KARATE

With karate set to make its Olympic debut as a demonstrative sport in Tokyo 2020, a local group, the Trinidad and Tobago Karate Federation (TTKF), is calling for unification in the sport.

The art of Karate is a system of combat developed on the island of Okinawa, Japan. The word literally translates to “empty hand way”. This refers to Karate originating as a system of self-defense that relied on the effective use of the unarmed body of the practitioner. This system consisted of techniques of blocking or thwarting an attack and counter-attacking the opponent by punching, striking or kicking. The modern art of Karate has developed out of a thorough organization of these techniques. Karate as a means of self-defense has the oldest history, going back hundreds of years.

It is only in recent years that the techniques which have been handed down were scientifically studied and the principles evolved for making the most effective use of the various moves of the body. Training based on these principles and knowledge of the working of the muscles and the joints and the vital relation between movement and balance enable the modern student of Karate to be prepared, both physically and psychologically, to defend himself successfully against any would-be assailant. Karate may be more popular than judo and taekwondo, but unlike its martial arts cousins, it is not an Olympic sport. The international Federation of KarateIt is bidding for inclusion in for London 2012. The Trinidad and Tobago Karate Union is the affiliate in Trinidad and Tobago.