What is Karate Fitness?

Endurance exercise programs have become prevalent in mainstream society today. These programs include both strength and cardiovascular conditioning. Karate fitness is an endurance exercise program designed to increase strength, endurance and cardiovascular health, while teaching self defense.

Martial arts have been used for centuries throughout Asia and eastern cultures for self defense and health purposes. The martial arts have many styles, including those considered hard styles and others considered soft styles. Karate is a hard style of martial arts, where participants learn striking techniques that could be used both offensively and defensively.

Karate is a form of martial arts that originated in the Japanese Ryukyu Islands. This martial art was introduced into the United States in the late 1960s. Over several decades karate has become a common sports activity, with karate fitness centers located throughout the world.

Fight conditioning is one of the most well-balanced exercise programs available. This type of fitness program forces the individual to become comfortable with managing his own body weight. Karate fitness is a body-weight program that forces high-repetition, low-resistance movements. This type of exercise produces flexibility and a leaner musculature.

Many practitioners believe martial arts is more then exercise, it is a way of life. The benefit of karate fitness is the foundation of self confidence and goal setting. Each student must learn the attributes of patience, discipline and focus. By emphasizing these attributes within the fitness program he can expect to receive results that can last a lifetime.

A martial art workout consists of strength, flexibility, and mental exercises. A typical karate student will exercise a minimum of three days per week with each class lasting between one to two hours. It is not uncommon for a student to perform hundreds of kicks, punches, core exercises, and push ups during a single karate class.

Fight training involves a continual process of overloading the mind and body to the point of exhaustion. This forces the body to adapt to the additional stress and grow both mentally and physically. Karate fitness programs produces a state of physical conditioning that enables Herculean feats to be performed.

Another benefit to the karate fitness program is the increase in balance and coordination. A typical karate exercise program will include speed sparring and jump kicks that force the student to become adapted to a body in flight. This sensory training allows the student to see things in slow motion and perform tasks that seem magical.

A karate master is an individual that has been working with karate fitness for more then a decade. It is not uncommon to see a karate master complete exercises and demonstrations that seem unnatural to the novice. These include breaking boards and center blocks with his bare hands or even catching shooting arrows in flight.