When people think of karate they think of flying kicks and little men doing karate chops that cut trees down. They do not know of the other side of karate that helps develop your mind as well as your body. This side of karate offers insights into life, and helps develop you as a person. Karate has more to offer than just the self-defense aspect of it; it's also a means of developing yourself as a person.

When people first started to practice martial arts, it was a way to relax the mind as well as develop self-defense skills. Kung-fu, a form of karate, was started in 520 B.C when a warrior prince named Bodhidharma made the journey from Southern India to China. At the time, Buddhism was in a declining state and wanted to gain followers. Bodhidharma visited the Shaolin temple in the province of Honen where he found the monks there in poor condition physically and mentally. Bodhidarma taught the monks simple movements that would later form the basis of kung-fu.

Martial arts came to other parts of the world through exposure to travelers from these foreign lands. Over the years, the Shaolin temple had been attacked and burned down by the government and others. In the 18th century, stories of the great Shaolin monks' courage and fighting skill started to surface in Japan.

The reason karate has not become a popular sport today is beyond me. On one hand, it is very popular with young children. Their parents often put them in the martial arts at a young age so they can learn to defend themselves, but also to learn the other more important teachings and benefits of karate. Self-confidence and discipline are taught to these students. Along with the self-confidence comes a boost in self-esteem.