h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have heard that karate places more emphasis on physical strength than other martial arts (e.g. tae kwan do) and that therefore women tend not to succeed at the artform - is this true? Can women be effective karate fighters/competitors, or is this usually a male-only pursuit?

Very informative entry, white rabbit

Snaf

Not really. The training is rather rigorous, which does discourage some women, however the sparring and kata leave little to strength.

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Patron Saint of Brevity

Karate places emphasis on speed and stealth, the ability so surprise. Big bulky men tend to be ill-suited, whereas people light on their feet are much more deadly. Women tend to be more supple than men,meaning they find it easier to do those higher kicks which a majority of men find painful to achieve. In my class the male-female ratio is equal.

Im My karate class there were twice as many women as men. Their general level of fitness was higher than the mens and their inherent suppleness made it easier for them to perform many more of the moves.
In fact it makes almost no difference whether your strikes are as powerfull as a mans since we're not actually out to kill people. Or are we?
I have found that the emphasis in karate is placed as much on attack as defense, indeed I would hesitate to call it a form of self defense.
It seems to have been designed for short legged japanese farmers, bereft of weapons, to march on larger, better equipped opponents.

From personal experience, I can tell you that karate really is not always focusing on physical strength in particular, but rather one's ability to use their finely tuned reflexes, their mind, fighting spirit, and body mechanics against an opponent. A lot of the time in my karate school you will hear about "Mind, Body and Spirit" (I would be willing to assume that this goes for many dojos). Regardless if you are male or female, if you are lacking one of these essential components, you will not succeed in karate. You must condition your mind as well as your body, and have the appropriate strong-willed spirit to match. All these things can be honed equally by both men and women with the right amount of time and a lot of hard work.
Yet, if you are speaking strictly in the physical sense, I do think that sometimes females are downplayed a bit more, but from my experience this is mostly found in the children (because of their parents preconceived notions), not the studying adults.

My Sen-sei trained a girl who subsequently went on to be the European champion in her age-group/category. I think she still is. Goes to show that women in karate are just as good.

There are certainly plenty of women at my karate club, many of whom can happily wipe the floor with me Several are black belts, including one instructor. I've seen a couple of them in action in competition, and often they make up for in speed and agility what they lack in raw power. This is often the same with the smaller guys.

You may find that one or other style of karate is more suited to you in general, or to women in particular. Shotokan is commonly known as a very "strong" style, whereas Wado-Ryu is a "softer" style, more about deflection and redirection of your opponent's power than meeting it head-on, so may be better for women. But I'm a bloke who's only tried one style, so don't take my advice as gospel!

Matt