It is perfectly accurate to call Karate a Martial Art.
Martial Arts are defined as the skills used in combat and warfare. While most people think of it as the unarmed skills that are rooted in Asia, they actually include all aspects of armed and un-armed combat regardless of their origins. A sharpshooter with a rifle is practicing a martial art just as a black belt in karate is.
Some schools combine karate, which translates as Empty Hand, with kobudo, which deals with the traditional weapons of Okinawa. Because they feel that martial arts should never involve weapons, they want to say karate is not a martial art.
Still, there are some people that they will teach you martial art, which is nothing else but a pure mixture of different fighting styles. They have tried to change the definition of martial arts and trying to make people think that karate and other such styles are not part of martial arts. This is just another annoying marketing technique.
There is a school of thought that believes that many styles of karate have been turned into sports, eliminating their use in actual combat. In some school, the focus is on competition and winning matches and trophies. Some of these have moved away from true martial arts and are more interested in promoting the sports aspect.
In Japanese 'kara' character can mean 'empty' or China. The word 'te' means 'hand'. The roots of karate are from China, which Okinawa was a tributary of for many centuries.
The masters of karate in Okinawa agreed to use only the 'empty' meaning in the early 20th century. This shows a martial art to defend yourself without the use of any weapon in your hand using punches, kicks, strikes, locks and various self-defense techniques.
Karate.
No, Karate is a martial art
Karate is a martial art. It originated in Okinawa around 200 years ago.
No martial art is the best. Only those who can master it can be better then another person. Even karate history comes from Chinese martial art.
karate, in my opinion
karate
karate.
Karate
Yes
Karate is the martial art whose name means "empty hand" in Japanese.
Hapkido is a Korean Martial Art and Karate is an Okinawan Martial Art. Both involve learning strikes, grappling and throws.
Wushu is the Chinese martial art also known as kung fu and is not karate.Wushu is not Karate. It is more of a sports nature kung fu. Karate orginated in Japan (Okinawa) whereas Wushu is an Chinese martial art.