In USK Long Beach, we focus on enriching our students life's by building Confidence, Discipline, Responsibility, and Respect, which can be reflected in their daily life's.  Here we work as a team working together to achieve success.  USK is not only a school, nor a program.  Its like a second family in which we will do the best we can do help one another in any way possible.







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Karate originated in Okinawa, the largest of the small Ryukyu islands south of Japan.  Although the exact origin of karate is unknown, it may be agreed that karate is the result of the evolution of fighting arts such as Ti and Shaolin Chuan-Fa also known as Kung-fu. 

The fighting arts known as Ti which meant "hand" in the Okinawan language, later became known as To-di or To-de, meaning "China Hand" due to Chinese influence on Ti. Eventually, "Kara" which was an alternate pronunciation of the character "China", replaced "To", and "Te" which was Japanese for "hand" replaced “Ti”.

China Hand was now known as Kara-Te.  But lastly the national organization established to preserve, license and regulate martial arts in Japan changed the character from Kara meaning "China" to Kara meaning "Empty".  Therefore, Karate became the method of the Empty Hand.