# Karate is general term



## trueaspirer (Jun 7, 2006)

Why has karate spread to mean all martial arts? Most people, if you ask them, don't know the difference between karate and martial arts. Where did the confusion come from?


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## terryl965 (Jun 7, 2006)

It has become a general termonology like Kung Fu was in the seventies.
Terry


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## Andrew Green (Jun 7, 2006)

And I believe Jujitsu before that...

Pool on what the next term is? I call "Tae Kwon Do"


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## Robert Lee (Jun 7, 2006)

When the Okinawin Arts were introduced to Japan Karate became the new name. Then you had the style names also.  And karate had been more well spoken then other arts as it was exposed just after WW2 to many americans. Now Kung Fu can mean most any thing If you are a carpenter and are working on being a better capenter You are per say practicing Kung Fu. But related To the M/A its about combat training. People know about Karate as a word  But tell them you practice shorin ryu Go ju ryu ect They might have to ask whats that put Karate after the name They go I know about that stuff saw it in such and such movie.  Just a word that relates to M/A for people that are not more aware about the M/A world


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## monkey (Jun 8, 2006)

In Chico we have a Kodan Kahn for jujisu  &  A  Budo Kahn for Karate.Yes there are  a few Ed Parker school-Shorin ryu-Tai Chi-Wing Chun.But Mainly we define it as Budo for the top one that have solid lines for the full total art.


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## Grenadier (Jun 9, 2006)

Now, before I type my response, I'm going to say, that there is no offense directed towards any Korean Martial Arts practitioners.  After all, I'm also a former KMA practitioner as well, and am merely sharing some insights here.  



			
				trueaspirer said:
			
		

> Why has karate spread to mean all martial arts? Most people, if you ask them, don't know the difference between karate and martial arts. Where did the confusion come from?


 
Simply put, "Karate" is a very well-recognized word.  If you ask the average Joe Q. Public if they know what "Karate" or "Kung Fu" is, the odds are excellent that they'll at least know it pertains to the martial arts in some way or another. 

Let's face it: A lot of folks have watched "The Karate Kid," and certainly watched those old Kung Fu flicks that were shown on Samaurai Saturday, or the Bruce Lee movies (Game of Death will never count...).  

On the other hand, if you ask the average person if they know what "Tang Soo Do" or "Capoeira" is, you'll probably get a blank stare.  Even popular styles such as Tae Kwon Do might not get nearly as much "common recognition" as "Karate" would.  

While a lot of people have watched Kung Fu movies and "The Karate Kid" series, the same can NOT be said about movies encompassing other styles, such as the first "Best of the Best," where Tae Kwon Do was emphasized, or "Only the Strong," where Capoeira was featured.  Sorry, but those movies only grabbed a small niche crowd, although it was nice to see movies featuring such systems.  

I've actually seen many a Tae Kwon Do or Tang Soo Do school have the word "Karate" in their names, even seeing a large yellow sign with black letters saying "KARATE" on it, out in front of the dojang.  Of course, after going inside (a very nice school, by the way, and well-run) and seeing the flag of South Korea boldly emblazoned, along with a good bit of Hangul written on the wals, I knew that this was not a dojo that taught Japanese or Okinawan Karate.  

This is actually fairly common; take a look at the Yellow Pages sometime, and you might very well see various other systems that are not a Karate style, using the word "Karate" in their names.  While I think this is rather misleading, I can see why the owners of such places might do this, since it's a business, after all, and the more people you can get to come into your doors one way or the other, the more students you're going to get.


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## stone_dragone (Jun 9, 2006)

Another odd observation that I've made from my own experience...

Although "karate" is now to martial arts as to "kleenex" is to facial tissue, teaching my class here I have been asked by more people who don't watch the class but see the uniforms (karategi) "...so is this Taekwondo?" or "are you guys teaching jujutsu?"

Its almost as if I need to explain what karate is instead of taekwondo...

just an observation relative to the subject.


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## pstarr (Jun 9, 2006)

Kind of like Judo was in the 50's and early 60's.

Everybody knows judo is really what you make bagels out of...


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## twendkata71 (Aug 4, 2006)

*People are starting to recognize the Taekwondo name more because there are so many Taekwondo schools across the country and its in the Olympics. So, it is now more common in many area's to see more Taekwondo schools that karate schools. Some schools like( Chongshinkwan,headed by Roger Jarret) teach a combination of Taekwondo and Japanese Shotokan karate for the purpose of sport karate (USANKF) .  Originally, Karate was the more recognized name, so that is why you had so many Taekwondo schools with the Karate name on the front of the building. When Taekwondo was introduced in the early 60's is was unknown.  Many schools of the time still advertised Judo first on the front of the school and karate second. *


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## OnlyAnEgg (Aug 4, 2006)

It's like 'Kleenex' for tissues and 'Q-Tips' for cotton swabs and 'Kool-Aid' for sugar water...  or 'Human' for my ex-wife.

