10 Basics of Karate

Total 360 karate September 2025 blog

10 basics of karate 

Welcome to the 2025 Total 360 Karate blog.  In this blog, we will discuss the 10 basics of karate. 

1. Stance- nothing matters if we can get our feet under us.  Stances give us balance to absorb and give back power.  Dachi- builds a fundamental way for the body to be most functional.  

2. Focus- “Your focus needs more focus”.  Staying present in what you are doing goes well beyond the dojo.  Learning helps you with other sports, jobs, and relationships. 

3. Confidence is key to being successful.   Karate teaches you one thing, then another, and over time, you realize, "I am learning and can do it".  A key ingredient in life. 

4. Kata is karate, secretly learning movements that become a part of your life.  Kata is the transmission of knowledge; knowledge is the transmission of kata. 

5. Basics- mirror our life. Learning how to do the basics over and over again so they become habits and you unconsciously have them programmed in your head.  This is what saves you when you have to use your karate. 

6. Respect is one of the key elements of karate.  It doesn’t matter what rank someone is; they can teach you something if you listen. 

7. Karate- means empty hand fighting, teaches you the principles of how to protect yourself without weapons through hidden techniques in katas and basics. 

8. Kuro obi- a black belt is not just a belt but a way of life that means you have committed to the traditions, values, and respect of all previous black belts. 

9. Japan is the home of modern-day karate, but remember, it was built on the Okinawan islands.

10. When karate is used, it is for protecting yourself or others. 

Tomorrow’s karate is shaped by today’s students who understand what karate is, the history, and the lifetime of studying it takes.  Bring karate back to the roots and learn the way it was meant to be taught.