humblecanadiangojuguy

I don't agree that 9 out of ten fights end up on the ground. I would say this, 9 out of ten times in a fight one guy ends up on the ground. Grappling is very very important, but it is not everything, not even close. I do karate and mma both have their strong points and weak points as all MA do. If you want to fight you have to be able to grapple and strike.

I completely agree.

I think that full contact karate is not really full contact, ie no punches to the face. But full contact will help you get ready for a real fight better than no contact. But you will have many injuries, missing teeth, broken ribs etc. Now I do not make my leaving do karate sooo I don't want injuries or black eyes or fat lips every day. I think semi or light contact gives you the best of both worlds without undue injuries. Also I believe that Karate is about non violence, full contact karate is seems to be almost promoting violence (I should say all the full contact members I have seen). I have seen very very good full contact karate people, one is ranked as high as second in the world in Japan and USA. He has a very scary outlook on life and karate, one that is not in line with what karate is really about. But some people I understand are into karate to fight and to hurt people, but I believe that it is about Budo. It should be about learning the art, not just the fighting style, about bettering yourself, finding yourself, etc not just about learning to hurt people better. Rambling here so like I said I believe semi or light contact is best for us working day job types who do karate.

I love Aikido, but I have seen and watched many classes of different styles of Aikido and different dojo's and they all came across to me as alittle unrealistic. They would hold out there arms for their other students to grab and then throw them or take them down. Now when is an attacker going to run up and grab my arms by the wrists??? Not going to happen. Now they do practice alot for an attacker throwing big wild looping blows, that can happen with an unskilled attacker and most fights that an MA will ever get into is against an unskilled attacker. A skilled attacker like from a striking art with about the same time training in their style will do very well against someone with equal amount of training time in a Aikido. Aikido is a great art and it is effective against unskilled attacker but against an equally trained striker it is so so at best. No dissrespect towards Aikido users, I myself take Goju-ryu karate and I have looked into taking Aikido myself, but I would be taking it for the enjoyment of the very smooth and beautiful style that it is, not for selfdefence.

If you are into selfdefence mostly than try prehaps a mixed martial art place if you have any available. If not Goju is very good selfdefence style, very practical blocks and strikes and kicks. But it is still a tradional MA, so there will be alot of practicing the same stikes over and over again and learning things that you would not use in a real fight, its done for more tradition. But its better in my mind than TKD or Shotokan for selfdefence. There nothing wrong with either TKD or Shotokan for selfdefence but for the average karateka the very practical blocks, get in close and keep the kicks low for good balance, Goju is very good for that. I take Goju-ryu for years now, we say " Once we touch you we never let go until the fight is over". TKD and Shotokan keep their enemy at a distance, not easy to do, Goju go right in close, it freaks most people out when you do it. Goju rocks for selfdefence but it is still a traditional MA.

Thanks for the link. Any other suggestions out there ? Give me a link if you have one, I like looking at a good web site for Martial arts.

I'm interested in what everyone thinks would be the best martial art to face two or more attackers in a street fight. Karate (what style?), Judo, Kung-fu, JJ, BJJ, Krav Maga or any others. Not a MMA style or two arts that some guy combined and no one has ever heard of before either. Is Aikido good at fighting multiple attackers ? Give me your ideas please and if you can back them up will a little information that would be nice also. Thanks

Goju is very different from shotokan, very different. I have done goju for several years now and it is great. It is a mix of karate and grappling, true self defense form, not pretty but effective in a real fight. Not going to win alot of kata tours or look sexy doing it but it is great in a fight. Alot more open hands than shotokan, shokokan is very hard, very linear. Goju is softer at times more like kung-fu pumped up, more aggressive. We say once we touch you we never let go. Goju is alot knees, elbows etc all in very close. Getting in close freaks out most people if they have never seem a Goju guy fight before, really freaks out TKD guys, they almost run away, lol. I go and watch TKD guys class and their black belts are funny, I have been doing Goju for only 2 1/2 years and I would destroy them in a fight. Its like they are afraid to throw a punch, they have no power or speed in their strikes. I do not have much faith in high kicks if you can't tell already. I have never seen a student with the same amount of training as me in TKD or any other that could hit me with a high kick, not a chance. Maybe yes if they were a 2nd black belt of something, maybe, but someone with the same amount of training. Low kicks, nothing above the waist unless the guy is almost out already and you are just finishing him off with a high kick. A high kick anyother time is just showing off and looking for you to get your butt put on the floor by someone who knows alittle grap skill. Don't kick high unless you are just showing your friends how high you can kick. lol

All of the above is great! I think that another way to measure a Sensei is not how many students he recruits but what percent he retains in the long run. Too many dojo's try and recruit as many students as possible, all they see is the dollar signs. It should be quality over quantity. It is about teaching, about imparting knowledge onto others, above all else it should be about the ART and not business. Osu

Politics should be a concern to anyone who is in martial arts and has been effected by it. I have been effected by it. If we as martial artists want to better ourselves through Karate then we should avoid politics whenever we can. Karate is what we do, not politics. Leave politics for goverments and work places. From Humblecanadiangojuguy

I know what Sensei means literally, but what does it mean to be a good Sensei ? Thanks

Why is there so much politics in martial arts from people who claim to have no ego or that ego is bad. Soooo many of these people have very big egos, that is the problem. Thanks

Does anyone know where I can find some free Goju kata videos on the net to watch ? Thanks all.