Karate went from being a specific term describing a specific art to becoming a general term in the vernacular.  Happens all the time.


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## twendkata71 (Aug 4, 2006)

"*HUMAN FOR MY EX-WIFE"!! HEHEHEHHAHAHAHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHEHEHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS MY LAUGH OF THE DAY. THANKS.*







			
				OnlyAnEgg said:
			
		

> It's like 'Kleenex' for tissues and 'Q-Tips' for cotton swabs and 'Kool-Aid' for sugar water... or 'Human' for my ex-wife.
> 
> Karate went from being a specific term describing a specific art to becoming a general term in the vernacular. Happens all the time.


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## Anti-Theory (Aug 19, 2006)

My friends know i'm taking Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu, yet they call it Karate. I've tried correcting them but part of the problem is that they're just too lazy and not cultured enough to understand the huge differences in the styles.


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## stabpunch (Aug 19, 2006)

OnlyAnEgg said:
			
		

> It's like 'Kleenex' for tissues and 'Q-Tips' for cotton swabs and 'Kool-Aid' for sugar water... or 'Human' for my ex-wife.
> 
> Karate went from being a specific term describing a specific art to becoming a general term in the vernacular. Happens all the time.


 
:ultracool That's heaps funny.

I think the media and communications determine much of how we describe things ie. mcdojo.


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## Drac (Aug 19, 2006)

terryl965 said:
			
		

> It has become a general termonology like Kung Fu was in the seventies.
> Terry


 
I hear ya..The guys in the dept will call me the "Karate" expert and I tell them that I don't study Karate but Hapkido, its all the same to them..Its sad really..If I mistook a Sig for a Ruger or a Baretta I'd never hear the end of it...


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## Haze (Sep 2, 2006)

*


			
				trueaspirer said:
			
		


			Why has karate spread to mean all martial arts?
		
Click to expand...


I don't think there is confusion. Just lack of knowledge. Most people do not study any of the Martial arts so why should they know the difference? 

On the other hand I have talked to people that are training in an art and can not tell me what style it is. They just look at me and tell me the school name.

Same with some that use wrong words
Jujitsu / Jujutsu

jitsu     can mean truth, reality, sincerity, fidelity, kindness
jutsu     can mean art, means

That's just the way it is
*


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## chinto (May 27, 2007)

trueaspirer said:


> Why has karate spread to mean all martial arts? Most people, if you ask them, don't know the difference between karate and martial arts. Where did the confusion come from?


 

the media and things like the movies of the Karate kid series.  ( actualy most of them were pretty well done)  but basicly like judo was in say WWII it is a term for martial arts that the public is fumilure with. what the military and OSS and other orginizations tought as hand to hand combat training was usualy mostly taken from jujitsu, but even the military when asked often said it was "judo" becouse of the fact that that term and something of the art had been known of from the late victorian times.

Most of them do not have a clue what karate is as aposed to say hung gar or chou le fut or even say silat. if you showed them one of thoes and asked if it was karate, out of ignorance they would most likely say "yes."

ask the same question in say ohh 1973 or 1974 and they would provably call jujitsu and karate and savate and kali or escrema or what have you  "kung fu" becouse of the TV series that was popular then.


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## Drac (May 28, 2007)

chinto said:


> ask the same question in say ohh 1973 or 1974 and they would provably call jujitsu and karate and savate and kali or escrema or what have you "kung fu" becouse of the TV series that was popular then.


 
There were a number of less than reputable karate dojo's up here during that same time frame that redid their exterior and interios motifs and suddenly became "kung-fu" schools because it was on everybody's...


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## Kacey (May 28, 2007)

If an instructor is teaching as his/her primary source of income, the first concern is getting students in the door and signed up.  For many people, karate is a recognizable term, and they don't know the difference between what they are doing and any other MA until they get far enough into the art they start to begin learning about the differences. 

I started TKD at a YMCA, where the class had been for over 20 years... but the first class in that room was a judo class, the key was on a 2 x 4 with "judo room" written on it in marker, and several of the YMCA employees constantly referred to the TKD class a judo class... even though there hadn't been a judo class in the facility for 10 or more years.  They didn't know the difference, and only cared if someone asked about signing up for the class - then they showed them the catalog and let them read the description for themselves.  I remember on staffer at the YMCA who sent a person to us by mistake, because she didn't know the difference between TKD and yoga, which is the class the woman was looking for.

For that matter, after 20 years in TKD, my mother still calls it karate - because she neither knows nor cares about the differences.


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## Em MacIntosh (Jun 1, 2007)

Pugilism=Fighting with fists
Karate=Empty Hand
Kung Fu=Hard Work
Taekwan=Smash with hands and feet

At the risk of upsetting some of you, they're all the same.  The body can move, E=MC2, and psychology varies.  We started seperating one way of doing things from another and assigned them names.  As the years go by the differences seem further apart but are never further than an open mind.  No matter what you study, when you defend yourself you rely on instinct.


