| The history of Karate and other types of | | | | There Is More To Karate Than Movies |
| martial arts goes back thousands of years. | | | | |
| For me it goes back to when I started to take | | | | Bruce Lee's main focus was not to make |
| karate classes in middle school after being | | | | movies, but rather to practice the martial |
| inspired from watching a series of Bruce Lee | | | | arts, learn their histories, and develop his |
| and Chuck Norris movies. | | | | skill and fitness so he could be a perfectly |
| | | | physically conditioned machine. |
| There was nothing more exciting to me than to | | | | Unfortunately the only history of karate that |
| learn how to kick the crap out of bullying | | | | most people in the Western world know is all |
| boys at my school. As I got immersed into the | | | | they have seen on television or in the |
| art, however, I found that there is a lot | | | | movies. |
| more to it than flashy self defense moves and | | | | |
| seldom does it ever involve kicking the crap | | | | And nowadays unrealistic karate moves are the |
| out of anyone. | | | | new fad. Jackie Chan does some quick moves in |
| | | | his latest movie and everyone thinks they |
| Although Karate was around long before him, | | | | just got a lesson in the history of karate. |
| the most significant figure in the modern | | | | But karate was not meant to be a form of |
| history of karate was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee | | | | entertainment, it is meant to be a display of |
| considered himself a true martial artist and | | | | discipline and successful learning through |
| did not limit himself to the study of just | | | | hard work. Learning karate takes a lot of |
| one discipline, but rather he studied many | | | | dedicated time and respect for its history |
| disciplines, including boxing. | | | | and origins. |
| | | | |
| Then he eventually developed his own brand of | | | | Karate is based on self defense and not |
| martial arts. But Bruce Lee was also a karate | | | | aggression. Most karate classes are really |
| champion and his first real introduction to | | | | great for enhancing mental focus, and |
| the world was an extremely impressive display | | | | discipline, as well as add the completive |
| that he put on at the1964 Long Beach Karate | | | | edge for those who like to spar in karate |
| Tournament. | | | | tournaments. That is why karate classes are |
| | | | so great for kids and adults alike. |
| This tournament was not only witnessed by | | | | |
| many prominent martial artists but also by | | | | Karate survives as a cornerstone of the |
| one of the crew members of the then hit | | | | martial arts and as one of the true vehicles |
| television show Batman. From there Bruce Lee | | | | of self control and the ability to look deep |
| wound up on Batman as the "Green Hornet" and | | | | into one's self and find your true inner |
| the history of karate would never be the | | | | person. Karate is a quest more than it is a |
| same. | | | | lesson on how to punch and kick someone. |
| | | | |