When I think of Karate I have two images: one of a fight (the one that we see at the movies) and the other of the grace and power/control that one witness when watching a Karate-ka (Karate practitioner) performing a Kata (a dance-like routine that Karate-ka practice in training).

There is a huge difference between the two like in Yin and Yang - positive and negative, or black and white.  Karate is only as violent as the instructor teaching it, and I don't believe that you need to be violent to win, or succeed in defending yourself, you just need to learn the right approach in the right situation.   When teaching, I prefer to make the practitioner aware of the natural body weapons that are available to all of us, and that we need to get to know our own potential, using as little energy as possible. That is why I believe that Karate is particularly suited to women, as they learn and perform better than their counterpart.  Women have more co-ordination and memory (which helps when having to perform lengthy combinations and complex routines) and I must add that they have more grace and determination, and they pay more attention to details, which normally are less important for a man, as he relays mostly on pure strength, and less on accuracy.