Karate is a term of Japanese origin that can be translated as “clean hand.” Specifically, we can establish that it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said Japanese language: the adjective “kara”, which means “clean”, and the noun “te”, which can be translated as “hand”.
In our language, accentuation on the first A ( karate ) is also accepted, according to the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary.
Karate is a Japanese martial art that is considered, above all, a defensive art . Also called karate-do ( "the way of the empty hand" ), it is based on sharp blows performed with the feet, elbows and the edge of the hand.
Someone who practices karate is called a karateka . The origins of the discipline date back to the 16th century , when it emerged from a combination of various techniques in the Ryūkyū Islands .
In addition, you should know that within karate there are five different styles: shotokan, shito ryu, goju ryu, wado ryu and kyokushinkai.
Among the phrases used in karate, some stand out such as “arigato gozaimas”, which means “thank you” and is said at the end of the “combat” with the partner.
According to the knowledge he acquires and his experience, the karate fighter reaches various degrees ( kyus ) -reflected in the color of his belt- that certify his level in karate. Beginners start with a white belt and then move on to yellow belt , orange belt , green belt , blue belt , brown belt , and finally black belt , although this scale may vary depending on the school .
Whoever reached the black belt in karate can continue ascending from the first dan to the tenth dan . The most advanced karateka, therefore, is a black belt with the rank of tenth dan.
It is worth noting that karate became popular in the Western world starting in the 1950s . Later, thanks to actors such as Jean-Claude Van Damme , Chuck Norris and Dolph Lundgren , many films focused on this martial art helped its dissemination internationally.
However, among all these films we have to emphasize one that has already become a classic in the history of cinema. We are referring to “Karate Kid”, which premiered in 1984 under the direction of John G. Avildsen.
Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, Elisabeth Sue and Martin Kove are the actors who lead the cast of this film, which tells the story of a young man (Daniel LaRusso) who arrives at a new school, where he will not be very well received by some students who practice karate and who do not hesitate to beat him several times. Hence, the janitor of the building where he lives, who is an expert in that discipline, decides to help him learn it so that he can compete with those in a championship and beat them in order to solve the problems.
Such is the success of this feature film that, years later, “Karate Kid 2”, “Karate Kid 3”, “The New Karate Kid” and “The Karate Kid” arrived.