Martial Art Basics

At 5 Elements Martial Arts we teach mixed martial arts. This form of martial art is rapidly gaining in popularity and proving to be very successful in competitve situations.

Mixed martial arts is a blend of Tae Kwon Do and Karate that combines the strengths of both martial art forms providing greater enjoyment of the sport as well as enabling you to respond to any situation with strength and confidence.

Karate

The origins of Karate lie in Okinawa, now a part of Japan. Karate is a mixture of indigenous Okinawan fighting arts and empty-handed Chinese fighting arts. The latter having been brought to Okinawa by political envoys, merchants and sailors to and from the Fujian Province.

Karate focuses on the upper body and is primarily a defensive martial art form.

The word Karate initially comes from the Okinawan pronunciation of the Chinese characters kara, referring to China itself from the Chinese Tang dynasty and te meaning hand. The meaning Chinese hand or Tang hand, Chinese fist or Chinese techniques, reflected the documented Chinese influence on some branches of the art. The word Karate also means open hand so that is why Karate is often called art of the open hand.

Tae Kwon Do

Tae Kwon Do (also spelled Taekwondo, Taekwon-do or Taegwondo) is a martial art originating in Korea. An amalgamation of Chinese, Japanese and traditional Korean fighting styles Tae Kwon Do has become the world's most commonly practiced martial art and is the national sport of Korea.

Tae Kwon Do focuses on the lower body and is primarily an offensive martial art form.

In Korean tae means to kick or destroy with the foot; kwon means fist; and do means way or art. Hence, Tae Kwon Do is loosely translated as the art of hand and foot or the way of the foot and the fist.