Is Karate a Sport?

The most common question I’m asked as a teenager is, “Do you play any sports?” Unfortunately, it’s one of the most difficult questions for me to answer. I think karate shares many of the same aspects as traditional sports, such as games and teamwork, but there are also many differences. I would never tell anyone that I play karate, or that I was going to a karate game - it’s phrased differently than other sports.

Most people would probably consider karate to be a sport, but I think it depends on how loosely the word is used. According to Oxford Languages, a sport is a physical activity where people compete against each other for entertainment. Karate is more than that. While tournaments are fun to watch and compete in, karate is about learning how to defend yourself and grow as a person, not watching fights. I’m not a competitive person, so I probably wouldn’t like karate much if it was all about winning. Kicks and punches are not the only things I learned how to do when I started taking classes. I learned history, parts of the Japanese language, and how to be a good teacher.

I believe karate is not just a sport because it’s an art. Judo, kung fu, taekwondo, ju jitsu, and karate are all classified as martial arts. You can get the same benefits out of karate as any other sport. Making friends, exercising, and learning new skills are parts of the foundation of karate, but it goes beyond that as well. So when I’m asked if I play any sports I say, “No, but I do karate.”