cross

And when i said "just wanting to fight" i wasnt talking about in the ring.

If you just want to fight and get fit then i would say Western Boxing or kickboxing.

Although knowing how to defend is one of the most important parts of sparring, just remember that you need to be offensive to have any chance of "winning" in sparring and in a self defence situation. Some people say that you NEVER really defend, because every block/parry you do should open up your opponent so you can attack them. Also you can block and strike at the exact same time. e.g. instead of going: block THEN punch like 1,2. you go: block AND punch so it is just 1. This literally takes you half as long to do a block and punch which will make it appear to your opponent that you are really fast when in fact you dont have to be quick at all. For the block and punch to happen at exactly the same time you need co-ordination in both hands. You learn part of this from pulling one hand back to your hip in kihon because you are always aware of your hand position and the fact that it can move independantly. Dont know if this has much to do with the topic but still it should help you to understand that to go well you need a good mix of offense and defence. Generally more offense though.

Anando, You need to understand that in the kihon you learn exagerations of the techniques, so that you begin to learn the full range of movement for the technique and how to correctly generate power for the technique. Most of the time these techniques are taught with one hand in the "chambered" position just above your hip. Also you are usually in a low stance. To do this in sparring would generally be useless, you need to keep both hands up to protect your face/body and you need to be in a stance that allows you to move freely. So when i say modify, i mean you need to change it so that you only use the "part" of the technique you need. So for a straight punch with the front hand you would throw it from your guard, rather that from the chambered position, you should still generate the same amout of power you did when practising kihon and the technique should still follow the same path. To put it simply you use only the parts of the technique you need or modify the parts. E.g. we could divide a kihon punch into 3 parts: start: hand at hip middle: punch moves out to target end: punch comes back to hip if you modify it for sparring it could be: start: hand in guard position protecting face middle: punch moves out to target end: punch comes back to guard position protecting face That is the basics of it, hopefully you can see the similarities and differences between both. And realise that everyone will modify the techniques a bit differently, after all kihon is literally the basics and sparring should be YOUR OWN expression of the techniques. It be alot quicker to show you in person but we dont have that luxury so i did my best.

I think the reason you picked it up so quick is because the pattern and most but not all of the techniques are very much the same as in other kata learned before this. One thing you may be missing is the bunkai, once you know the bunkai for this kata, keep it in mind while you are performing it and im sure you will see it differently and get a greater benefit from practising it.

Very true Kakarotto. Most martial artists should find also that once they understand the stances and techniques they will adapt them and only use certain parts of the technique depending on the situation.

you are not to old...

In general the techniques you learn in kihon(basics) need to be modified to be used in free sparring.

I dont want to offend you, but maybe you and these other karate practicioners you have been watching arnt very good at karate. Ok, firstly, what makes you think that the person you are throwing the punch at is going to JUST block and try to do a reverse punch? Whats stoping them from "folluwing up" with other techniques? Also i would not list the rising block has one of the best karate techniques to block a cross. It has its uses, but blocking straight punches to the face is usually not one of them. Im not saying it cant be used, because with the correct footwork and understanding of the technique it is quiet simple. Im not sure about your post but maybe your angry about some bad experiances in karate, and feel you need to take it out on the karate community. Anando, dont be discouraged by people, do what YOU want to do, if its karate so be it, if its something else, then go for it. Respectfully, Cross

And it doesnt mean that they will be able to do anything other than the techniques they have practised to use in the ring.

Maybe, but you will get "sock right in the mouth" alot more if you charge in and dont use your BRAIN.

I keep mine about temple level also, but they move around a bit. I think you need to ask your instructor to show you exactly were he expects you to have your hand.

No problems

These are all very good tips, i would like to add some also. ( i will try to be brief) 1. Lure or pressure your opponent to your best techniques. 2. Cause him problems all the time, e.g retreat and when he moves in jam him. 3. Dominate By: hitting hard, using maximum speed, keeping busy. 4. Use variety to stop your opponent from reading you. 5. Always think. 6. Use combos, not single blows. 7. Set the pace. 8. Don't repeat mistakes. 9. NEVER GIVE UP!!! These things can apply to both the ring and the street. But fights on the street are usually very quick and you dont have much time to think so the best tip is: Think Offense: hit your attacker with everything you have got has quickly as possible, dont give them any time to attack. Then escape.

Nazaki Tsuniko, Chris Teng are 2 of them. They are normal guys, they do martial arts, they arnt ufc superstars or something, but they used their martial arts to get out of a couple of multiple attacker situations.

I know a number of people who do martial arts and have survived by fighting their way out of a multiple attacker situation.

Please explain a bit further Treebranch

So kindof like the wing chun guard which is like "searching hand, guarding hand"

Just because anyone can figure it out doesnt mean they can do it.

Is it just me or are you trying to make it appear that budo taijutsu is impossible for everyone but you to learn?

Depends on the school, but usually the worst would be some bumps and bruises, sore thighs from getting kicked and sore shins from conditioning.

Please explain what these are...

Same goes for me, merry christmas (or whatever you choose to celebrate) and hopefully the new year will bring even brighter things for you all and your families. But dont slack of during the break, KEEP TRAINING HARD!!!

If you can sense the trouble before your attackers decide they want to take you to the ground then you can hit them. Rather than take THEM to the ground which is according to you, the position they want you to be in.