Karate and Tae Kwon Do: The Differences

Karate and Tae Kwon Do are the martial arts most common in North America. They wear the same type of uniform and belts.

In the islands of Okinawa, Japan Karate was developed with influences from Chinese martial arts. Japanese martial arts are in fact different styles of karate. Karate practitioners are represented by various ranks indicated by a colored belt system. White represents novices and black is for instructor level or higher. When Korea was occupied by Japan it was influenced by Japanese Karate and which is why it is referred to as Korean Karate. Tae Kwon Do Federation and World Tae Kwon Do are the 2 main styles of Tae Kwon Do. To distinguish between the 2 a v-neck top belongs to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Red, Black and blue are the other colors used by Americans in karate and Tae Kwon Do.

In karate arms and hands are used for 60% and 40% for kicking. Tae Kwon Do used 40% for for arms and hands and 60% for kicking and in addition to this there is more emphasis on higher kicks. The forms are generally shorter less complex and use more jumping or flying kicks.

The martial arts tournaments all over the world have separate competitions for karate and Tae Kwon Do. The larger events have separate divisions for Japanese karate and Korean Tae Kwon Do. Because Tae Kwon Do has become an Olympic it has received more publicity. The World Tae Kwon Do Federation uses styles and rules designed for the Olympics. In North America karate and Tae Kwon Do are considered hard style martial arts (the Chinese King Fu are soft styles).

Tips to Improve Flexibility

To improve flexibility in martial arts is to do stretching exercises. The myotatic reflex is what every muscle is subjected to this can be sudden or extreme change. The myotatic reflex will tighten and then attempt to shorten to shorten when a muscle lengthens beyond a certain point. During stretching exercises this the tension you feel.

The myotatic reflex prevents and in some cases strains and tears. Your muscles could overextend and tear easily if it wasn't for the myotatic reflex. The downside to this is that you cannot fully use you body.

When you are stretching the myotatoc reflex your muscles will find a new limit but this must be slow and consistant. it is best to set stretching goals so if you overstretch and injure the muscle you will have to start over at a lower level.


There are three types of stretching:

Static - This is a controlled stretch. A position is held for ten to sixty seconds. This is to extend to feeling slight pain. During this exercise concentrate on relaxing target muscles and breathe deeply.

Dynamic - This is to move the muscle through full movement. This increases flexibility but should be done with caution. Focus on maintaining a correct dynamic stretch, smooth, even movements that do not shock the muscle. Examples of dynamic stretches are knee raises, leg raises, arm circles, and trunk circles.

Ballistic - This is a type of bouncing exercise and is moving pressure to stretch muscles. As this involves the myotatic reflex this can cause muscles to tense rather than relax. There is a high risk of injury to ballistic stretching.


As with any exercise it is best to increase blood supply to improve flexibility. Then move to joint loosening exercises followed by dynamic stretches to the get the muscles moving freely. If you are working only on flexibility, do static stretches next. Do some light static stretches at the end of every workout to relax and refresh your muscles.

What types of martial arts are available?

There are a lots of martial arts to choose from but here are the most common:

• Karate

Karate is definitely one of the most popular Martial Arts worldwide. It was first created to help the user to attack and potentially kill an attacker. These days it is more commonly used as a self defense activity and it is widely learned by all ages.

There are different styles of Karate and all schools may vary in their techniques.

• Judo

Judo is another popular Martial Art and it was first developed in Japan. It is commonly used as a fun, cardiovascular workout which really helps with physical fitness. As with Karate, it is widely used by all age groups and both sexes. The main purpose of Judo however as with all Martial Arts, is for self defense.

• Kendo

Kendo is one of many people's favorite Martial Arts as it mainly focuses on self defense using a sword. It is mainly used by soldiers who need to constantly attack their enemies and it is also used by people who simply want to take part in a fun Martial Art. Obviously for self defense this might not be the best form of Martial Arts which you could take as you are not likely to carry a sword around with you and even if you did you would not be permitted to use it on an unarmed attacker!

• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the best forms of Martial Arts for self defense and it mainly focuses on ground fighting. It has been around for quite a long time but it did not really become very popular until the 1990's. It is ideal for all ages though some may see it as too much for children. It generally teaches you how to use your attackers strength against them.

I have selected the most common martial art forms but most important is to find one for you.

Types Of Martial Arts

My name is Steve G and I have over 20 years martial arts experience, a Blackbelt in Taekwondo, spending 4 months in a maximum security jail when I was 20 and have been a bouncer for 2 years.

I have put this blog together about different types of martial arts and and tips on self defense.