Kuma

Knockdown tournaments are pretty rare in the US, but these links might help you out. http://www.kyokushincanada.com/open_knockdown_kyokushin_karate.htm http://uskyokushin.com/ http://sabaki.enshin.com/

It raises your blood pressure, which can if you already have problems with it. Otherwise, aside from passing out with the weight still on you, there's no real danger.

I think what you're doing now (being proactive rather than reactive) is a good thing. Kudos to you for not taking the role of victim ever again. With that said, I think the main thing to take from that is "Don't get caught surprised." What many MAists fail to realize (I myself didn't for quite some time) that our most important tool is AWARENESS. Yes, we may train that roundhouse kick until we can smash bricks with it, but our best tool in our toolbox is being aware of our surroundings and individuals who stick out. I know it's not always 100% correct to look back at a situation with 20/20 hindsight (i.e. knowing all the facts now when you didn't then), but in this case it might warrant it. When you were leaving work, were you preoccupied with other things on your mind or were you actively watching your surroundings? Did you have your keys already in your hand ready to open your car before you left the building or did you have to fumble around for them in your purse? Did you notice anyone standing by your car who shouldn't have been in the first place? Sometimes being aware is what helps prevent us from getting in those situations in the first place. I'm glad to know you survived and are being proactive, that's very important and definitely a testament to your intestinal fortitude. Much respect in that regards.

True, the body is tough. But when you're striking anatomical weak points that can be potentially deadly in a situation that doesn't warrant it, you're leaving yourself wide open to repercussions. The saying "Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6" is all well and good, but I'd rather have no problems at all due to my actions. There are so many easily accessible targets that can incapacitate someone without risking serious damage. For what it's worth, I did see someone's windpipe get smashed once. During a lacrosse game, we were in a big melee fighting for the ball when somehow the head of one of my teammate's sticks ended up whacking this kid in the throat. I don't remember seeing it, I just remember tons of whistles, people backing off quick, seeing blood coming out of that kid's mouth and someone yelling for the paramedics. From what a friend of mine that attended his school said, he had to have extensive surgery done and could barely speak above a whisper at graduation.

Give this man a cigar.

Definitely arrange time for it, it helps tremendously. I get off of work at 7am, right when my gym opens, so I go directly from work to there. For other workouts, as soon as I wake up during the afternoon, I'll warm up and do my workout. Schedules work best, as well as being consistent and sticking to your goals.

My instructor is in his 50s and can still bang away with the best of them. Granted, we have very small classes, and due to our system kumite is very important so it's definitely out of necessity as well as training. He is definitely good with control, he knows how far to push us, what level we can handle, and when to slow it down a bit. I feel all instructors should to some degree. Granted, allowances can be made once you get older, but still there should be some physical interaction between teacher and student.

So with your adrenaline pumping, your opponent moving aggressively forward to you and throwing combinations of his own, the shock of actually getting attacked, and the fear that you could be seriously hurt....despite all this, you feel you can still elbow the person in a potentially lethal area yet use enough control not to cause serious damage? I wouldn't rely on that.

Not every fight deserves deadly force.

Many good points. I'd just like to add that the heel of the palm is also an excellent striking tool so don't neglect that. That will give you a longer range weapon that you can use to set up your opponent so you can close the distance and use those elbows.

Yuib waza (finger locking) is great stuff in some situations, especially when you're handcuffing someone or want to get someone to stand up in a hurry without straining yourself.

I agree with Mas Oyama in that strength is more important than technique in karate when you're young. As you get older, technique becomes more important.

Thanks and congratulations are in order for all.

The shorter the time on target for a strike, the more "snap" it gets. Since the way you executed your technique should be the most efficient already, it makes sense that it then returns that way to minimize the time on target.

Bulk doesnt always equate to "slow". Exactly. Take a lot at Olympic level sprinters. Some of those guys have very muscular physiques.

There's no such percentage in my state. Proper use of force in self-defense basically boils down to the fact that you just do what you need to do to end the threat and no more.

One of my fellow students was a natural bodybuilder for a long time. Though he hasn't competed for years, he still eats healthy and trains, so he's a good 280 pounds or so. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, but a good tough fighter. Being a bigger fellow, he has a lot more power than most of the others in the dojo so footwork and evasiveness becomes much more important, as well as distance and timing. Spirit is the most important thing though. The courage to keep attacking him, never quitting, and fighting to win.

