World Karate Day (K Day)

The mastery of martial arts that athletes demonstrate during competitions allows them to defend themselves and repel an opponent in conflicts that arise outside the ring and on the tatami Each type of martial arts is not only a set of techniques, but also a philosophy of life Japan is considered the spiritual homeland of the most widespread martial arts in the world Judo, sumo, aikido, jiu-jitsu, kendo and karate instill in athletes respect for the enemy, determination and self-confidence, and train not only the body, but also the strength of the spirit One of the oldest self-defense techniques originated on the island of Okinawa in the 15th century Karate, the “way of the empty hand,” is considered the oldest fighting system, which consists of alternating techniques of defense and attack, excluding the use of weapons Punches and kicks are aimed at vital centers on the opponent's body One of the principles of martial arts is hara - the combination of muscle strength with internal energy Athletes sacredly observe the karateka’s code of honor: “Never attack first” Martial art, whose fans live on all continents, teaches endurance and calmness, the ability to control one’s anger and hatred World Karate Day is celebrated on June 17th In honor of the celebration, master classes are organized and national and international competitions of athletes are held Karate is so popular in the world that several holidays are dedicated to it One of them, K-day, is celebrated on October 7th World Karate Day appeared on the calendar in 2012 on the initiative of the World Karate Federation The celebration, celebrated on June 17, is timed to coincide with the inclusion of martial art in the competition program of the 2020 Olympic Games In the homeland of martial arts, World Karate Day is celebrated on October 25 This date was set for him by the Okinawa World Karate Assembly There are several versions of the origin of the ancient martial art According to one of them, karate appeared in Okinawa during the reign of the Ryukyu dynasty Its representatives, King Sho Hashi, and later Xie Shin, introduced a ban on the carrying of weapons by ordinary people to prevent riots Peasants, artisans and fishermen, in the fight against samurai, were forced to resort to self-defense techniques, which became karate Another legend says that martial arts owes its origin to Buddha Gautama himself After achieving enlightenment, he raised disciples until his death, one of whom, Bodhidharma, moved his residence in 520 from India to China In Shaolin, he taught self-defense techniques to the monks, making them resilient, flexible and strong The training was based on the principle of imitating animal behavior and was called “18 movements of the arhat’s hands” From Shaolin, martial art came to Japan, where it acquired national characteristics According to the third version, the samurai, after the defeat of their troops in battles with the Minamoto clan, moved to the 12th century to one of the islands of the Ryukyu archipelago There, in Okinawa, they taught the locals the techniques of martial arts, which today is known as karate Despite the ancient history, the peak of development of martial art occurred in the first third of the twentieth century In the 1920s, Goju-ryu was added to the Shotokan style founded by Gichino Funakoshi In the 1930s, Shityu-ryu appeared, in 1939 - Wado-ryu Karate came to Europe in the mid-50s thanks to the initiative of Japanese masters In the USSR, the first training sessions under the guidance of amateur wrestler Alfat Makashov took place in 1963 Karate training sections began to open in the country However, 20 years later, a decree was issued banning it as an aggressive martial arts, contrary to the peace-loving spirit of the sport of the Land of the Soviets In the 90s, there was a revival of karate in Russia Today, both men and women attend classes to teach this self-defense technique Regardless of the chosen style, martial art instills in athletes respect for elders, self-confidence, and a sense of responsibility for actions and decisions The popularization of martial arts is facilitated by the holding of World Karate Day