Informative Speech - Karate free essay sample

Good Evening. Tonight I would like you to think of a public place where you feel no one would hurt you and everyone fears God. A place where people pray, worship and celebrate their faith. Is it the church that first came in to your mind? Don’t worry, I will not talk about any religion. I’m here to talk about Learning Martial Arts. You must be asking what does church have to do with martial arts. When I was in highschool back home, I used to go to church everyday to say a little prayer before I attend my first class.Until one day, someone grab my behind. I was in shock I couldn’t move. It was almost 2 decades ago but I can still remember his face. I told myself, I could have done something. I could have somehow defend myself. That was the time I decided to study martial arts. We will write a custom essay sample on Informative Speech Karate or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I took karate lessons in AAK, the Association for the Advancement of Karate-do. At first, my goal was just mainly self defense. That someday if I see this man again, I would punch him in the eye and throw a full roundhouse kick in his â€Å"you know where†.But I was wrong. Self defense is just a part of learning the art. From the word Karate, â€Å"Kara† means empty and â€Å"te† means hand. A fight with an empty hand is a misconception of the true meaning of Karate. Gichin Fonakoshi, the founder of Karate, interpreted the â€Å"kara† to mean â€Å"to purge oneself of selfish and evil thoughts. For only with a clear mind and conscience can the practitioner understand the knowledge which he receives. Funakoshi believed that one should be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle. Only by behaving humbly can one be open to Karates many lessons. † Karate is also a sport. The competition has two disciplines: kumite ; kata. Kumite means sparring. There are two opponents that require body contact or a combination of punches and kicks to get a score. You don’t want to hit your opponent too hard. Because if you did, the score would go to your opponent. Kata on the other hand†¦is a formalized sequence of movements performing a series of punches and kicks in the air. Judges’ scores are based on how good the kata is executed.I have never won the Kata division. But I must say, I got two bronze medals from the sparring competition. The karate belt color – it indicates ones rank and ability. Each step forward represents a further accumulation of skills and knowledge. You start from white, then yellow, orange, green, blue, purple, brown 3rd, brown 2nd, brown 1st, and the highest is black. By the way, I’ve reached brown 1st. I went to college I didn’t have time to practice so I was not able to get the promotion for black belt.There are numerous reasons why people want to learn martial arts. The most common reasons are to protect yourself and loved ones, to stay fit and healthy and to develop a belief in yourself with confidence ; good character. Earning the highest rank and aiming the gold in a competition will just build up as you practice over time. Whatever reasons we have in learning martial arts, we need to keep in mind that Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jujutsu, and the like, are basically an art of self defense, and the best self defense is†¦. avoiding trouble.