Types of weapons

The weapon the you'll learn first:

-bo(staff)

-hanjo(half of staff)

-sais (electra uses)

-kamas

-tanfa

-nuchaku
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-sword (must take special classes)

and many others!!

How you go to next rank?

When you are white belt you must learn the name of blocks, numbers, kicks, your teachers name, and the name of your school in japanese. Then you must do three katas but this is the only time you have to learn three. Then do 10 good push ups. This is called the Kata test. The second part is fighting everyone non-stop starting from low rank to high 1 min each round.
From yellow to brown two stripes goes the same only difference you learn one kata at a time and not name the blocks, kicks, etc. But when you reach green belt you must learn how to use a weapon first one is the bo. A long stick about your height or a little less.
When you are going to turn to black belt you must do 75 push ups non-stop. Then all the katas four times with hard punches with power. By then you must know at least four weapon but are required to do one. The final test fighting do the same but only 2 min with each person. Remeber they are rested and fully charge with hard kicks and punches. Once you fight with everyone you fight two people at the sametime for 3 min.

Ranks in Belts

When you start karate you begin as white belt! For my style it:
10: white
9: yellow
8: yellow 1 green stripe
7: yellow 2 green stripe
6: green
5: green 1 brown stripe
4: green 2 brown stripe
3: brown
2: brown 1 black stripe
1: brown 2 black stripe
finally black belt!! But after that you go up to grandmaster which takes many years!!

Katas

Katas are punches, kicks, self-defense movements and others that are put together to create a kata.
During competion the judges will judge you on these things.
-stance
-power(in punches and kicks)
-voice projection
-focus
and depending on your belt
-perfect

Areas to hit!!

You can punch or kick.
-stomach
-side of head
-back of head
-must be above the belt
-allowed to hit face (brown and black belt only)

Points for Fighting

When you fight in competiton when fighting they score you by points.
punches = 1 point
kicks= 2 points

History of Karate

Gichin Funakoshi, father of Shotokan karate, is generally credited with having introduced and popularized karate on the main islands of Japan. He was a student of Anko Asato and Anko Itosu, who had worked to introduce karate to the Okinawa Prefectural School System in 1902. He brought Itosu's pinan kata to Japan (as did other of Itosu's students, such as Kenwa Mabuni, founder of Shito-ryu karate). Funakoshi worked specifically to introduce modernizations into karate and to spread it to Japan. However, there were many other Okinawan karateka living and teaching in Japan during this time period. Funakoshi's peers included such notable figures as Kenwa Mabuni, Chojun Miyagi, Motobu Choki, Toyama Kanken, Kanbun Uechi and several others.
The picture is the man who created the style of karate that I am learning and he taught my teacher> He was a very famous man but died of stomach cancer in 1992 his name is Soke Shogo Kuniba. He was 10 degree black belt.