The two most common martial arts practiced in North America are karate and tae kwon do. Many wonder what the difference between these two styles is. This is especially the case for those who are just starting to look around for a studio. After all, most practitioners in both disciplines seem to wear the same type of white gi uniforms with various colored belts.

Modern traditional karate was developed in the islands of Okinawa in Japan after some influences from Chinese martial arts. There are actually different styles of karate but they are all commonly considered as Japanese styles today. The colored belt system was developed to show the various ranks of karate practitioners with white depicting novices and black belts (with various degrees) representing instructor levels and higher. There is a whole range of other different colors in between. Modern tae kwon do was developed in Korea after much influence from Japanese karate during the occupation by Japan. Indeed, tae kwon do is sometimes referred to as Korean karate. The Koreans adopted similar white uniforms along with a colored belt ranking system for tae kwon do.

It can be generalized that in karate, one would use their arms or hands for 60% of the time for strikes or blocks while the use of legs for kicking will be about 40%. This breakdown is seen in the many forms or katas of karate which are set routines which simulate fighting against imaginary opponents using martial arts techniques. The forms from tae kwon do would have the opposite percentage breakdown with 40% hands and 60% legs. There is also more emphasis on higher kicks to the head level than in karate. Practitioners also utilize more jumping or flying kicks where one is airborne while executing kicking techniques. The Korean forms or patterns are generally a bit shorter and less complex than the karate forms. Some tae kwon do schools have been known to use the odd karate form in its curriculum as well.

In North America as well as other parts of the world, there are separate traditional competitions for karate and tae kwon do. However, the open martial arts tournaments in North America often have competitors from both disciplines competing together. Some of the larger open martial arts competition events will have separate forms divisions for Japanese and Korean style competitors but the fighting or sparring divisions will usually be combined. Many black belts end up studying both styles. Tae kwon do has received more publicity in recent years since its introduction as an Olympic sport. The style and rules used for the Olympic version fighting comes from the World Federation (WTF). Both karate and tae kwon do are considered as hard style martial arts in North America today (as opposed to soft styles such as the many versions of Chinese kung fu).

Sumo wrestlers are fighters who don’t posses muscular physiques and do not practice a regular athlete’s training routine. All sumo wrestlers maintain their weight to be as possibly heavy as they can, making people wonder what could have made them fast with that kind of weight on them. The answer to that is their way of training and their unique fight diet. Gaining weight is very important for a sumo wrestler. They treat weight gain as part of their training for there are no weight divisions or weight limits in this sport. They can basically be as heavy as they want them to be. Actually, a Sumo wrestler’s daily calorie intake can reach as much as 8,000 kilo calories which is more than twice the calorie intake of an average male.

These kind of fighters starts their day at around 5:00 in the morning going directly to the place wherein they start they training with an empty stomach. They believe that strenuous training with an empty stomach is an advantage in the effort of gaining weight. It helps slow down the body’s metabolism making it more difficult to burn calories.

Around 11:00 in the morning, fighters take in their first meal of the day. For an average person, you can call it a feast for they are served with many different meats, vegetables and fish. It is a pretty big meal for they must eat and eat for them to gain weight. They call this meal a “Chankonabe” and practically, anything can go into chankonabe. This meal is very rich in protein and served with other side dishes. By not eating overnight and doing training first thing in the morning, a Sumo wrestler’s body is turned in to a fat storing mode. They can basically eat anything and everything what is served infront of them. Sumo wrestlers sit forming a circle while they eat 5 kilos of meat and a minimum of ten bowls of rice in one sitting.

Right after a heavy meal, they are instructed to go directly back to their bedrooms to take a long nap. By doing this, it helps sumo wrestlers to effectively gain weight faster as all the foods are being stored as fat in their body.

Around 6:00 to 7:00 in the evening, these fighters would come back to the dining table – yes, for dinner. One may say that such fight diet regimen and habits are unhealthy. It may be true as Sumo wrestlers usually die at an earlier age as compared with an average adult male. Obesity is a risk factor for different ailments, diseases and complications that can wear out body.

Though it has not been proven scientifically why such fighters die early, they still live on what they believe, continuing the tradition that is being passed on from generations to generations. Sumo wrestlers believe that these are the methods, the fight diet and habits that they need to follow to become great fighters.