How to Teach Yourself the Basics of Karate
Co-authored by Yvonne
Last Updated: October 10, 2024 Approved
Mo
The philosophy behind karate is vast and complex. It stems from thousands of years of armed and
unarmed combat. Techniques that were perfected hundreds of years ago are still being perfected
over and over again by each new generation. Buddhism, Taoism, and the code of Bushido have all
played parts in the development of the martial arts philosophy. Karate in its modern form was
established around 400 years ago in Japan, with its roots mainly derived from Chinese Kung Fu. See
Step 1 below to start teaching yourself the basics of this art form.
Part
Getting in the Zone
1
Meditate. (5+ minutes) Clear your mind of all thoughts; concentrate on breathing in
1 through the nose, out through the mouth; steady deep breaths and a clear mind will
prepare you to learn Karate. There is no time limit, but meditating for at least 5 minutes
should clear your thoughts enough to allow you to concentrate. And yes, meditating can
definitely enhance your fighting skills![1]
Forget school. Forget work. Forget family, problems, everything -- visualize them
evaporating before your eyes. Once everything is gone, you should see an empty room,
and in the center of the empty room, a ball of flame begins growing from the emptiness.
This flame of firing strength and energy should represent anything you hope to achieve
by training yourself in Karate. By the time you are done with your meditation, the room
should be entirely engulfed by nothing but the flame.
Warm up. (10 minutes) Start off by running in place or around the block for about 5
2 minutes; plus about 5 minutes (or 20 reps each) of push-ups, sit-ups (or crunches), leg
lifts, and reverse push-ups.[2]
Warming up is vital to your muscles' ability to do work. If you don't get them loose and
ready before you start your training and stretching, then they will go on strike against
you and even basic moves will be tough to execute properly.
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Stretch. (15 minutes) Stretching all major muscle groups first is essential for a loose
3 and limber body; get a book on stretching if you do not already know what stretching
exercises to do. In Karate, stretching the legs is crucial to keep yourself injury-free.[3]
Stretching comes after warming up. When your muscles have heated up, that's when
they'll be most receptive to stretching -- when stretching will be the safest and most
effective.
Understand the philosophy behind karate. To the untrained observer, karate may look
4 like its about showy displays of violence. In fact, it's the polar opposite. Karate is about
peace and, what's more, peace of mind. In life conflict is unavoidable. When this happens, it
should be handled swiftly and with power. The result is a natural confidence that has an air
of humility.[4]
This is an art form that involves the mind and spirit as much as the body. All three must
develop simultaneously for the practitioner to truly master this sport. While the body
must remember how to move, the mind, in turn, must remember how to be still.
All of the martial arts begin and end with courtesy. There is very little that is selfish
about karate. It is believed that in your devotion there is reward.
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Mastering Stances, Balance, and
Part
2
Power
Get the basic stances down. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you wanna get to the fun stuff.
1 Unfortunately, your kicks, strikes, and blocks will not be effective if you don't have your
stance right. You wouldn't expect to be a great baseball player if you held your bat the
wrong way, would you? Nope. The basics are what truly make a great karateka (karate
practitioner).[5]
There are different types of Karate. You'll find different stances are traditional
depending on which type you're practicing. Most types of karate have some variation of
the following three stances:[6]
The natural, or walking stance (shizentai-dachi) is when your front foot is pointing
forward, back foot is out at a 45-degree angle pointing behind you. Your feet are
apart at a natural, or walking, width.
The front stance (zenkutsu-dachi) is like the natural stance, but your feet are further
apart and your weight is mostly on your front leg.
Cat stance, or back stance (nekoashi-dachi). Your foot positioning is like the
walking stance, but your weight is mostly on your back leg. Your front heel, if you so
choose, may be raised.
Start with the ready stance. The stances above are fighting stances. However, at the
2 beginning of any spar, you'll need to begin with the ready stance. You have three basic
options:[7]
The ready stance in the Fukyugata series has the heels together and toes pointing
outward at a 60-degree angle.
The ready stance in the Pinan series has the feet at shoulder width, toes pointing
outward at a 45-degree angle.
The ready stance in the Naihanchi series has the feet directly together and parallel.
Be aware of your balance. Karate isn't exactly something drunk people would be good
3 at, and for good reason -- it takes an immense ability to balance. That's part of the
reason the stances are so important! They center your body, allowing you to be fluid while
simultaneously strong. But that strength you feel in your stance can't disappear when you
start kicking![8]
Always think about your center gravity. If you spread your feet, you lower it, proving
yourself stability and more bang for your attack. But if you lower it too much, you lose
mobility and speed. When it comes to balance, there is a happy medium you need to
find.
While having balance is important, when you start having to defend yourself, you'll need
to be able to shift that balance quite quickly as well. If you're in one stance too long,
your opponent can easily attack you! Because of this, transitions between stances are
important too.
Concentrate on your power and speed. There are plenty of people (read: gym rats) who
4 lift hundreds and hundreds of pounds but yet would not excel at karate. It is not about
muscle -- it's about power and speed.
