Beer-monster

Jumping Tai otoshi, is that even possible without crippling yourself? Ps- You seem strangely fond of the , symbol.

Open palm strikes are better than fist when striking to the face as you can cut open your own knuckles against the enemires teeth. A friend of mine did this an they got infected pretty bad (you dont know where the guys mouth has been ) The rear palm strike is also a basic kihon in Shokukai karate in set combination number 8. Front stance (Zenkutsu dachi) Rear palm thrust to face (Jodan) Teisho uchi) Step through Reverse punch (chudan gyaku tsuki) Step back in front stance fend off with left hand ( Kamae)

Whats wrong, I thought it was quite clear what the question was? I can clarify if you want but please be more specific?

Shorinji-Kan Jiu jitsu AKA Shorinji-kempo jiu-jitsu. I know what you mean about using strikes as a distraction. The sensei in our style are always empasise such weakeners, (my favourite is to use a knife hand blow to the floating ribs as I enter for Ippon Seoi Nage, drives the wind out of them a treat ) however I am also a karateka, and a fundamental principle in Karate is make every punch count, one hit one kill type thing (but not so literal). Also I think that if you do use a strike, you may as well do a good one. And few are better than gyaku. But they do disturb the flow of the throw, meaning more muscle is required to bang the takedown in. Just from observation I find that open hand blows can work well suck as Shoto uchi, ( a slam that one to the carotid as I use Tai-otoshi). Any thoughts?

Here,here.

Does anyone martial arts style or dojo, use V training as a self defense exercise. The style of Jiu-jitsu I practise does, and I was wondering if anyone else had tried it and what they thought of it?

Hm, strange. Most aikido what I have seen is powerful but requires a lot of wide and sometimes complex sweeping movements. But you said it doesn't involve much movement. I must have been seeing the wrong people. However hip throws and Aikido techniques require full use of momentum which makes it hard to get a definitive strike in before the throw ( I'm trying to go for the strike(s), Takedown, finish, leg it strategy).. Particularly the use of irimi or entering for a throw like Koshi Garuma makes it hard to get in a good gyaku tsuki, but its neccessary for the throw. Kensai could you tell me about how your Judo traing for throws compares with your aikido training? Doing tradiotional ju-jitsu I kind of assume our method for throws are a mix of both.

I agree with you Jui-jitsu fighter, you cant train mastery of everything, but although I do train a little ground work, I don't really have the size or upper body strength needed to be proficient at it. I try to cover this with my striking arts and a knowledge of how to maintain distance, and strike in close ranges with knees and elbows (karate is good for both of these) to avoid being pulled to the floor, or if I am to make sure they have taken quite a beating first. However in my opinion, in a fight the best position to be in is when they are on the floor (preferably choking around a bloody nose ) and I'm standing, so I can either kick em, run away or take on his mates. Unfortunately it can take a lot of good, hard hits to knock a guy down, so thats where throws come in, so I wanted to see what people thought are the best throws for the street so I could try em in sparring and test them out. Also I noticed a certain lack of such techniques in pride which I thought curious. Aikido throws are good, but a little too gentle in my opinion, they also seem to require a lot of space and distance to move (a luxury in a crowded pub). Also like many of the best throws they require full use of the attackers momentum, which is good, but make it hard to slip a hard punch of shoto uchi strike in. But I'm just speculating on what I've seen, What do you think Kensai?

You really think seoi-nage. Involves quite a bit of movement and muscle, I woulda thought seoi otoshi if I was to use that grip. Kokyu nage, good one, I've always wanted to learn that throw. Could never get it right.

Which throws would people recommend for the street. I'm trying to blend (hopefully seemlessly) my Karate skills with my ju-jitsu. I dont mind the shoot, but I would rather avoid the ground if I can (I dont have the muscle strength to make it work, though I do train just in case), in a pub fight there are too much broken glass, and too many mates with knives. Any ideas, I'll try em in sparring and drills and report.

It is true that Karate fighters are often unprepared for self-defense because of a lack fc sparring. But that is a flaw of the instructors and the practicioners, not the art, and is such beyond the arguement. Although I practise and love ju-jitsu I will always in some ways consider myself a karateka. I train to unleash Karate's potential as a self-defense art, practise kata with full force and intent, I analyse the movements to find the most effective streetwise bunkai. And I spar without the desire for points but to learn and improve. I'm not afraid of a few bruises and neither are my training partners, although i were hand pads and take precausions so we dont kill each other. I also practise violent strikes to vital area such as the eyes, bridge of nose, throat and groin. I can still use karate in this type of sparring and in the street because of such effort, but I am still using Karate. The reason why many Karateka cannot hold their own in the street is their own fault and the fault of their MCDojo instructors, not the arts. The art is effective brutal and sound.

