TJS

glad to see you in route to your goal, but i would suggest a tournament with contact if you goal is K-1.

what are the rules?

\ Yes..real sparring..

Yes. If all things being equal, the one with natural abilities will always be better. So what I'm saying is if the person with the natural talent works just as hard as the person with little to no natural talent, the one with talent has an advantage. For example Mozart and Salieri. Mozart was a prodigy and Salieri had passion, but he would never equal Mozarts level of talent. I'm not claiming this as an ABSOLUTE, but in general this is the case. That has to do with people not stlyes.

I work out/spar in the gym at my apartment complex.

To block a low kick lift your leg and block it with your shin..any other way is going to get you Knocked out if someone knows what they are doing. AS far as a "boxing punch" I guess you mean straight punches. You should either redirect them or slip them.

Do you punch to the head?

TKD, Judo, boxing and Wrestling.

Fireka- No, the people who belive they are invivible are usually the ones who "choose not to fight" not the ones who go out and prove themselves Yes it really does. If your goal is to be a fighter it most certainly does. Actually there are alot more than 2 of them. well there hasant been one in the last 50 years to do it. They must be missing something. BJJ has dominated since 1993 and is a foundation of cross training for almost every one of today top grapplers. The only Way Karate will ever beat BJJ is by learning it and going form there. To think other wise your living in a dream world. This fact has been proven over the last 10 years..catch up. The fix would be learning how to grapple. Shotokanwarrior Find me ONE Example or a pure Karateka winning a major MMA/NHB event in the last 10 years..you will be hard pressed to do so. I see You live in Cali...Go into a BJJ school and test out your theory...let me know how it goes. Kirves- Intresting I was Shown a Kick to the knee by none other than Relson Gracie the other day.. Shoju- Chuck Liddel is an All state Wrestler with extensinve training in Jiu jitsu and other striking arts...he did kenpo when he was like 14...I would hardly call him a karateka..

what i said still applies. Take two people of equal skill of both guys. Stick them in another stlye and the analogy still holds true.

Fireka, 99% of the time a pure karateka will get taken down and get get a limb broken or get choken unconcious by a BJJ fighter. Thats just how it is yet everyone thinks they are the exception. Thats just how it is...It's nice you show so much enthusiasm about fighting one..however im pretty certain if you ever did your opinions would change. Dont pretend like You ever practice takedown defenses or clinch work..since you dont do that you definetly better be readyto do well from your back with punches comming down(something im sure you train for in great deal) Have you ever heard of the gracie Challenge? Anywhere.. anytime. I suggest you find the nearest one and test your skills.

I like ot make a plan...however you just have to go with the flow of things...im in the middle also.

I see TKD schools all the time that say "KARATE" on the front of the building or in their name.

Ultimatly it comes down to the person. A stlye can only give you the tools. it just so happens that some stlyes deliver them more effectivly. Look at it like racing. when two people race, the one with the slower car still has a chance to win if he is a better driver than the person in the faster car. However if someone of his same skill level was sriving the other car he would surely loose.

Thanks Newbalance.....

ok I should have been more specific. I was speaking about Fighting abilility. And there may be boxers who can beat Mike tyson and Lennox lewis but dont want to, there also might be basketball players who can school michael Jordan but choose not to compete. alot of people like to imagine secret monks that can Eat top fighers for breakfast...the reality isint so in most cases.

I think that argument hold little weight. Muay Thai Was not designed to fight Karate any more that Karate was Designed to Fight Muay Thai. Muay Thai's victory show it's more effective. Does that mean Shotokan would not would not work against noramal people? not neccesarily. Does that mean Muay Thai would proabably work better against normal people? proabably

Is there a boxing gym around?

Some Stlyes of karate(Kyokushin) have beaten Thai fighters before. Why? because they train with things like leg kicks,knees, etc and they do it full contact.

Most people are talking about Training meathods..generally most traditional schools have little or no realistic sparring with heavy/full contact..clinch work..ground work etc... They "show" you things but you rarely got to practice them against a fully resisting opponet.

https://www.kravmaga.com no nonsese self defense and fighting.

Did you see the 5 or so videos of karate guys I posted in this thread?

Like i said..they do have dedication. However you have to remeber Royce was outweight and outmuscled by a drastic amount in most of his fights...they are athletic yes...but their strenght/cardio, etc isint above most fighters imo.

TKD and wushu both provide a great way to stay in shape and meet friends.