Welcome to the world of karate

24.03.2022 | Sport

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Karate! A martial art that is one of the most widespread and popular in the world. The homeland of karate is Japan. Its development began in the Ryukyu Islands. The basis was the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts, which were influenced by Chinese martial arts and called these (arm). Karate is a predominantly percussive art that uses palm punches, foot kicks, knee punches, elbow kicks and open hand techniques. Throws, levers and punches to vital points are also taught in some modern styles. A karate man is called a karateka.

 

The source of karate

In 1879, the Japanese Empire annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom. Karate came to mainland Japan in the early 20th century during migrations, when the inhabitants of the Ryukyu Islands, especially from Okinawa, were looking for work on the main Japanese islands. In 1922, the Japanese Ministry of Education invited Gichin Funakoshi to Tokyo to conduct a karate demonstration. In 1924, Keio University established the first university karate club in mainland Japan. In eight years, major Japanese universities have included karate in their programs. In this era of escalating Japanese militarism, the name was changed from a Chinese hand to an empty hand. After World War II, Okinawa (1945) became an important military city of the United States and karate became popular among the soldiers stationed there. Martial arts films from the 1960s and 1970s greatly increased the popularity of martial arts around the world, and English speakers began to use the word karate in a general way to refer to all the striking Asian martial arts. All over the world, karate schools began to appear, caring for those who are primarily interested in the effectiveness of karate, as well as for those who seek deeper meaning in karate. Shōshin Nagamine said, “Karate can be seen as an internal conflict, or as a lifelong marathon that can only be won through self-discipline, hard training and one’s own creative endeavors.” And that is exactly the meaning of karate. Young people who start to deal with it develop both work habits and moral values.

 

WKF at the Olympics

Certainly karate is a martial art with the most variations. If we first list them – Chitō-ryū, Gensei-ryū, Gōjū-ryū, Gosoku-ryū, Isshin-ryū, Kyokushin, Shūkōkai, Shindō jinen-ryū, Shitō-ryū, Shōrin-ryū, Shotokan, Uchi-ryū -ryū, Wadō-ryū, Yōshūkai, Motobu-ryū. Karate has been present in Slovenia for half a century, and the most widespread style is Shotokan. All styles have common kicks, punches and blocks. The largest karate organization is the World Karate Federation (WKF). The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognizes her as responsible for competing in karate at the Olympic Games. Therefore, WKF has developed common rules governing all styles. The WKF national federations coordinate with their national Olympic committees. Competition in the WKF has two disciplines: sparring (kumite) and form (kata). There are competitions for individuals and teams. Judging for kate and kobudō is carried out by a panel of judges, while sparring is judged by the chief judge, usually with the assistant judge. Sparring is divided according to weight, age, gender and belts. Today, about 100 million people are supposed to practice karate! In addition to WKF, there are other associations. Let’s say the World Federation of Karate-do Federations (WUKF). There are also AAKF / ITKF, AOK, TKL, AKA, NWUKO, WKC. In all of them they hold competitions (tournaments) from the local to the international level. Federations use different systems of competition rules. The rules of easy contact are applied by WKF, WUKO, IASK and WKC. The rules of full contact are applied by Kyokushinkai, Seidokaikan and other associations. 

 

History of karate in Slovenia

It all started in the second half of the 1960s. It was then that Stane Iskra met karate for the first time in Zagreb, at the Budokai Center with Emin Topič. In 1967 he founded the first karate club in Slovenia in Krško. A year later, while studying medicine in Zagreb, dr. Ervin Pečnik from Dravograd. When he returned home, he impressed his compatriots with karate and founded a club in Ravne na Koroškem. Under the auspices of the Judo Federation of Slovenia, the Karate Committee of Slovenia was established on 22 November 1968. Branik Maribor, Gorenje Velenje, Ravne na Koroškem, Krško and Rogaška Slatina were members. The first president was Ervin Pečnik. That’s when they started karate courses. They were led by Ilija Jorga. Six months later, he breathed karate on his own, as the Karate Association of Slovenia was founded in Maribor. Peter Kodela from Velenje became the president of the association, which included Kata Ljubljana, TAK Ljubljana, Branik Maribor, Gorenje Velenje, Fužinar Ravne na Koroškem and Krško. In December 1970, the Japanese master Tokuhisa Takashi arrived in Ljubljana, under whose leadership one of the strongest karate clubs – Emona – grew up for many years. As Takashi was the only Japanese instructor on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, many karatekas from all over Yugoslavia went to him for training. Years followed when Slovenian karate sought its identity and developed further. In 1978, a new individual kata discipline for women was introduced at the national championships. On December 23, 1978, the first Yugoslav kata championship for pioneers was held in Trbovlje. Individual Slovenian competitors (Ljubo Javoršek, Zdravko Romih and Bojan Marinček) also began to establish themselves at the international level. In 1987, the president of the association, Ljubo Božovič, helped a lot in founding the Mediterranean Karate Association (MFKU). That year, Slovenian karate won the first international judge from Pekrč, Primož Debenak. Last year, Darko Zarić became the first Slovenian judge at the historical karate Olympic Games. Iztok Štaus (WKSA Maribor) won the first Slovenian medal at the official international championships at the Youth European Championships in Madrid, Spain on February 6, 1994. At the end of this year, Klemen Stanovnik (KK Ljubljana) won bronze in wrestling in Malaysia, and WUKO was renamed WKF. Today, the president of the Slovenian Karate Association is Borut Strojin, the most famous competitor is Tjaša Ristić. 

 

Necessary equipment

Protective equipment ensures maximum safety in karate. This one is not much different from related martial arts. The most important works are gloves and leg protectors. Body armor is also an important part. There are suspensors for both sexes, and shields to protect the teeth. As for clothing, karatekas have kimonos that are white in color, and their knowledge is shown by colored belts. Karatekas are often dressed in the bottom of their kimonos during training, and they have T-shirts on top. Trainings and competitions take place on pillows, which in karate, as in other martial arts, are called tatami mats. A great help in training are various bags that are used to practice both hand and foot kicks. In addition to hanging, freestanding bags are also used, which are often made in the shape of people. Because karate uses two colors in tournaments (blue and red), practitioners must have appropriate large carrying bags.