"Empty Hand"

Karate is a Martial Art practised widely around the world. As well as teaching students self-defence techniques that have been proven effective against all kinds of attack and assailants, Karate develops a wide range of other personal qualities including self-discipline, patience, confidence, tolerance, leadership and teamwork and of course, physical fitness.

Shotokan karate is a martial art that originated in Japan in the early 1900's. It is a system of blocks and strikes, utilising many parts of the body to defend against and ultimately defeat an opponent. The training structure of Shotokan can seem to rigid and repetitive at first but it is necessary to teach the body what it needs to know and what it has to do before attempting advanced moves. That's not to say that it is boring. A good instructor will try to attain a good balance between teaching and enjoyment for maximum benefit of the students. In fact, the training techniques also teach the student discipline, both in body and in mind. This can be especially beneficial for children who have difficulty concentrating or those who are poorly behaved.
There are three aspects of Shotokan which all need to be learned to fully appreciate the benefits of this martial art. They are:

Kihon - this is roughly translated to mean 'Basics'. These are the techniques and movements that build your foundation of Shotokan. These will teach your body what it is supposed to do as well as familiarise yourself with the various blocks and strikes used.
Kata - this is a predetermined sequence of movements and could be likened to shadow boxing, where you practise fighting techniques by yourself.
Kumite - this is fighting. Starting at a basic level where attacks and blocks are predetermined moving to an advanced stage where both students try to attack and defend as they wish.

With regular attendance (preferably twice a week) a student can expect to grade every 3 months. Gradings require students to show to the examiners that they have learnt the required techniques for kihon, kata and kumite and have advanced in skill level and knowledge necessary to achieve the next grade. There are ten grades between white and black belts and are segregated into belt colours:

White
Orange
Red
Yellow
Green
Purple
Purple with white stripe
Brown
Brown with 1 white stripe
Brown with 2 white stripes
Black

A dedicated student is able to grade for Black Belt in approximately 3 to 4 years.