most common blows used in karate are chops or knife hands, knuckle punches, hammerbiows, finger jabs and front, side, back, round, jump and stamping kicks.
In actual fighting, any of these blows can be fatal. The ability of a karate master (sen sei) to break boards or bricks with a chop of the bare hands is proverbial.
The karate trainee toughens hands and feet by striking sandbags and special punching boards and by driving them into containers of sand, rice or gravel. Constant exercises are also important for limbering up and strengthening the muscles of the body.
Deep breathing exercises are also useful because exhalation and sudden shouts accompany the directed blows, particularly the final blows. Such breathing and cries help the rhythm of the karate attack, focus more force in each blow or block and psychologically invigorate a person while disconcerting the opponent.