Kyokushin Karate2023-05-23T11:24:20+00:00

Kyokushin Karate

What is Kyokushin Karate?

Karate is a very popular martial art with many styles and forms. Kyokushin stands as one of the most effective. Most people take up karate not knowing why and that’s ok because ‘karate’ means – emptiness. The name ‘karate’ was chosen to convey the ideas of emptiness since students are expected to empty their minds of all thoughts and emotions in order to learn Budo.

Kyokushin Karate is a full contact style of karate known as the strongest style in the World. It was developed by Sosai Masutatsu Oyama in the 1950s. Translated from Japanese, it means “The society of the ultimate truth”. It is considered as one of the most effective forms of karate, placing great emphasis on combat effectiveness. Due to its effectiveness in real combat, over thirty million people all over the World are practising Kyokushin Karate which makes it one of the biggest karate organisations.

Regardless of your reasons, karate Kyokushin will help you become healthier, stronger and a better human being! The Kyokushin karate system is not only based on traditional Karate like Goju Ryu and Shotokan, but also incorporates elements from other combat sports like boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai in its fighting style. The benefits of practising full contact karate are countless. It is a whole-body workout that develops the body and the mind. Karate can help you with your recovery process after an injury or serious illness as it strengthens both body and mind.

History

The history of Kyokushin begins in the 1950s when a famous karateka Mas Oyama decided to design a new style of karate. While most other styles emphasise light contact and focus on the point fighting rules, Oyama had a different concept in mind. His main goal was to create the first full-contact karate system that would be more realistic and effective than other styles.

In 1953, Oyama decided to open his own dojo in Tokyo. He used his dojo to train new instructors and promote his new version of karate. In the following years, his dojo gained a reputation for being one of the hardest schools in Japan. The concept and training methods were physically more demanding and challenging than in any other karate style at the time, and Kyokushin quickly rose to prominence, becoming the most respected style of karate.

Advantages of Kyokushin Karate

Training in Kyokushin karate has many advantages both for overall health and teaching real life self-defence.Sparring is often seen as one of the best training methods for teaching a person how to apply martial art techniques in real combat. With this in mind, our founder put a lot of focus on this aspect of training while designing Kyokushin. What’s more, he went even further by allowing experienced and well-trained students to spar without the gloves or shin pads.

Sparring is a part of training where two students exchange strikes to simulate a real fight. You can’t expect to learn how to stay calm in a fight, judge distance, develop timing, and hit the target without many rounds of sparring. This is why Kyokushin students spend a lot of time doing all types of live drills, and controlled sparring sessions. This is one way participants develop the true “never give up” karate spirit. Because of these realistic training sessions, Kyokushin students know how to punch and kick,  as well as how much force to use without hurting their legs and hands. Their pain tolerance is also much higher simply because their bodies and minds are conditioned to absorb shots. All the skills and techniques you learn in Kyokushin are practical and may help you get out of trouble. This gives them a big advantage in a real fight on the streets. Above all, it will train your mind not to panic, and you’ll develop solid striking techniques, automatic reactions and practical self-defence skills. A side effect of training in Kyokushin karate is that you’ll soon get in the best shape of your life.

Is Kyokushin Karate Effective for Self-Defence?

Because Kyokushin karate teaches you a lot about the physical and mental aspects of real combat it is practical for self-defence. Mas Oyama designed Kyokushin to be more effective in real-life combat than any other style of karate. Each technique you learn works in real life, and may help you defend yourself in the event of real trouble.

When training, students spend a lot of time doing controlled sparring practising real self-defence situations. Sparring trains your mind to stay calm, and it allows you to develop automatic reactions, feeling for distance and timing. You’ll develop solid footwork, kicks and punches, and learn many techniques that are highly effective–notably at close range. These are crucial skills when it comes to any type of real fight situation. 

Today, Kyokushin karate has many organisations and millions of students.

Benefits of Kyokushin Karate

Here are just some of the proven benefits Karate has to offer for kids and adults:

  • better sleep
  • stronger immune system
  • greater strength and flexibility
  • healthier weight
  • self-defence
  • better focus and listening skills
  • self-control and good decision making
  • improved teamwork and positive social interaction (socialising and friendship)
  • balance and posture
  • memorisation and retention skills
  • self-discipline and responsibility
  • physical fitness and healthy living
  • self-esteem and confidence building
  • coordination and motor skills
  • personal attention

Frequently Asked Questions

I have an injury/condition but I want to train. What should I do?2023-04-06T16:57:18+00:00

We strongly recommend that you always consult with a doctor before you resume classes.

Then, make your Sensei aware of any injury/condition you may have. Work with your body, and don’t overdo anything. In some exercises, alternatives can be given to avoid stressing existing injuries. Often, we have injured students coming to watch dojo classes in order to keep their karate spirit alive during recovery.



I’m a woman and want to learn karate & self-defence. Is this for me?2023-04-06T16:57:03+00:00

EMAR Dojo is a great place for women to learn self-defence. We have roughly equal numbers of male and female students, so you won’t feel out of place. On top of that, you may find that you’ve become fitter and more toned after a few weeks training, as karate involves cardio workouts, strength training, and stretching. Karate has all the benefits of working out at the gym, with the added advantage of practical learning. Our women love our Karate classes, and all feel empowered after learning real combat skills.

I train with another club/association/style. Can I train with you, too?2023-04-06T16:56:28+00:00

Absolutely. Our dojo is always open to everyone regardless of your experience, style or association. Remember, new students can join us at any time of the year. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced – coming from another club or style – we welcome you and will do our very best to accommodate you. As long as you’re respectful towards everyone, and do your best at every session, we are happy to have you at our dojo.

We believe in the unification of Karate, and that the spirit of training is paramount. We regularly have the pleasure of receiving guest instructors and athletes from other associations and styles, who actively participate in our classes, and we are grateful for their contribution.



Will I be sparring or undergoing other contact fighting?2023-04-06T16:56:08+00:00

At first, you won’t be performing free sparring. Karate has a sequence to its learning syllabus that has been developed to ensure students are both challenged and kept safe. To this end, we first teach techniques that are arranged into short sequences. This allows you to practise defences and attacks with a partner without the risks involved in free fighting. These sequences grow in complexity as you develop; later there will be chances to practise free sparring.

How fit do I need to be to start training?2023-04-06T16:55:48+00:00

As fit as you are now! One idea of karate training is that whatever level you’re at, you’ll be pushed to go a little bit further than before, which is how your fitness improves. If you aren’t taking any regular physical exercise right now it’s a fantastic idea to start karate lessons as soon as possible. . You’ll find it exhilarating at first and that’s quite normal – most people have a few cobwebs in their system they need to shake off.


You know your level of endurance, and whether you’re exceeding it. The only person who loses out if you don’t try is you. We recommend being willing to give it a try. If you find the exertion too intense at first it’s quite alright to either slow down, or take a few minutes break.

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