Unlike tae kwon do, karate emphasizes solid footing, and kicking high is generally shunned in favor of punching and striking with the hands while unbalancing with the feet. The tae kwon do uniform is lightweight like the karate uniform, but the jacket does not come open as a karate jacket does. Instead, it has a v-neck, and sometimes the cuffs and edges are trimmed with some color, where the karate uniform is usually stark white with perhaps one plain emblem on the left breast. Tae Kwon Do, or TKD as it is commonly referred to by karate communities, is a Korean art thought to be based upon Japanese karate brought to Korea during the Japanese occupation of Korea during 1910-1945. The motions in tai chi are generally smooth and slow.
Emphasis is placed upon relaxation and maintaining a calm, happy demeanor.
Tai chi routines are quiet and long, and involve many flowing circular actions. Karate, by contrast, utilizes sharp, violent motions. Where Tai Chi is an exercise in relaxed meditative movement, karate is an exercise in violent athleticism. In karate an emphasis is placed on speed and strength, and while relaxation is also important in karate, it must be achieved within the context of quick, vicious movements that are direct and simple. Unlike the Tai Chi search for harmony and peace of mind, karate players, while claiming otherwise, are very competitive people and carry themselves with a certain machismo.