ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications

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Culture Capsules: People, Places, and Processes  Rena Miyagi and Suhail Al Khaili

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Karate in Japan

Rena Miyagi

Karate is a sport, which is a Japanese martial art. Chinese kung fu was the foundation for Okinawan martial arts from which Okinawan people made their own form of karate. After that it spread to mainland of Japan and they made their own karate based on it. Nowadays, there are several different styles, but most players use a similar form of kick and punch. Karate is for exercise, self-control or self-defense¹, but not for fighting or showing off. As a sport or self-defense, many women² learn karate today. You can also improve your body power and mental power as you learn more and more.

Karate tournament participants are separated by age, rank, and weight classes. There are two types of matches. One is called sparring match (kumite). A judge decides the winner and the players can get points when their punch or kick succeeds, but they are not allowed to deal a blow. This came from the Japanese myths which say that the techniques of karate have a strong power that can give terrible damage, which means a blow can kill someone. The match is over when one person gets 6 points first. The other kind of match is form competition (kata). One person or group shows their performance of their form (kata). They can win when they get higher points than their opponents. The score depends on the precision of their form, skill, and how fast and strongly they can act.

To understand karate, you should know about the basic karate techniques. We always hear yelling³ when people do karate. Players use it at the beginning of the match, after a recess, or when they want to energize themselves and keep going. Spirited yelling tells how much energy players have to compete during the match. It means that they can also cause damage to the opponent spiritually with yelling. Yelling represents the players' mental and physical power; therefore, it must be a part of their technique. Punch, kick⁴, sweep, and throw⁵ are the basic forms of karate. When players use these offenses, they must do it quickly and strongly because if it is not so, the opponent will defend their attack.

In karate, there are three different kinds of belts, which are white, brown, and black belt. Each belt is given only to people who pass an examination. A white belt shows beginner's level, and they are required only to use appropriate form. A brown belt shows middle level, and they are required to reveal strong performance and advanced technique. A black belt shows a professional level, and they are required to show more professional technical skills. In karate, players wear uniforms, which are called "karate-gi". Most of them have a white color and they don't wear socks or shoes during karate.

Many people who live in Japan think karate is a good way of self-control or just for exercise. Everyone, even children, can practice it. If you keep learning karate, you can be a strong person, both mentally and physically.

1. http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/japan/e/q3.html

2. http://www.jkaboston.com/

3. http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb/japan/e/q3.html

4. http://www.kwanmukan.com/fotos/anderson.karate.action.html

5. http://www.kwanmukan.com/fotos/anderson.karate.action.html

Camel racing is one of the most interesting traditional sports in the United Arab Emirates. Camel racing has been a famous sport in the UAE for a long time. Races are held in the winter months from October to April. Camel racing usually is held in early morning or early afternoon on Thursdays and Fridays and on national holidays. There is a camel racing festival at Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi that attracts entrants from all over the world, and Nad Al Shiba in Dubai, too.

Out side of the Arabs countries, there are other countries that have camel racing, such as Australia. In Sydney there is the Shiekh Zayed's President Cup. It was established in September, 1999. These races were established to show other cultures the UAE traditional sport. It has become a very popular event in Australia. Sydney is always very crowded when the camel racing festival is held. Other camel races have been started both in Germany and in England, beginning in summer, 2000. This shows that camel racing has become popular throughout the world, and it gets a lot of people's attention.

There are many famous names¹ in the camel-racing world in the UAE, those who are professional in this field and who have a lot of experience in training such as Shiekh Zayed, Shiekh Mohammed ben Rashid, and local people as well. Those names are very popular in the racing world in the UAE and they bring attention to the camel racing by giving large prizes.

There are many steps to get camels ready for racing. The first step is the camel's diet. The diet has to have oats, bran, dates,honey, and cow's milk. The second step in that you have to warm the camel up the day before the race by putting a blanket on the camel, but without exercising it. The last step is taking the camels to the race. They transport camels by truck if it's far from the racetrack or walk camels if it's close to the racetrack.

Finally, the big local companies in the UAE give prizes for just the first ten winners, such as cars and money in the main races like Al Wathb, Ned Al Shiba in the camel racing festival, and on National days. These prizes include luxurious cars for the winner. The other places get money, starting from 1000 DH to 10,000 DH (Dirhams). In dollars it will be from $275 to $2725.

1 http://www.ecssr.ac.ae/Land/camels.html

Japan and the United Arab Emirates have many differences in culture and different languages, but there are also some similarities in those two countries. Karate in Japan and camel racing in the U.A.E. are examples of traditional sports in each country.

There are some similarities between Japanese karate and the United Arab Emirates' camel racing. The first similarity is both of them are traditional and competitive sports. The second similarity is participants in karate and the camel racing need to wear a uniform, which is special for these sports. Karate competitions are separated by age, rank, and weight and camel racing is also separated according to the age and weight of the rider. The last similarity is that both sports are very popular in many countries.

On the other hand, there are many differences between karate and camel racing. The first difference is karate is an inside sport, but camel racing is held outside. The second difference is karate winners don't usually get prizes, but the first ten winners in a camel race can get prizes. The third difference is that karate is designed for improving participants' physical and mental health, but camel racing is just for people's pleasure. The fourth difference is that everyone can participate in karate, but only children can ride the camel because riders must be very light. Finally, karate take places anywhere, but camel racing requires specific places, such as the desert or other wide-open environment.

In conclusion, each country has its own traditional sports and they have some similarities and differences between them. Karate and camel racing are very interesting sports, and spectators enjoy themselves through these sports in many places around the world.

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