RW

I come from a karate background but I am transitioning to Muay Thai. I am not quitting karate just yet. I've noticed that Muay Thai's sparring is much more realistic (and has actual contact!), but if you're sparring confined to a karate ruleset (emphasis on speed, not full contact) Muay Thai's shorter distance moves and more committed strikes seem to be outpaced and too close distance/too slow? is this your experience?

congrats!

I have been practicing karate in one way or the other for 10 years. The one thing that instructors and other students always complimented was... my kicks. I am transitioning to Muay Thai and turns out my kicks don't transition to Muay Thai (e.g. the teep is actually much different from the mae geri/front kick, and the muay thai roundhouse looks the same as the karate mawashi geri/round house but it's completely different!), which is ok, but... it seems I am terrible at kicking the muay thai way? I am not making much progress, and my instructor is great and patient but I almost feel like I am wasting his (and my) time? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Help!

it's a great opportunity to use a karate kid style head band

Really interesting, thanks

When you train solo, how do you train?

Agree, too close to TKD, there's plenty of Olympic "combat" sports already. I think that in this day and age of "all violence is bad", "diversity" etc it would be very difficult to imagine the IOC accepting knockdown karate, especially for the female athletes. Boxing for example, I bet they would love to get rid of it too. I think this reeks of politics, how can a sport get dropped from the olympics before it's even debuted? It has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Each host nation is allowed I believe 4-6 “demonstration sports.” I don’t know the technical term nowadays though. Those sports are temporary, meaning they’re one and done by design. If a demonstration sport does very well, the IOC will contemplate making it a permanent sport. There’s a ton of factors in that though - viewership numbers and revenue generated, how well the sport is organized, how well it fits into their views of Olympic sports, etc. And there’s only so much room, so it’ll end up replacing something; what should it replace? And there’s a lot more to it than that. Host countries typically include games/sports that are native to them and also sports that have a ton of national popularity. Karate being an Olympic sport in Tokyo is a no-brained under this criteria. I’m sure Paris has some stuff they want to include. Why should they do karate any favors? They’ve only got a handful of sports they can include that’ll suffer the same fate as every demonstration sport Japan has included. No one’s “dropping” karate. Karate was never on the slate for Paris to begin with. No one said “karate won’t do well, so let’s replace it with X.” It’s simply a matter of the IOC saying “These are the sports to be played. Include any 5 other sports you choose.” Of course there’s far more to it than that, but I think you understand what I’m getting at. You can’t cut something that wasn’t there to begin with. And that’s my issue with the above linked article. They’re trying to cause drama when none existed. This makes more sense, thanks

Agree, too close to TKD, there's plenty of Olympic "combat" sports already. I think that in this day and age of "all violence is bad", "diversity" etc it would be very difficult to imagine the IOC accepting knockdown karate, especially for the female athletes. Boxing for example, I bet they would love to get rid of it too. I think this reeks of politics, how can a sport get dropped from the olympics before it's even debuted? I am not sure I mind, though. Being an olympic sport arguably did a lot of damage to WTF taekwondo, right? Many school focus on the tippy-tappy stuff now, and their fundamentals or even the actual applicability of their techniques has suffered greatly. Also, karate schools would die off in time because many people would want to go to a school that teaches the "olympic karate", whatever style that would be... So, I am divided on it

I really feel there has to be some lost knowledge as to what some techniques (such as nukite) truly are. The fingers don't even have muscles (no, really: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger ) , I really doubt that most people could condition their fingers to the point they could be throwing nukites as if they were tsukis. Some people support this theory:

Update - I came back to the dojo and.... the sensei pretty much forgot about me. I mean, he kind of remembered I am a student (I was only gone for 2 months!), but he thought I had just tested for my belt and therefore didn't know the techniques yet (!!!). This was red flag A because other students have left for... half a year or more and he remembers exactly who they are and what they know. After class I humbly approached him and told him that I feel I need to put more work into some specific kata and that maybe we could work on that, in my private lesson. His answer? NO. His attitude was basically "you're not special, and if other people don't get special stuff why would you?" This annoyed me off greatly because I was talking about my private lessons with him (our dojo has a group class + private lesson business model, where you're entitled to 2 private lessons a month), and also, he bends himself like a pretzel for other students (like the toxic belt mongering guys) all the time. I can't imagine what could be more opposite to having a big ego or thinking you're "special" than acknowledging one's weak spots and asking for help from somebody better, who happens to be your teacher. It annoyed me greatly... long story short I am switching to Kyokushin Karate now and I'm telling this guy I'm leaving him on Monday

