Lower block outside (gedan barai) The Karate technique Gedan Barai is a lower block used for blocking both strikes and kicks. It is one of the first basic blocks taught to a new Karate student. The video clip shows Sensei Terry Lyon (5th Dan) performing lower block. Please note: The starting position of the arms depends on […]

How to learn karate - online video tutorial
Learning karate like a new language
When you learn Karate, you are first introduced to individual techniques, such as single blocks and strikes. If we compare learning Karate to learning a new language, you can think of these like the letters of the alphabet. Several techniques strung together […]

How to tie a karate belt - step by step guide Here's our step by step guide how to tie a Karate belt. Or any other belt if you're into martial arts! In case you find the photos and the description not clear enough, we also have this belt tying tutorial as a video clip! Thanks to our [...]

How to tie a Karate Belt - Video Clip / Quicktime movie Welcome to our instructional video clip on how to tie a Karate belt! Knowing how to tie a Karate Belt is the first thing an aspiring Karate student should learn. We also have a step-by-step photo guide of the very same tie-karate-belt-movie. Many Karate instructors [...]

History of the Karate Belt Colors Japanese Judo was the first martial art to introduce the colored belt ranking system as a visible indication of the students’ progress. The colored belt ranking system soon was adapted for Karate, and was first used by Sensei Gichin Funakoshi and his Shotokan Karate schools. Click here to learn […]

The Karate Belt - Length and Width How long and wide is a Karate belt? Karate belts are typically 1.5 inches (slightly less than 4 centimeters) wide and about 100 inches (2.56 meters) long. Your first belt is white and usually comes with the Karate Gi (Karate Uniform) that you purchased. An interesting tidbit is that […]

How to tie a Karate Belt
The Karate Belt Tie

Knowing how to tie a Karate Belt is the first thing an aspiring Karate student should learn. Our photo tutorial will show you in steps how to do it. We also have a video clip prepared.

Click here for our Step-by-Step Photo Guide on How to tie a […]

Karate uniforms, sit-ups and sore butts
Canvas uniforms, particularly the very heavy expensive ones, have a very large seam which runs down the middle of the pants where the material has been folded several times and stitched together. This seam will sit right in the middle of your back side.
Problem: When doing high repetitions of […]

The Karate Gi Sparring Trick
A trick that is occasionally observed in Karate sparring tournaments (Kumite) is to remove the ties on both sides of the Karate jacket which normally stop the jacket from coming open. The advantage of removing the ties is that if the opponent grabs your jacket (which usually signals impeding bodily harm […]

Karate Uniform Care: Washing Tips The incredible shrinking Gi Most Karate uniforms will shrink considerably when washed in hot water, especially those made from all cotton. Although the initial shrinking during the first wash/dry cycle is by far the greatest, it is in general recommended to wash your uniform in cold water as this greatly reduces the […]