To help get this blog started I'll try to start with an easy way to frame Martial Arts for people that are new or out of touch.  Martial Arts is not just the physical skill that many obtain, but the mental point of view and all around good character that most styles support.  Below are the five tenets of Taekwondo, as you see the reflect the "whole person" concept rather well.

Five Tenets of Taekwondo:

I. Courtesy 

            A. Honor, respect, loyalty

                 1.  Loyalty to country

                 2.  Fidelity to parents

                 3.  Marital fidelity

                 4.  Brotherhood

                 5.  Friendship

                 6.  Respect for elders

                 7.  Respect for teachers

                 8.  Avoid killing living things

II. Integrity:

                      A. Honor, respect, and loyalty within yourself. i.e. Man vs. Himself

                 1.  To know the truth

                 2.  To demonstrate humbleness

                 3.  To show true honesty from the heart

                 4.  To maintain a clear and clean conscience

                 5.  To know what is right from wrong

                 6.  To practice humanity with ultimate morality

                 7.  To live by a code of moral ethics

III. Perseverance:

                 A. Patience, determination, persistence

                            1.   To always finish what you have started

2.    Responsibility and freedom makes a man

3.   To understand your limits and learn to conquer those limitations within

    IV. Self-Control:

                        A. Patience, dignity, discipline, balance, will

                   1.  To develop the ability to overcome one’s anger

                   2.  To be able to control one’s own conscience and the sub-conscience

                   3.  To be able to understand oneself

                                 a. in order to reach this level of Oneself, it is necessary to understand the separate entity of one’s physical existance and its soul.

V. Indomitable Spirit:

                        A. Courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self-control

1.    To maintain a strong inner strength which is the key to valor that makes

      Man brave

                   2.   To never let your spirit and soul die after defeat, even after death

Not all inclusive, but  a quick look at different styles

Japan and Okinawa developed their own form of Karate, with some changes being made from one instructor to another. Some styles have even been developed in the United States.

Originally Karate got its start in China, in the 16th century but the development of Karate started when Okinawan travelers began visiting China and were so enthused with this ancient style of fighting, that they learned the techniques and once they became masters of the Chinese Martial Arts, and in the 20th century these travelers went back to Japan and began teaching Karate to the solders, using the styles that they had learned and also made some changes of their own.

Today there are hundreds of different types all throughout the world. Karate is not just restricted to Oriental fighting techniques, in France, there is a form called, Savate, this style was first used in Marseille, and is a method of using kicks. Savate uses the feet and legs for both striking and blocking. It has become a form of today’s kickboxing.

Krav Maga is a method of self-defense that was developed in Israel, and practiced by the entire Israeli Army; it has become quite popular in the United States.

1,000 years ago, India developed a form of Karate, called Pentjak Silat, which used forms of martial arts mixed with some mystic powers, magic, and healing. Pentjak Silat has now spread the Indonesian Islands.

Sambo is an ancient Russian self-defense art. It is used with the Russian Elite Special Forces, and consists of many striking, kicking and defense.

Sumo dates back to the 8th century and originally was held as ceremonies in the Imperial Court. It used the techniques of both boxing and wrestling. The competitors usually weight 100’s of pounds (kg), but as time passed throughout the centuries, it has become a very popular sport in Japan.

Today many styles of Karate have adapted the belt system as a means of accomplishments for their students; however, the belt color system varies from school to school. The ranks have always started at 10 (being a white belt beginner), and ended at 1, and the Black Belts started at rank 1 and went to 10. Some schools now start their students from rank 10, which is considered a white belt beginner, and go to rank one, which enables the students to reach an extra grade. The grading of the belt colors starts at white, the beginner, and develops to yellow, orange, green, blue, brown, and black.

I hope this study of the different styles of Karate have helped people understand that there are many forms of Karate, and the ones that have been mentioned are not even the deadliest ones.