'A soul in it': Japanese judogi firm weaving its trade

Can judo and karate be called ''martial arts''? I call them ''fighting arts''.

Jacobo

jacobo . yes, they can

Judo and karate are sports, sporting “arts”. No practical application at all, unless of course your attacker is wearing the same uniform and you ask them to “grab my collar... with your right hand..... no YOUR right hand...”

Vince Black, I can't say much about Judo, but Karate is highly practical if taught as such. It's all up to the teacher - if you only train for tournaments, that's what you'll be good at. If you train for self defense with a teacher that understands this specialization, you'll get good at that. The style isn't really that important, but the teacher is critical.