What if you use the old blow before throw principle. give them a good whack andx when they are reeling from that (as much untrained joe would) bang in the throw.

Just wanted some opinions from some grapplers out there. I was just watching one of the Pride contests, and I noticed that when the fights went to the ground it was usually due to one competitor using the shoot or similar technique. I saw little evidence of the traditional style of throws such as hip throws or leg sweep. Does this mean such techniques are ineffective in the street. Oh and what are everyones favourite throws/takedown and how streetwise do you feel they are?

yes. But do you feel that the kick is more of a push or a snap? There in lies the difference, I think.

Hi my name is Adam, I'm a university student from England who studies physics but I am obsessed with the martial arts (not a problem here though right>) I primarily study Karate (Wado-Ryu and Shukokai), and Shorinji-Kan style Ju-jitsu. But I have dabbled in other arts including Judo, JKD an TKD. Dozo Yoroshiku.

A lot of people are saying that they avoid fights by not mentioning they do Karate. But it kind of sounds like your ahsamed. Yes it avoids fights, but aren't you proud to practise the martial arts. If someone asks me what hobbies/sports and such I do, i proudly answer Karate. I'm not saying to go bragging about it to everyone, but dont hide it. Be proud of your art, but dont make a song or dance about it. If a person hears about your MA pesters you to show them, say n, aqnd if they can't accept that What are you doing talking to that kind of moron anyway?

The same reason why they don't use state of the art technology on the space shuttle. It hasnt been tried and tested by 500 years history. But don't misunderstand me. I wasn't suggesting overhauling Karate (maybe a little augmentation in groundfighting but thats it). Its just the training methods of Modern Karate do focus on enriching the mind,body and spirit. Not on self defence. But with a little work and intelligence the focus can be shifted back to a fight, all it takes is see whats wrong and whats right, asking the right questions, and sparring the right way. For example the mawashi geri is often trained in lines, going forwards and backwards and kicking to the head. it doesn't take a genius to see that moving to the side and kicking to the leg ( knee) area would be better in a fight. By realising this and occasionally practising this modification in sparring and on your own, you make it more applicable. You're are not adding anything to the style or practicing a different martial art, you are just doing the science and not the art. Karate-jitsu not Karate-do. Common sense is a virtue we all have, it allows us to determine the rtue path instead of following blindly.

Gyaku Tsuki. Probably the most powerful and applicable technique in Karate. The big guns. Unfortunately it is easy to learn yet bloody difficult to master. In street application. Guage your distance with your fence and then when mr joe skinhead throws his wild western, step diagonally backwards, (more side than back), check punch with free hand and then fire it out to the face with full pivot of hips, feet and shoulders. So simple and fast it is hard for anyone untrained (and most likely pissed to start a fight) to see coming. Target determines hand form, if cheek or chin use open palm heel, if jaw line or nose use fist, if eyes use ippon ken. Shouldnt change the punch, it just a different arrow head. But back to the difficult to master point. What's your opinions as to how to train the perfect reverse punch. Anyone use candle training? Ihear it works wonders but never tried it. Also what does everyone think of using the Gyaku Tsuki to the head, I personally modified it slightly with aspects from the boxing cross? Anyone got a different opinion

I too study Shokukai Karate. But I had to change to Wado Ryu when I started university. There are some minor, and some major differences in the styles. However the use of body mechanics becomes obvious in the Yoko Geri side kick. In Wado Ryu my instructor told me that the kick involves a defined push and then a delay before retracting the foot. This would serve to puch the enemy back quite powerfully. In Shokukai I was taught to snap the kick and pull back, pernetrating the target with the snap. This also pushes the enemy back, but the energy discharge would also break a couple of ribs. Any comments, or am I just doing the kick wrong?

