Is Karate a sport?

[Wadowaza]

Yesterday I have posted on my Wado-ryu Karate Blog an article about the inclusion of Karate in the Olympics. The World Karate Federation websites, in its news center, onepnly referred to Karate as a "sport". Nothing’s wrong with the Olympics, to me, but, to I have some problems with the word sport when, generally speaking, they use it to define a martial art and, specifically, to mean Karate as WKF website did. What do you think about?

PS: If you want to read my article, you are welcome here: The true Olympics of Karate

 

[Buka38 5]

Welcome to MartialTalk, bro. Hope you enjoy it.

Karate sparring can be used as a sport, heck, anything can, really. Fun sport if you do it well.
Karate itself? Nah. (just my opinion)

 

[Wadowaza]

I think you're right, Buka, but I'm afraid that sport approach will soon overcome Budo approach in Karate too. We risk to lose what actually makes Karate different from Kick boxing or MMA. Just my opinion too.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Karate was a sport invented in the 1800's, and the name caught on, and came to represent all the various kempos.

 

[Wadowaza]

Karate was a sport invented in the 1800's, and the name caught on, and came to represent all the various kempos.

Your point of view is quite interesting, but I doubt Mabuni and Funakoshi had sport stuff in their heads when they "invented" Karate. But actually we can observe that al those disciplines that changed their desinence from "jutsu" to "do" had gradually become competitive sports.

 

[Danny T]

We risk to lose what actually makes Karate different from Kick boxing or MMA. Just my opinion too.

You do know that Kickboxing originated from Karate?

 

[drop bear4]

This is the same as the gay marriage debate.

How someone else defines karate does not affect how you define karate.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Your point of view is quite interesting, but I doubt Mabuni and Funakoshi had sport stuff in their heads when they "invented" Karate. But actually we can observe that al those disciplines that changed their desinence from "jutsu" to "do" had gradually become competitive sports.

It is just a fact. I doubt those guys thought of sport, as well, but calling something Karate does not mean it is a sport, but the word karate is a sport word.

 

[RTKDCMB]

Sport Karate is.

 

[Tez3]

This is the same as the gay marriage debate.

How someone else defines karate does not affect how you define karate.

No, 'gay' marriage has a well and agreed definition. People's opinion on whether it should be legal or not however differ.

 

[Wadowaza]

You do know that Kickboxing originated from Karate?

Maybe it originated from karate and western boxe. I think we may say that. But in my opinion we're missing the point: is a martial art a sport or it is something else?

 

[Touch Of Death]

Maybe it originated from karate and western boxe. I think we may say that. But in my opinion we're missing the point: is a martial art a sport or it is something else?

A sport can be extracted from just about any martial art.

 

[donald1]

Yes and no. IMO; comparing traditional karate and sport karate is like comparing a wolf and a house dog.

 

[Danny T]

Maybe it originated from karate and western boxe. I think we may say that. But in my opinion we're missing the point: is a martial art a sport or it is something else?

Actually the term ‘kickboxing’ was introduced in the 1960s by Japanese fight promoter Osamu Noguchi as a hybrid martial art that he introduced in 1958 where he combined Muay Thai and Karate. Today there are many offshoots of the original Kickboxing in Japan.
As to the term 'Karate'...
Today there are several different definitions for that term.
Karate is a method of training as well as is a catch all term and as such is used to describe a particular type of sport.

 

[Kung Fu Wang167 197]

but I'm afraid that sport approach will soon overcome Budo approach in Karate too.

There are 2 different set of skills that people should train. Skill that can be used in

- sport,
- dealing with unfriendly challengers (black hand).

If you train both set of skills, it doesn't matter whether you train for "sport" or "self-defense", you have covered both areas.

For example, even if striking is not allowed in the wrestling "sport", it doesn't prevent you from training certain skill as showing in the following clip.

 

[JP3]

Pretty much any athletic endeavor can be modified to become a competitive sport. All one need to do is add rules for scoring and a competitive framework, and Wham... you've made a sport. Or a game.

But, Karate itself, originally? Nah... art & science, not sport.

Judo is Sported-up jujitsu, like that (if you are in a competition judo school, rather than in a gentleman's judo program).

 

[PhotonGuy1]

Yesterday I have posted on my Wado-ryu Karate Blog an article about the inclusion of Karate in the Olympics. The World Karate Federation websites, in its news center, onepnly referred to Karate as a "sport". Nothing’s wrong with the Olympics, to me, but, to I have some problems with the word sport when, generally speaking, they use it to define a martial art and, specifically, to mean Karate as WKF website did. What do you think about?

PS: If you want to read my article, you are welcome here: The true Olympics of Karate

Sure Karate is a sport, but it is so much more.

 

[Tez3]

Sure Karate is a sport, but it is so much more.

You know 'karate' is a generic term covering a lot of things, so which karate is a sport? Would you say those styles that train for fighting and self defence are sports, or are those ones that compete full contact sport or only those that do points sparring. What about those that never compete are they sports? Saying karate is a sport is like saying cars are racing cars, clearly some are but most certainly aren't.

 

[Kong Soo Do]

...but I doubt Mabuni and Funakoshi had sport stuff in their heads when they "invented" Karate...

I would go further back to Higaonna and Itosu. Through those two men did all the modern Ryus flow with the exception of Uechi (Kanbun).

Karate, as originally designed was not sport. It can be changed into a sport but that is the key word, 'changed'. Sport can kinda-sorta look like traditional (read self-defense) karate as far as window dressing but the teaching methodology and bunkai is completely removed from each other.

 

[hoshin1600]

Karate was a sport invented in the 1800's, and the name caught on, and came to represent all the various kempos.

It is just a fact. I doubt those guys thought of sport, as well, but calling something Karate does not mean it is a sport, but the word karate is a sport word.

I think your history is a little fuzzy. Can you explain how the word karate is a sport word?

To the OP,
Original okinawan tode is not sport, was not designed to be sport and was not taught that way. It was only after WW11 ,during the American occupation that sport was introduced.