Kyokushin karate training techniques include vigorous physical conditioning, hard-hitting sparring and choreographed katas.

A properly placed karate chop can cause, pain, disorientation and loss of consciousness. It could also have more serious consequences.

A gi earns a reputation for quality if it is durable, crisp but not irritatingly stiff, truly white and not slightly yellow.

Like other forms of karate and martial arts, Shotokan has many benefits—it helps to develop patience, courage, self-confidence, self-control, strength, flexibility, calmness and concentration, and it reduces negative or violent attitudes.

Karate is a martial art developed for self-defense, primarily without the use of weapons. There are many different forms of karate.

A lot of people who aren't involved in the martial arts perceive the black belt as the highest achievement in fighting skill. However, most martial arts grant "degrees" of black belt to indicate levels of training and experience above the first-degree black belt.

Earning a yellow belt in karate signifies that you are not a novice and that you have demonstrated basic knowledge in karate. The standard belt color progression is white -- beginners, yellow, green, brown and black. Some karate schools include orange and blue belts.

Martial arts classes teach children important lessons about self-defense, confidence, respect and discipline Two well-known styles are karate and taekwondo. Both can benefit your child physically and mentally.

Kenpo is a Japanese term for “fist law”; karate means “empty hand.” Kenpo Karate was founded by Professor William K.S.Chow in 1949. Ed Parker, one of Chow’s most famous students, developed American Kenpo Karate, a style which is widely practiced today.

Most people view a black belt as a symbol of proficiency in martial arts. Not as many people know, however, that many martial arts programs grant advanced black belt degrees that represent training and mastery beyond the first black belt.

To many, the black belt is a sign that one has mastered the art of karate. However, holding a black belt, while a very impressive accomplishment, does not mean that one has reached the upper echelons of karate skills.

Awarding various colored belts to signify the achievement of new levels of expertise in karate (and other martial arts) is a relatively recent tradition. The colored belt is said to have been created by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, in 1888.The practice was then adapted into other martial arts, including karate.