The most practiced karate styles in the world: an overview
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Abstract
Given the growing popularity of Asian martial arts in the West, some Karate styles have reached a considerable number of practitioners around the world. According to Jeremy Lesniak, the eight most practiced Karate styles are Shotokan (20 million practitioners), Kyokushin (12 million), Goju-Ryu (10 million), Shito-Ryu (8 million), Wado-Ryu (7 million), Shorin-Ryu (5 million), Uechi-Ryu (3 million) and Isshin-Ryu (2 million); adding up to a total of approximately 67 million karatekas, which represents more than 10% of the total number of martial arts practitioners in the world (650 million). The aim of the work was to develop a review of the eight most practiced Karate styles in the world; For this purpose, references were consulted and expert judgment was applied, with five martial arts instructors holding the rank of fourth-dan black belt (Yondan) or higher. According to the results, each style has aspects on which it emphasizes, mainly those related to postures, the execution of techniques and their application both in self-defense and in actual combat, closely linked to the philosophy of life. In conclusion, each Karate style provides certain physical and mental benefits to its practitioners.
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