I was checking out the youtube channel of an aikido guy who was trying to make aikido more practical. Long story short, he quit after a while. Why? He discovered the more he tried to make aikido more practical and incorporate "aliveness' (movement) into the drills the more his aikido ended looking like wrestling! I feel all arts would end looking the same if strict octagon applicability was all that mattered: All grappling would look like BJJ/Wrestling with maybe some judo, and all striking would look like muay thai, with some karate sprinkled here and there. To quote the people from that youtube channel, "the body only moves so many ways". With the push for more and more octagon/MMA application, the richness of traditional arts is getting lost, as fewer and fewer people care about the "art" aspect of martial arts and its nuances. There may be some old school people, like us at this board, but the general population are not really interested in that anymore.,..

headbutt or groin knee

Kobudo includes spears, swords, and a short spear/long knife and shield combo, which are all pretty definitively martial. The bo is actually a bit more than just a wooden stick--it was a status symbol for the guards of Shuri Castle, for example, with those people carrying octagonal bo with every other face painted red and white. Octagonal bo will do some serious damage to a person, thanks to the edges, and are not terribly dissimilar from the spears they might upgrade to, if needed. Sai are historically a police weapon in China, and they are the same on Okinawa--they were the equivalent of our modern police batons, so they were more focused on "less-than-lethal" force with those, and they were also used as symbols of station of those in the peacekeeping ranks. Nunchaku are horse bridles, and I rather suspect that using them as a weapon came about from either necessity (somebody was attacked while repairing their horse bridle and used it in the moment) or boredom (soldiers spend more time traveling and camping than actually fighting). The same could be said for various other weapons, such as the kama (sickle), given that many of the nobles were responsible for guarding gardens. fascinating... thanks

There are two things I hold dear: 1) Side kick I learned it very early on when sparring and never fails me. For some reason nobody sees it coming when I do it and it always takes me out of trouble when sparring. 2) Punch combination This is a funny story, but I saw Balrog do a punching combination in the Street Fighter manga when I was very, very young. For some reason it made an impact on me and I found myself repeating his combination when doing punching bag and pad work subconsciously (I never realized I was practicing that combination until a good 10 years later!). I've practiced it so much that it's almost second nature now, thought not as automatic as my side kick. If you're curious the combination is a jab-straight- left hook to the body

JR 137 - Thanks for the great advice! DWx: Well I'd feel that I am so close (2 tests) before black that it'd be a shame to quit now, I'd feel like such a quitter. Starting at another school would be resetting that. Who knows, I may end doing that too, but I could always get the Shodan and then switch schools...

NICE! Thanks!!

Well, there is the chance that once I get my black belt things have changed in the dojo and I can stay. If not, the problem is that I don't think that my black belt translates to a black belt in any other school, so if I were anywhere else I'd have to start from scratch... I'm not keen to do that. I'd probably stop going to class and reach an agreement with the school where I can still show up for the private lessons and maybe regular class every once in a while but that's it. I'd love to find me a kickboxing coach...

Thanks! Does running in intervals help?

The issue is.... these belt mongers (these are grown men, by the way, this is high school behavior!) will start their belt-bullying and will focus it on me after they test and I don't. It gets too toxic, and the sensei is basically useless, if anything the dojo is to blame for acquiescing this behavior (selling them "extra lessons", having them test because they bought them, allowing the gloating, etc), plus we're grown men. The main problem is, not going to the dojo for a month has broken havoc on my stamina! I've been too stressed, sleeping too little and burning the midnight oil because of life reasons, I've also been stressed. When you combine this with not exercising for a month (ok a little bit more), the difference is HUGE. As things are right now, I'm at 40% of my stamina and performance. So I've decided to quit my art. I am very disappointed with the changes in the school, and also I realize now that I should have stuck with a more traditional karate style. I'm far too invested to quit right now, though, so I will stick around until I get my shodan and then quit. What I will end doing is taking 3 months off because I am far too busy and because I want to avoid the toxic people's belt-bullying. I want to focus on myself and build myself up to become the best martial artist I can be, without any of the silliness. In this 3 months I will practice (solo) my techniques and get them to perfect form, like they used to be. I will practice my kata, ippon kumite and kihon daily, record myself and perfect things every day. I'll follow my own path and reach a higher level... isn't this what martial arts is about? This leaves a loose string here... stamina! I won't get it back by doing katas and ippon kumite. I need to find some sort of exercise to get my stamina back, and if possible, even improve it. What should I do to improve my stamina? I've thought about running on a treadmill. I am sure it will help, but I don't think it's a silver bullet. Perhaps if I ran slow-fast-slow-fast intervals? What do you guys suggest? The idea is that after those 3 months I will come back to the dojo and pick up where I left, with the only difference that now I'll be back at 100% and well, being myself again.

