difference between Karate and Chinese martial arts

minaziax · White Belt

What is the difference between Karate and Chinese martial arts forms and techniques? Every time I watch someone perform a karate kata, I can't help but notice that it looks different from watching Chinese martial arts. What is it that I'm seeing that is different?
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Harkon72 · Black Belt

While there is a vast amount in common, various styles and schools of martial arts are at different time places in their development and philosophy. Some styles of Kung Fu are ancient, others have development trees and families that are modern and not so traditional. Some styles have been devised for different uses, in different environments by different types of people. Some are for the battlefield, others for law enforcement and still others promote health and maybe spiritual growth. Karate was initially a peasant art, designed for protection without the cost of metal weapons and for using the empty hand. It developed into a way of developing fitness and strength of character, then a sport for some but still with the spirit of the warrior for others. Each martial artist practices for a different reason, each style unique within each school. I see my Budo or Martial Way as a journey, enjoying a good life.
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JusticeZero · Black Belt

The mechanics of Karate are also noticeably different from the mechanics of Gongfu. Makes for different tactics.
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"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." - Baleia

lowereastside · Orange Belt

Hmmm - It depends on what style of Karate and Kung Fu we are looking at.
Some Karate styles such as Okinawan Goju-ryu - Uechi-ryu - Shorin-ryu - Tomari-ryu are closer or have more in common with Kung Fu than other styles of Karate.

The differences IMO is not so much in the Techniques......It is in the Generation of Power - the Body Work - the Flow - the Concepts........- Lets not forget the Cultural aspect.........

xo-karate · Purple Belt

Karate has hundreds of styles and Kung Fu even more.

My understanding is that kung fu might have larger round movements and lot of different weapons - it's more flashy.

(It migh also be smaller techniques like Wing Chun?)

JusticeZero · Black Belt

Both Gongfu and Karate have a lot of exotic weapons, but they came from different sources internally.

Gongfu tends to focus on relaxed power and building skeletal structure inside of the target to an extent much greater than Karate.

Karate schools seem to come up onto the ball of the foot, then focus a lot on breathing and kiai and such, where Gongfu schools are more likely to tell you to drive the back heel firmly onto the ground as you do the technique for power.

It's not the same power.
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"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." - Baleia

clfsean · Yellow Belt

Differences vs similarities... skip differences. That's far to easy & simplistic. Look to what's similar & you can see what the Chinese taught, what the Okinawans adapted & changed & then what is totally Okinawan.

Uechi-ryu is the closest I've come across to what's taught in China. Specifically from the Fujian province & area.

Goju-ryu to me has the best interpretation & blending of China & Okinawa.

kensei · Orange Belt

First off let me dispell a few myths here.....go look at the MEN that we KNOW created Karate...not a single peasent among them! Karate was a created by a cultural exchange of military and governement officials (read somewhat and very wealthy) people. The Peasants were far to busy trying to farm, fish and earn a living.

The old myth that some poor village farmers knew or developed Karate is marketing myth and fake!

Now, like most people here I have to say that it all depends on what styles of Karate and kung fu you are looking at. If you take say Hung gar and Uechi Ryu...in a lot of ways they may look similar.....but say Tai Chi and Shotokan/Kyokushin...yah yards of difference.

You have to review the TRUE history of the different arts to really get a feel for the differnt roots and then look at them for the difference in mechanics to get a proper view of the similarities and differences.
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clfsean · Yellow Belt

Here... try this... visual aid for comparing similarities rather than obvious differences...

Sanchin anybody???

http://youtu.be/mWh-uhw4C9s
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Again sifu? Yes sifu!

sensei8 · KF Sensei

For what it's worth...

Karate is like a iron chain and it goes "wang". Gung-Fu is like a iron chain with a bar attached to it and it goes "wang"...and it hurts.~Bruce Lee

I don't agree with this totally because, first, I'm a karateka, and I believe that karate goes "wang"...and it hurts...too! I'm sure that Gung-Fu hurts too, and I'm sure that many other styles of the MA goes "wang"...and they hurt too.

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

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