Kara-te directly translates to "Empty-hand" and is sometimes commonly referred to as Karate-do, meaning "Empty hand-way". Karate is a traditional Japanese method of self-defence that employs blocks, punches, kicks, strikes, body evasion and occasional throws.
Senior instructors at the JKA HQ in Japan have developed the Dojo Kun, or "Hall Rules" in its english equivalent. These are rules for students to be the best possible person they can be, both within and outside the physical training environment.
"Karate begins and ends with respect". Students learn traditional Japanese etiquette by formal "seiza" sitting position and informal standing positions bows before, during and after classes.
Before he established the JKA, Grandmaster Gichin Funakoshi laid out the Twenty Precepts of Karate, which form the foundations of the art. Within these twenty principles, based heavily on Bushido and Zen, lies the philosophy of the JKA.
