Karate teaches you humble mind, manners

From left are Korean national karate team members Lee Ji-hwan, Cheon Han-na, Jang Min-soo, Shin Su-jung, coach Ahmad Safi, head coach Lee Mal-su, Ahn Tae-eun, Koo Joo-young, Chang So-young and Kim Do-won, at a gym in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. / Photo provided by Lee Mal-su

This is the first in a series of stories that will introduce unique or relatively unknown sports at the Incheon Asian Games. ― ED.

By Baek Byung-yeul

At first glance, karate looks similar to taekwondo. But this sport, which will be featured at the upcoming Incheon Asian Games, is also unique. Ironically, for a competition about fighting, its main focus is attacking an opponent without actually physically harming him.

“Karate is the sport about the humble mind and manners,” Lee Mal-su, head coach of the national team, told The Korea Times. “Knocking down one’s opponent with critical blows is not the ultimate goal of the sport.”

To many that keep up with the martial art, karate is known as the non-lethal combat sport. Karatekas -- the common name given to the competitors of the sport -- are expected to live by that code at all times.

The sport uses a point system which evaluates karatekas’ techniques and skills used to attack an opponent, but they are banned from directly hitting or striking their opponent. For that reason, karatekas wear only the bare minimum in protective gear and armor.

“Some may say this is not a martial art since players are not allowed to strike each other. But this makes karate one of the safest combat sports compared to other fighting events. I can guarantee that audiences will be entertained and excited if they come and watch the competition live,” Lee said.

Although karate has been often featured in many popular action films, the Japanese-based martial art is still unknown to many people as it’s not featured at many international sporting events.

To expand its presence, the World Karate Federation (WKF) has been pushing to include the sport on the core Olympic sports program, but without success. However, the fighting event has been a staple in the Asian Games since 1994. Now, there are 13 gold medals available at the Asiad in the sport.

The sport has two main categories -- “kumite” and “kata.”

Kumite, meaning “grappling hands,” is a sparring event where a competitor’s punches and kicks must land within five centimeters of his or her opponent. Competitions are comprised of one three-minute round, and the winner is determined by a score given by one referee and four judges. The combatants’ scores are based on their effective presentation of techniques and skills.

Kata, on the other hand, is a contest where karatekas demonstrate detailed patterns of movements and various techniques similar to gymnastics.

Korea has not been very successful in the sport since it first started sending athletes to the 2002 Busan Asian Games, as Iran and Japan dominate the karate competitions. The nation’s best showing was three bronze medals at the Guangzhou Aian Games in 2010.

“As there are only a small number of karate athletes here, it is difficult to arrange a match between talented players,” Lee said.

But he is expecting at least two Korean players to make it to the finals at Incheon, with Lee Ji-hwan representing the nation in the men’s 60kg class and Kim Do-won in the men’s 67kg class. They are considered the country’s strongest karate medal contenders.

But Lee said Koreans’ prejudice against the sport is one of the biggest obstacles they face.

“A lot of Koreans say they hate the sport just because it originated from Japan, since there is a lot of bad blood over Japanese colonial rule in the past. But judo was also created in Japan and has become popular here. With this year’s Asiad, I hope many more people can be more open-minded and see karate without prejudice,” he said.