We all seem to be forgetting that Karate as it exists todayis not actually designed for street fighting. Funakoshi sensei and men of his ilk designed modern Karate syllabi around educating people in focus, respect and temperance as well as keeping fit. Such an attitude had "encrypted" Karate, but that doesn't mean that what can be decyphered isn't valuable. Karate can be an effective and brutal form of combat. All it takes is a decoder ring we all have. Common sense. A person can see which techniques would and would not work in the street e.g. why you shouldn't kick to the head, why you should not stand in Front stance doing solid blocks. It is also obvious to see the gaps in the sytle such as heavy groundwork, and train to compensate. Karate gives what you put in. If you want a hobby that will teach you respect and exercise, go to a Mc Dojo, learn a kata, go through the motions until it looks pretty and get yourself a fancy black pant holder. If you want a martial art which will teach all of the above but help ypou defend yourself, look deeper, understand your kata, and ask questions. When would I use this techniques in the pub? Would this really work if my life was on the line? What can I do if I get taken to the ground? How can I avoid it? What is this stance for? Is this really a block or could it be something else? What if the attacker had friends, with knives and bottles, how would Karate help then? Ask yourself, and explore your Kata. If you get no answers, ask your instructor. If he does not know the answer, or his answer does not fit it with common sense or the realities of a fight, find a better teacher. Not to get all biblical, But seek and ye shall find.

True, but do you usually use Age uke to block attacks (i dont often) and most the blocks used in the street and in sparring looks nothing like kata or classic blocks. Age uke can be used very effectively as an attack using the forearm or hammer fist to strike the jaw line (a weak point with several nerve bundles). effective defense in my experience is made of soft parries not blocks, which redirect rather than pulverise attacks. > Different strokes etc. What do you say?

A friend recently told me a story about a Karate sensei who did not understand some of the supposed blocks in Karate Kata. Particularly one from a back attack (how do you see it coming?) and blocks with no counter attack. Supposedly the sensei went to Japane, and was told by Japaneae masters that "There are no blocks in Karate. Blocks are usually nerve srikes or blows." What does anyone think, and can anyone give me more details on this story True?False etc.

Depends, if it is early so that the shoot has not gained enough power and momentum, I would jam the attack by grqabbing his shoulder with lockied arms a split second before kneeing his face. If it was already moving with full power i would roll with his motion and use a scarifice throw to use his mometum to throw him out of effective grappling range eg Yoko Garuma or Tomo Nage. Never tried it though so can'r prove it. Just a thought.

So are we all agreed that a low roundhouse is the best attack to use on the leg? What of the side kick, or wing chund style cross stomp from the side, any use?

This is an opinion. Hm Brazilian ju-jitsu effective. Obviously, but like all arts it has its limits. Ground fighting in self defense is flawed in the case of multiple opponents. This is not just a TMA excuse, as I watched my friend get stitched up after recieving a jagged piece of glass to his face. He had been on the ground with the other guy, in the mount, and in all other respects winning, until the glass. However I do not think it is the fault of the art, merely the recent public interpretation of it. UFC, Pride and such have turned most BJJ fighters (not all!) away from the brutal realaities of the street. In the cage its just you and the opponent, in the street you're not so lucky. Surely in a self defense secenario you're priority is to defend and then escape, not the total destruction of the enemy. If the fight ends up on the ground, surely groundfighting should be used to the extent that you are free to stand up again and run off. But most BJJ,MMA and such arts are now more focussed on pinning or locking the enemy so that you can beat 9 shades of S**t out of him, consequently inviting a boot to the head or knife to the throat from his mates. Knowledge of Groundfighting is a must in case you go to the floor, but the approach of most grappling styles that is promoted of UFC tournaments in my opinion is not the way to use it. I cannot admit to have studied BJJ personally although I would like to, however surely the techniques can be used to escape ground fighting and then flee, rather than dominate the floor. Would this not be the most street effective use of BJJ? Also I would also like to say it is not just BJJ and Vale Tudo that has had its vision blinkered by sports. I usually refuse to take part in Karate competitions and they make a person focus more on earning points with flashy technique and not defence. Also in regards to the 90% of fights go to the floor stat. It is probably true but most if not nearly all of those fights did not include martial artists. Surely with training and a knowledge of how fights work we can avoid being pulled to the ground (unless we wants to in the case of good grapplers), otherwise what would be the point of training at all? One of the best ways of doing this (and that I have used successfully) is to maintain a reasonable distance with what Fighting expert Geoff Thomson calls the Fence. It won't work all the time (but what does?). A trained grappler will still take you to the floor if he wants to (but then again a trained martial artist should be more 'enlightened' as to want to start a fight anyway). Hope this doesn't p*ss of to many people.