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There are many reasons why an individual might choose to study karate (or any martial art). Here I will cover my reasons, and touch on some that might apply to others.

For me, I began studying karate simply because I thought it would be fun. As it turned out, it is! However, I was also drawn to martial arts for many of the typical reasons. I was interested in learning self-defense techniques. Although I'm a big guy at 6'3", I wanted to learn techniques to improve my chances of surviving attacks with as little damage to myself (and, to a lesser degree, the attacker) as possible. I also felt uncomfortable with the fact that everyone assumes that I'm someone not to be messed with just because I'm big. In reality I've always been very unaggressive physically, and I imagine I would have been pretty useless in a real fight prior to studying karate. I wanted to change that.

Another obvious reason for studying karate is for the exercise. During workouts, you're very physically active, and it's excellent, healthy, aerobic exercise (with a little anaerobic, too). Also, as I think everyone's probably heard, studying karate or a similar art has benefits such as building self-esteem and assertiveness. It's rewarding to see yourself doing things that just a few months earlier you didn't think yourself capable of.

I am also a believer in the old school of karate--that it can be used as a means of perfecting character. This doesn't just happen, however. You have to make the effort to be introspective, and contemplate the philosophy of karate. Many modern practitioners (especially Westerners) say that this is nonsense, that karate is simply a means of fighting and killing (and always has been). Reading the works of the old masters makes it clear that this view is incorrect, and that these people are unenlightened. Sadly, this is true of many karate practitioners today. In his book, Tales of Okinawa's Great Masters, Shoshin Nagamine makes it clear that he believes this failing is due to the commercialization and excessive sport orientation of modern karate. I tend to agree.

I have always been interested in the history of martial arts, and that interest has grown tremendously since I started karate and kobudo. Practicing these arts is a great way to feel connected to the past (and I imagine it would be even more so for those whose ancestry includes a culture involved in creating the style being practiced). I particularly like performing kata, the dance-like formal exercises performed by many martial arts to perfect stances, power, and movements, for this reason. Along the same line, the artistic aspect of karate interested me. It's not just a means of fighting or defending yourself; it's an art form. The term "martial art" is meant to be taken literally--it is the art of fighting.

When it came time to choose a style to study, I decided I wanted one that was more physically aggressive (i.e., a "hard style"). Many softer styles (such as judo and aikido) are supposed to be very effective self-defense techniques with an emphasis on causing less damage to the attacker. However, they just didn't sound as much fun to me. I also wanted a style that would be good in a real-world (or "street") fight. Some styles have many moves developed for specific historical or sport applications that are not terribly practical in modern self-defense.

One thing that I have come to appreciate about the study of karate at a dojo is the social aspect. This did not occur to me when I started, and I'm not much of a socializer, but I've really come to appreciate and enjoy the society of the dojo.

Another thing that often appeals to karateka is competition. There are many tournaments that offer competition in both kata and kumite (free sparring). These allow you to compete with others (sometimes from around the world) from many different styles. I personally have never been a very competitive person, so this particular aspect does nothing for me, but it is, for many, a major part of studying martial arts. Interestingly, though, most of the older Okinawan masters frown(ed) on the competitive aspects of karate. Karate is not meant to be a sport, but a bujutsu (martial art for the purpose of self-defense) and way of life. It was Western thought that injected sport into karate.

Kobudo interested me mainly for fun, as it's rather difficult to say with a straight face that learning how to beat the pulp out of someone with a pair of sai is practical self-defense. However, not only is it fun, but there are practical benefits. First of all, some of the weapons studied are generic enough that they could be a real self-defense tool. A good example is the rokushakubo, which is a 6" staff. Learning how to use this weapon would also give you the ability to defend yourself effectively with any similarly shaped object, such as a big stick you might find while walking through the woods, or a broom handle, etc. Second, practicing with kobudo weapons is excellent exercise for karate. For example, it improves your grip by strengthening your wrists and hands.