Is Karate a violent sport?

The quick answer is No, the practice of karate is not violent. To answer this question clearly and completely you should understand what violence is.

Violence is not simply the act of hitting. According to the World Health Organization, violence is The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivationincludes physical, sexual and psychological abuse (such as the significant abuse of power arising from a dependent relationship, threats, intimidation and neglect).

In martial arts, this presents some confusion to some since we see two people hitting each other in a sparring match and automatically we think it is violent. Is it violent if they have bruises or minor injuries after a sparring match? There is a predetermined tolerance for pain that both people are prepared to accept before the match. This threshold is known to the individual, but should be somehow communicated to their partner. As time goes on, this threshold increases.

I believe that violence stems from your intention. Is your intention to hurt this person, or is it to mark points, and work on your skill and strategies? When you see that your sparring partner is hurt, do you continue to hit him/her, or do you respond respectfully and back off? The problem sometimes happens when adrenaline changes your state of mind and now your intention changes as well, i.e. to hurt. This is where the lesson of control comes in.

In competition the center referee is challenged with this decision. He/she will stop a fight if they see that one competitor can no longer defend themselves. The referee must be aware of the persons threshold and read signals from that person if they want to continue the fight or quit. If we dont have these rules in place, it is no longer a sport, or a discipline, but a brawl, a street fight.

Karate is used to defend oneself and/or family. We teach respect, control, partnership, and courtesy. Karatekas (karate practitioners) regulate their force based on their partners capacity. This is called mutual respect for your partner and is an important rule in our dojo. Violence occurs when one person intentionally hurts another person who is either not prepared, or strikes without the other persons consent. When adrenaline is high, your control level is low, and intentions change. It is at this moment where a true karateka shines and demonstrates their self control. There are injuries in every sport, but statistically there are fewer injuries in martial arts than any other sport. This is not to put other sports down; it is simply the nature of the sport. Serious injuries such as concussions and brain injuries happen mostly by accident, e.g. head-to-head collisions, falls, being struck by a ball. I cannot vouch for all martial arts, but the nature of our karate style and teaching, prevents accidents from happening. We are actually training in this contact type sport and learn how to prepare our mind to block strikes, and control the force of your attacks.

The bottom line is we teach karate in a safe and interesting manner that does not promote violence.

For more information visit : http://www.karate-tansei.com

Respectfully,
Sensei Luciano
www.karate-tansei.com
Canada