Paul Lawrence, age 13, of Sparks, Nev., for his question:
WHEN WAS KARATE FIRST USED?
Karate is a form of unarmed combat in which a person hits or kicks with his hands, feet, knees or elbows. Buddhist monks in India used a form of karate to defend themselves against wild animals as early as 400 B.C.
History tells us that a group called the Hwarang do were actually the first to practice karate against other people. During the 500s, the Hwarang do, living in the country of Silla, which is now Korea, were youths picked for training as military leaders.
Karate developed further during the 4600s on the island of Okinawa. A Japanese clan had conquered the island and passed strict laws against owning weapons. As a result, the Okinawans developed many of the unarmed fighting techniques of modern karate.
After Okinawa became a Japanese province in ,1879, karate spread to Japan.
After World War II ended in 1945, many United States servicemen returning from the Far East brought the skill of karate back with them. More Americans learned karate in the Far East between 4950 and 1953 when the Korean War was going on and between 1957 and 1973 during the time of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
Today there are four major types of karate: Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Okinawan. All of them use the same basic techniques, but each stresses certain skills and has its own characteristic style of movement.
Korean karate, called tae kwon do, emphasizes kicking. Chinese karate, called kung fu, uses a flowing, circular motion that differs from the hard, powerful movements of the other types.
American karate consists of a combination of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Okinawan features. This mixed style developed because many Americans actually learned more than one type of karate.
Today, many are learning karate as a means of self defense. There are hundreds of colleges, karate clubs, military and police training schools and women's liberation groups teaching karate techniques.
It has been estimated that more than half a million people in the United States know karate.
There are two kinds of karate contests: form competition and free fighting. In form competition, each contestant demonstrates various forms to a panel of five judges. Each judge awards him from one to 10 points, and the contestant with the highest total wins.
In free fighting, the contestants fight without prearranged techniques. A referee and four judges watch each match. A contestant scores when he delivers a blow that a majority of the judges consider effective.
Beginners wear white belts and experts wear a black one. Schools award brown, green and purple belts for intermediate ranks.