The Honorable History Of Karate
The Honorable History Of Karate
The history of karate is filled with words I cannot say and names I cannot pronounce. For me the history of karate started one Sunday afternoon when I was 9 years old and I was flipping through the channels and stopped on a movie where one little Chinese guy was beating the heck out of about 14 Chinese guys and one British guy. It was great and the sound effects made my skin stand up and the hair on my neck bristle. The best part was when they would start talking. The words I was hearing were English but the words were not matching the movement of the actors' mouths. It wasn't even close and this was my first exposure to the history of karate.
Probably the most significant figure in the modern history of karate was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee considered himself a true martial artist and did not limit himself to the study of just one discipline but rather he studied many disciplines, including boxing, and then he eventually developed his own brand of martial arts. But Bruce Lee was also a karate champion and his first real introduction to the world was an extremely impressive display that he put on at the 1964 Long Beach Karate Tournament which was not only witnessed by many prominent martial artists but also by one of the crew members of the then hit television show Batman. From there Bruce Lee wound up on Batman as the Green Hornet and the history of karate would never be the same.
More Than Just A Movie
Bruce Lee detested making movies as his focus was more on practicing the martial arts, developing his skill, developing himself into a perfectly physically conditioned machine, and becoming immersed in the history of karate. Unfortunately the only history of karate that most people in the Western world know is all they have seen on television or in the movies. Jackie Chan does some quick moves in his latest movie and everyone thinks they just got a lesson in the history of karate. But karate was not meant to be a form of entertainment, it is meant to be a display of discipline and successful learning through hard work. To study the history of karate is to see a story of struggle and pain.
Karate is based on self defense and aggression is not part of the teachings of karate. The history of karate is filled with triumphs of the soul and defeats at the hands of barbarians and people with no self discipline. But karate survives as a cornerstone of the martial arts and as one of the true vehicles of self control and the ability to look deep into one's self and find your true inner person. Karate is a quest more than it is a lesson in using your hands.