The two are highly connected. A longer route to your target will help you develop more
speed and thus power. If you use your entire body, you will have more power behind your
attack, and necessarily employ more speed. However, think of karate not as being able
to move a large object, but being able to move a small object quickly and with detailed
precision.
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Part
Mastering the Moves
3
Work on your punching and blocking. (15 minutes) There are a few essential punches
1 you will need to learn to attack effectively. The straight punch, upper-cut, knife-hand,
spear-hand, elbow strike, and backfist, namely. Practice them in order and alternate hands.
Blocking is just as important! Practice blocking as though these were the punches you
were being attacked with. Experiment with combinations and counter attacks. Defend,
attack, defend, attack...etc.
For the record, your first two knuckles are the strongest knuckles on your hand. They
can be lined up with your forearm bones (radius and ulna) to increase strength. The
most common mistakes are when people have a crooked fist, punch too high or punch
with their shoulder.
Practice kicking. (15 minutes) Ten repetitions of any kick will suffice in strengthening
2 your legs. Focus beyond the target for maximum power, but practice the flow of motion
to gain graceful fluidity in your movements; like a swan; power will follow.
There are five basic karate kicks:
The front snap kick. Basically, think of your foot swinging out in front of you like you're
snapping a towel. In natural stance, you draw up your back foot, bend at the knee, and
snap (hence the name) your leg out in front of you and draw it immediately back to
where it was.
The side snap kick. The same as the front snap kick...only to the side.
The side trust kick. Lift your kicking foot to your opposite knee, kick, and roll your hip
forward. In the snap kicks, your torso stays upright. In trust kicks, your torso falls more
in line with your kicking leg, coming down to power your kicking leg upward.
The guy in the gif above is doing a trust kick. See how his torso comes down?
The back trust kick. Like the side trust kick, but you're looking behind you and kicking in
the same direction as you're looking.
The round kick. In cat stance, pull your kicking leg up toward the same elbow. Swing
your hips forward and pivot, creating the "round" in the round kick. Then snap it back as
quickly as possible.
Start sparring. (15+ minutes) Find someone to practice with, and use all of your
3 techniques to fight them for 15 to 30 minutes. Sparring will help you increase your
stamina and ability to throw combinations and defend yourself against multiple attacks or
multiple attackers, once you've mastered certain blocking and attacking techniques.
Practice all kata (literally, "practice form") over and over. Focus on one kata in
4 particular for that session. Once you have it, you can move on. It's important to focus
on lower level kata as well as higher level to refine and improve.[9]
Be sure to revisit it once you do have it! After you master several, piece them together
and work on increasingly difficult combinations as the days progress.
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Community Q&A
Question
How can I become more strong?
wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
You can get stronger through exercise, weight training, eating a healthy diet filled with
nutrients and by developing a workout aimed at strengthening particular parts of your
body. There is a lot to this topic that a short answer can't fulfill, so for more help with this
topic, see How to Get Strong.
Question
Can I teach myself martial arts?
wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
It is best to learn martial arts from properly trained professionals and to have classmates
with whom you can interact and learn proper defense (and where relevant offense)
techniques, which is not possible by yourself. That said, some basic moves and beginner
learning can be done by yourself in preparation for starting or practicing for a martial arts
class. For more information, see How to Teach Yourself Martial Arts.
Question
What is the best age to start martial arts?
wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
The answer depends on the type of martial arts and the rules of the school or dojo. It also
depends on how ready the child is––for martial arts, a child should be able to follow rules,
be well coordinated, have the ability to focus well and be willing to participate. Some
schools will accept toddlers in special classes focused on easy moves and games, while
other schools prefer children to be at least in primary/elementary school, while still
attuning the classes to a child’s abilities. While it is a good idea to start a child young,
gauge the suitability from the child’s own level of readiness and clearly expressed interest,
and talk to the school or dojo you think might suit your child to find out what age they
consider appropriate.
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Tips
When punching, stay relaxed until just before you hit your target.
Straight kicks may use the ball of the foot or the heel; keep your toes back or they might be
damaged. Side kicks always use the blade of your foot or the heel. Ax kicks always strike
with the heel. Round-house kicks may strike with the shin, top or ball of the foot; round
kicks with the shin can be particularly effective.
When fighting or sparring, maintain eye contact with your opponent at all times.
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Warnings
Remember your sparring partner is real, not a punching bag. Safety gear is advised and
always be careful.
When blocking a kick or punch from a sparring opponent, always remember to block with
the forearm.
Always stretch, and stretch everything. Pulling a muscle or snapping a tendon is
excruciatingly painful!
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References
1. http://fightingarts.com/reading/article.php?id=345
2. https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-warm-up-before-exercise-3119266
3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching
4. https://www.jka.or.jp/en/about-jka/philosophy/
5. http://www.karatebyjesse.com/the-stances-of-karate-form-function-and-footprints/
6. http://www.dynamic-karate.com/basic-karate-moves.html
7. https://kenzenichii.org/stances.html
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5742172/
9. http://www.imakarate.com/student-information/list-of-katas/
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