Background: So I've come to the decision that after putting so many years on my art, it's no longer for me. The school has gone through so many changes, none of them positive: 1) Some fairly toxic students have become obsessed with belt testing. They got to test every time there's a test (roughly twice a year) and when it's testing time they get all giddy and ask other students that they know are not testing "are you testing next week too? " . All these years I've been able to test "on time" every single time they test as well, despite the fact that I couldn't care less about belt colors because I was simply better than them. 2) But now the toxic student group has elevated the belt-mongering to a new level: They're purchasing "extra lessons" from the senseis on order to ensure they test too. After purchasing many extra lessons to several senseis in the school, I guess the dojo feels obligated to have them test.. cue in the ""are you testing next week too? " stuff. Several students have left or are considering leaving the dojo because of the toxic ambiance that the belt mongers have created! 3) In a perfect storm kind of way, this time around, just as the belt mongers bought their way into testing, I had to be absent from the dojo for a month because life gets in the way. Sensei, in his infinite wisdom (sarcasm) decided to suggest to me that I don't test because "I'm not ready"... what's really going on is that only so many people can test, and they test slots for my belt were allocated to the belt mongers. You know where this leads to, right? I realize this is turning into a wall of text so I will make a second post with the actual issue

Based on what I've seen in the news, it's better NOT to defend yourself, because, like you said, nobody will believe you, or they will bring up the tired "she was wailing at your face with closed fists and hit you 5X, but you didn't have to hit back! You could have restrained her with your superior man strenght without any risk!" argument. The best thing to do is to take a video and extract yourself from the situation (walk away, run away, evade her strikes with head movement and body movement, but NEVER MAKING CONTACT, even blocking her strikes will get you in trouble, unless you're simply covering your face like boxers do). Taking video is fundamental, since you will be able to backup your point and sue her if she actually wounded you. First - I was brought up to not hit women under any circumstance. However I feel like being a devils advocate tonight, so... Why, besides what we have been taught all our lives, is it somehow different? The common reasoning is "women are weaker so their at a disadvantage". In most cases this might ring true but not in all. I know a few women that would give most average guys more than a run for their money and to be honest would probably destroy the average guy. There have been documented cases of guys getting abuse and even killed by women so the "women are weaker" doesn't always hold up and is not always a valid argument. I understand the legal answer that your at fault in eyes of the attorneys and possibly the court as RW points out. But let me interject this... what if she has a knife or a melee weapon like say a hammer or an ax. Does that make a difference? Granted the circumstance would dictate the action taken but for arguments sake lets say that she is bent on hurting or even killing you. Run away? I know women that can out run most average men with ease. What then? What if she has a gun? You're not out running a bullet unless your the flash. So when is it OK to defend yourself? Obviously you would attempt to avoid any of these situations but if confronted with them what would you do? Would you maintain the "never hit a women"? Or would you fight back if forced to? Oh yeah, having a weapon changes everything for sure. I don't care if you're 100 lbs and 5 feet, if you have a knife or sword or whatever it's pretty much all restraints are off

let's face it. You can practice Pinan Nidan until your feet bleed, and that won't make you a better fighter, or even a fighter. I know many people talk about bunkai, but how is practicing a strike to the air while you imagine the applications in your head going to prepare you to really pull off that application? It's like performing swimming motions in the air while imagining how that would work in water and expecting that to teach you how to swim. The benefit of kata is not a direct self defense application, the benefit, like kusotare mentioned is "Do", the way! It is the process of learning the kata what benefits you. You're engaging your mind in order to learn the sequence of movements. You're teaching your body to move in ways it is not used to, until the moves in a specific kata become second nature and you don't even have to think about them. In time, with enough practice, you gain a full understanding of the body mechanics in said kata, which furthers your understanding of the art itself. Continued practice improves stamina, speed and control of your movements. Spending several years learning a series of katas will result in mental, stamina and body mechanics improvements. It's not knowing the kata what will benefit you, but the process you had to undergo to learn and master it.