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## chinto (Aug 21, 2007)

Em MacIntosh said:


> Pugilism=Fighting with fists
> Karate=Empty Hand
> Kung Fu=Hard Work
> Taekwan=Smash with hands and feet
> ...


 

yes and no.... but ya after a point there are a limited number of ways to efficently and effectivly use the human body in unamred combat. just as there are a limited number of ways to use say, a staff or cudgle or knife effectively.  sooner or latter you will end up in basicly the same place to a great extent. there will be some differnce in doctorin and aproch, but basicly the same kind of movements and techniques will end up being used in general.


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## FieldDiscipline (Aug 22, 2007)

> It's like 'Kleenex' for tissues and 'Q-Tips' for cotton swabs and 'Kool-Aid' for sugar water... or 'Human' for my ex-wife.
> 
> Karate went from being a specific term describing a specific art to becoming a general term in the vernacular. Happens all the time.



:rofl:



Grenadier said:


> While a lot of people have watched Kung Fu movies and "The Karate Kid" series, the same can NOT be said about movies encompassing other styles, such as the first "*Best of the Best," where Tae Kwon Do was emphasized*, or "Only the Strong," where Capoeira was featured.  Sorry, but those movies only grabbed a small niche crowd, although it was nice to see movies featuring such systems.



And even there they call it the US National *Karate* Team!

Kacey, if it makes you feel any better my father calls it kung fu or karate despite knowing exactly what it is.  This however, is done to annoy me!


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## MBuzzy (Aug 22, 2007)

I have some semblance of an explanation at least for my particular Korean Martial art...

The Chinese characters for Karate, when translated into Korean were pronounced Tang Soo Do.  Now, we also use the same characters for Soo Bahk Do.  The Hangul are completely different and I recognize that both TSD and SBD use the same Chinese characters, but I don't read chinese and am not able to translate it into Korean, so I don't know if this is true or a popular KMA myth.

What I do know is that Tang Soo Do is a generic term for our art, just as Karate can be used as a generic term.  

It will probably change over the next few years again, but it is always good when people are interested in Martial Arts no matter what generic term they choose to use.  Once they get into a school, they'll know the difference.


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## Kacey (Aug 22, 2007)

FieldDiscipline said:


> Kacey, if it makes you feel any better my father calls it kung fu or karate despite knowing exactly what it is.  This however, is done to annoy me!



My mother still calls TKD Karate - even after 20 years - because she can't be bothered to use the correct term.


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## MBuzzy (Aug 22, 2007)

For what its worth, my KOREAN instructor called Tang Soo Do "Korean Karate"


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## chinto (Aug 22, 2007)

MBuzzy said:


> For what its worth, my KOREAN instructor called Tang Soo Do "Korean Karate"


 

I was once told that tang soo do has a very large influince from shotokan karate. shotokan karate was derived and modified from shuri te  as tought by Anku Itosu .. and later known basicly as Kobayashi shorin ryu....  if this is true then "Korean Karate would be to a point accurate as it has a large Okinawan influince and basis with in it.... at least to a point... at least it would be more accurate then say to call kali karate.. as it has no Okinawan direct influince as far as I know....

but Ya I do understand how it would be anoying to have some one call your art by a diferent arts name.  I would not really want what I study called say pankraitian or kung fu or silat or tang soo do.


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## MBuzzy (Aug 22, 2007)

chinto said:


> I was once told that tang soo do has a very large influince from shotokan karate. shotokan karate was derived and modified from shuri te as tought by Anku Itosu .. and later known basicly as Kobayashi shorin ryu.... if this is true then "Korean Karate would be to a point accurate as it has a large Okinawan influince and basis with in it.... at least to a point... at least it would be more accurate then say to call kali karate.. as it has no Okinawan direct influince as far as I know....
> 
> but Ya I do understand how it would be anoying to have some one call your art by a diferent arts name. I would not really want what I study called say pankraitian or kung fu or silat or tang soo do.


 
Exactly, TSD and SBD draw very heavily from Shotokan and Japanese styles.  There is also a Chinese influence in SBD.  

Although there are definately some people in both styles that will strongly DENY that there is any Japanese or Chinese influence...others who are trying to eliminate it - but that's a discussion we've had many times in other threads!!


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## chinto (Aug 23, 2007)

Yep, and there is a chinese influince on Okinawan Karate... as well as perhaps some japanese..  on Okinawan Karate.  But Karate by definition is what the Okinawans made of what they saw and were inflinced by and their own native arts combined that became the Original KARATE.. This of course does not diminsish what others have made with Okinawan and other influinces as far as I am concerned. but I would say if it has a large Okinawan infuince in a martial art it Might be called a Karate... as well as some other name. .... but personaly I would call it by its native and " original/native name" in general.. for instance Tang Soo Do..  or Shotokan...


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