Karate

The art of kicking major ass. Karate originated in Okinawa, developed by peasants who were forbidden from carrying bladed weapons, as a method of defense against armored samurai. The classical style is characterized by very hard, short, “square” movements, as opposed to the “circular” movements of traditional Chinese kung fu, or the “long” strikes of Tae Kwon Do. Karate has since moved from Okinawa to Japan, and then on to the Western world after the U.S. occupation following WW2. Since then many “fake” styles have cropped up all over the world, based on traditional karate but lacking the proper techniques to generate power.