Interesting. Even I believed the "kobudo were farming tools" story! So... why were kobudo weapons so... un-weapon-like then? I mean, the bo is literally a wooden stick, the sai isn't even sharp and nunchucks... are nunchucks (lol). You'd think a weapon designed to be a weapon from the beginning, something you'd use in a life or death situation would be sharp or pointy or lethal in some other way.

Based on what I've seen in the news, it's better NOT to defend yourself, because, like you said, nobody will believe you, or they will bring up the tired "she was wailing at your face with closed fists and hit you 5X, but you didn't have to hit back! You could have restrained her with your superior man strenght without any risk!" argument. The best thing to do is to take a video and extract yourself from the situation (walk away, run away, evade her strikes with head movement and body movement, but NEVER MAKING CONTACT, even blocking her strikes will get you in trouble, unless you're simply covering your face like boxers do). Taking video is fundamental, since you will be able to backup your point and sue her if she actually wounded you.

He may very well be a male chauvinist. If that’s the case, keep pairing up with someone else. It’s his issue to deal with, you don’t have to change anyone. You made a great point - we all need to adjust what we’re doing depending on who we’re partnered with. While I don’t spar with the younger ones very often, I have to go easier with them. There are a few women who I go easier with. There are also adult men who I go easier with. Then there are people with injuries and/or medical issues. To go all out with everyone doesn’t do anyone any good. Sparring partners are exactly that - partners. You should push your partner to work hard and keep him/her out of their comfort zone. Completely dominating and overwhelming them doesn’t do them any good, and it doesn’t do you much good either. I typically spar with two 3rd dans and a 4th dan on Tuesday nights. I’m a 1st kyu. They go at me, and I go right back at them. But I know they’re not going as hard as they possibly can. They’re pushing me hard enough to improve. When I get stupid and think I can keep up with everything they’ve got, I’m reminded of how far off I am during stuff like promotional tests. I just tested for 1st kyu last Monday night. They came at me far harder that night than they consistently do on Tuesday nights, that’s for sure. And I know they have more than they gave me that night. You go as hard as your partner can handle and walk away learning and improving. Some people can’t handle my 50%, and I wouldn’t be able to handle others’ 50%. The point is for everyone to work together and improve, not to walk in and dominate everyone in sight. Male, female, child, adult, injured, in perfect health; everyone should be reasonably pushed to their own individual limits. Just because I’m a man doesn’t mean every woman’s limits are significantly lower than mine. In fact, my limits are significantly lower than several women I train alongside. I think you might be going a bit rough by claiming he's a chauvinist. He was probably just raised that way, and he sticks to it. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. If he's been raised to never raise a hand to a woman, no matter the circumstance, then it probably translates to anything he does. He may just never feel comfortable with a high level of contact with a female, for fear of causing injury by accident. But who knows... What you could consider is speaking to you instructor about it, and maybe the three of you sitting down and hashing things out. It might help, or it might not. In the end, you should probably respect his wishes as much as he respects yours. Maybe I am, but this was how I felt when he refused to spar with me because I am a woman. I mean, I thought he was too proud of 'his manly strength' and it doesn't matter for him how good a female opponent is. I can say I am tougher than many of the women I sparred so far, and as Chunmonchek said, I took it as an insult. He spoke to me again and apologized, accepted what he said was rude and repeated he just ---can't punch women. He said the same thing as you, bushido_man96, that is, he was raised and programmed that way. I now can judge him less harshly, but still, I do not want an opponent who rejects sparring completely, instead of adjusting his technique and trying to learn how to control his technique. Sparring with this guy will not improve me in any way, nor him, so it is better not to do it again. And it is shocking to hear that there are women that abuse gentlemen as JR 137 mentioned. Hope there are only a few of them around. I mean, sparring is sparring. "You have to spar me but go easy on me" is kind of a difficult thing to demand to somebody.