Anka Itosu who was born in 1831 and died at the age of 84 is often considered to be the grandfather of modern Karate.
He had been taught a form of empty hand fighting by Matsumura from China but then went on to develop this into a different style of fighting, that is now commonly recognised as Karate.
There are several different styles of Karate, and most of these can be found being taught n Dojos in and around Preston with the most widely recognised of these being:- • Budokan a style of martial arts created in 1966 by Chew • Goju-ryu a style originating in rigid systems of the South-Chinese hand • Kyokushinkai a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 Masutatsu Oyama • Shito-ryu a style created in 1965 in Santa Ana, by California by Fumio • Shorin-ryu is an Okinawan hard-fisted system of self-defence.
• Shotokan-ryu is a style of karate, developed by Gichin Funakoshi and son Gigo • Uechi-ryu is a style founded by Kanbun Uechi • Wado-ryu is a style founded by Hironori Ohtsuka.
Karate was developed from home grown fighting methods called Te which when translated literally translates as hand.
Karate is a martial art known as striking and this uses punches, kicks, knee and elbow strikes, along with open-handed techniques such as karate chop (knife hands).
In some styles of karate teaching includes locks, restraints, throws, and vital point strikes.
A karate practitioner is called a karateka.
A place to learn and practice karate is a Dojo.
A karate instructor is called a Sensei, and a student is a Seito while a senior student is a Sempai.
A Karate Master is called a Shihan To find a Karate school (Dojo) in Preston you will find many listed in the Martial Arts section of your Yellow Pages or in the phone book.
Many of the schools advertise in local press and magazines.
You may also do some searching online as there are many Karate associations that list their members.
You will find that the best Karate schools in Preston have their instructors Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checked and this is indeed compulsory where the instruction of minors is conducted.