IMO.... Size is one part of the equation, but certainly a very important part. This is why combat sports have weight classes, and the old adage floats around that says "A heavyweight's jabs feel like a light-heavyweight's knockout punches." There's a few things touched on here though that are good to remember. These aren't a catch-all by any means, but some decent generalities I think. (1) A big guy doesn't necessarily mean a strong guy. Being involved in strength sports, I see this firsthand and see many small guys who are absolute tanks compared to big guys who are as weak as a kitten. (2) Being big doesn't necessarily make you a good fighter. In fact, a lot of big guys I know have never even been in a fight in their lives as who's going to try to fight them? Compare that with a smaller scrappy guy who's been fighting all his life. (3) Just because they're strong doesn't mean they don't have the same weaknesses as us. You will definitely need to pay more attention to where to hit, but stomping on an instep, kicking the shin, hitting the groin, kneeing the common peroneal, punching the solar plexus or liver, slapping the ears, gouging the eyes, and attacking the throat will all still hurt the guy no matter how strong he is. The degree of hurt may vary, but it will make them stand up and take notice. (4) Size and strength doesn't always go hand in hand with the killer instinct. If you are ferocious and can think of nothing but tearing the guy to pieces, and his spirit isn't near where yours is, you can break him mentally. (5) Last but not least, remember that it always doesn't have to be about fighting. De-escalating the situation verbally can work wonders, whether it's in a friendly way or an authoritative way. Your tongue is your first and best defense in most cases. It can also be your worst enemy if you use it incorrectly.

Avoid the sissy handgrips you'll find in a sporting goods store. Most of those go up to maybe 50 pounds tops. The average male has a grip of approximately 110 pounds so you'll want something more than that. I recommend the Captains of Crush grippers. The original five grippers are the Trainer (100 pounds), #1 (140 pounds), #2 (195 pounds), #3 (285 pounds), and #4 (365 pounds). Most will be fine with a Trainer and a #1, a #2 if you get very strong.

I consider "uncomfortable" different from "painful" though. Uncomfortable means I'm aware of it but I can block it out because it doesn't mean anything. Think of it as if you take a light punch from someone in the stomach. You know it hit, but it didn't do anything to hinder you from your own offense. Painful is where it gets recognized as something that is actually injuring you and you can't help but react to it.

Pressure points are just too risky IMO. They're small targets, most require direct pressure so the opponent needs to be controlled in some way, and they're unreliable. There's some pressure points that have no effect on me whatsoever, and then there's one or two that have a good effect. Everyone's different, so what works well on me might not on someone else and vice versa. Now you have the problem of where to attack first. Actually, one of the points you mentioned, the hypoglossal, is one of the ones that doesn't bug me much at all. It's uncomfortable, but not enough to temporarily incapacitate me. Points are tough to rely on.

There's actually two pressure points on the head I've had a fair amount of success with that aren't too difficult to get in a real situation. The other two are the solar plexus and the common peroneal nerve, but I'm not sure if those are "legit" points. The first and most useful for me was the mandibular angle, the tiny space right behind your ear and by the jawbone. It's easy to find and applying some serious pressure can usually get you to have them do what you want. You just need to control the head so it can't move away. I find just ramming a thumb in there works best. The second is the infraorbital, right at the base of the nose. Straighten some fingers out, control his head, and apply pressure upwards at a 45 degree angle and they will feel it. Pressure points are unreliable though, so be ready to escalate if they don't work. I used the mandibular angle on a young guy high on something and, despite screaming bloody murder due to the pressure I was giving him, he still didn't stop resisting arrest. The infraorbital doesn't work well on me as I've had my nose broken before and somehow that affects it. I consider pressure points brownie points if you can get them, but I wouldn't rely on them like I would on a Smith and Wesson.

This sums it up. Even if you have 5 minutes at a time, do some kicks, go over your form (even in your head, if you have to), or stand in a stance. These are simple things, but as time goes by, you'll discover even more things you can do to practice at home....like doing sets of side kicks between paragraphs of the book you are reading, while the wife and baby are sleeping.... Or changing the baby's diaper while in kiba dachi. Saves the back a lot and lets you get some stance work in.

Basically. I work full-time with lots of overtime and court time, am married with a wife and young baby, and still find the time to train. Cut out a lot of the leisure stuff throughout the day and you'd be surprised how much time you actually have.

Depending on the conditions, a guy with a sock full of quarters could beat a guy with a bazooka. There's way too many variables to say one will always or almost always beat the other.