Karate originated from Japan and is a stand-up striking style that uses any part of the body. This style uses punching, kicking, knee strikes, open hand techniques and elbow strikes. Some styles vary if they use grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital point strikes or not. It teaches the person discipline and self-control to focus their strength on the fight. This martial art is popular throughout the world especially for kids since the art teaches about honour, respect, discipline, balance, and self-control. Popular actors such as Jackie Chan, and Chuck Norris are all karate masters and have added to the popularity of the martial art itself from their famous movies. The competition in karate is called full contact karate. The rules are similar to taekwondo but a knockout or knockdown can be obtained during a match. If no one is knockout or knockdown during a match then the winner is decided through decision from judges on which person obtain the highest amount of points. Points are obtained through landing clean and legal strikes to the head, body (torso), or the legs. Most karate schools use a belt system to rate the person’s skill usually starting from the typical white belt to the black belt. The darkening of the colours is to represent the darkening through age and experience of learning karate. Many dojos of multiple fighting styles have adopted this type of belt system. This martial art is known for changing people into calm and respective members of society.
At Legends MMA we take the best of both worlds from karate and kickboxing for our kids classes. The respect, honour, and discipline that we teach are from the karate point of view. The techniques, realistic self defense, and sparring are from the kickboxing point of view. The rules and philosophy in karate is essential for kids to understand the five main rules; honour, respect, discipline, self-defence, and helping others. Our very successful kid’s program is growing, strong and parents are very happy to see their kids improving. We also have parties, pizza days, tournament, movie nights, and our very popular summer camps.
Are you aware of the many benefits of karate training? Karate offers a high-aerobic workout that makes use of all the muscle groups of your body, including those of the core, hands, arms, shoulders, legs and toes. With regular practice, it builds endurance, flexibility, balance and muscle tone. Here are some other benefits that practicing karate in our Brampton school will help you enjoy.
- Improved Cardiovascular Health
Karate increases heart rate and improves blood flow. This, in turn, improves heart health and oxygen intake. This makes it a great way to upgrade your strength and conditioning, and decrease the risk of stroke and other heart-related diseases.
- Enhanced Endurance and Stamina
Karate provides a full body workout that increases your endurance and stamina. Blocking, bodyweight exercises and striking all require energy which develops stamina when practiced. Since karate involves repetitive movement, you should begin to see changes in your breathing capacity within weeks. The result is increased toughness and resilience. Enhanced stamina is a hallmark of a healthier lifestyle, and karate burns fat while lowering your blood pressure and heart rate.
- Better Coordination
Karate requires coordination and awareness to ensure your movements are in form. Certain martial arts practices also employ the use of tools and props. When combined, these factors can improve your coordination and bodily awareness. Certain practices strengthen the lower body which acts as a base from which the upper body can maneuver and operate more efficiently.
- Aids in Weight Loss
If you want to drop excess weight or just get your health back on track, karate training is a great way to do it. Practitioners use hands, feet, knees and elbows for different strikes along with engaging core muscles. An average one-hour session of moderate intensity can burn up to 500 calories.
- Relieves Stress
Physical activity relieves stress, and practicing martial arts is a particularly effective method. Karate training also involves calming breathing exercises similar to yoga and makes you part of a supportive community.