KyokushinFX

It depends on your objective and type of basic training of that particular style. If your goal is performing beautiful Kata then traditional basic karate training such as Kihon, Ido Keiko seen in Shotokan and Kyokushin is a great choice. Also, I think it is very good for kids in developing coordination, balance and strength. If you want to to focus on fighting than these type of basic only take you that far. At my old school, we don't really train traditional karate kihon after yellow belt. Shadow boxing, bag work, mitt work, sparring and conditioning are eventually our basic training. Don't forget that you only have a limited amount of time to train and therefore have to make the most out of it.

I think there is a trade off between the two. The conventional mawashikeri from the side is more powerfull but relatively easy to block. On the other hand, the Hensoku mawashikeri is hard to know which one is coming. Fighters sometime make mistake in a split of a second going for the frontkick and get caught. If I remember correctly, Midori Kenji mixed this type of kick a lot in his combinations.

I never get to train grappling while in Kyokushin and very curious about how you guys train at Honbu in the old day. Did you guys throw each other on Honbu wooden floor? Did Sosai remove grappling part out of the official curriculum and grading after the World Tournament? How well does Kyokushin practitioner do in grappling compare to BJJ or Judo? Thanks

Do you have any syllabus from Honbu which includes grappling techniques? I am not able to find one. Thanks

Where did you train Kyokushin? Oyama trained in Judo and he introduced a few techniques in his books. However, there is no formal grappling instruction in Kyokushin as I know. Your instructor must have introduced the training from other arts. I think Kyokushin + Boxing + Judo/Wrestling + BJJ is a very good combo. Yes, Kyokushin has formal grappling instruction woven into lessons. Its about the only time my dojo get out mats to cover the sprung wooden floor. Also, As with any art, I think it takes years to see application. In the years Ive been learning MA, I still wake up every day and find new application to things I learnt 14years ago. I don’t think this will ever change. Not at all. Kyokushin contains many techniques from Judo, Jujutsu and Akido. In fact, techniques like seoi-nage and similar can be found by name in Mas Oyama’s ‘Advanced Karate.’ the small difference is in the way the technique is applied, and the after effects. That is a good point. What most people are neglecting to realise, probably becuase there only exposure to Kyokushin has been via stand-up tournaments, is that Kyokushin was developed through other martial arts, from Chinese "Kempo" to Judo and even other Karate styles. Kyokushin is not just a striking art. Its roots go much deeper than simply striking. Thats not what I meant, sure, kata contains a lot of bunkai that can be interperated as grappling, but there is lot more to Kyokushin than just kata and sparring. Self-defence techniques are (should be) taught at every lesson. These involve various techniques of things like 'tensho' applied dynamically to an aggressor/opponent. Ie) Attaining a grip on an aggressors wrist, and stepping quickly back into a long stance is enough to dislocate an arm, and bring their head swiftly to waist-height. A much quicker way out of a situation than struggling for 30sec for an arm-bar. The way I have been trained in Kyokushin, grappling/trapping is a quick means to either snap/shatter/dislocate bones, or to quickly set up for a strike such as a knee or elbow.These are some of the reasons that grappling/clinching are no longer allowed in Kyokushin bear-knuckle tournaments. I strongly agree, but if your going to devote your life to an art, Kyokushin is definitely as good as any. I didn’t really think of MMA comps when I first replied to be honest. Cheers.

There will be a Full Contact Karate tournament coming up on June 4th in San Francisco, you should check it out: http://www.oyamakarate-sf.com/calendar.htm Also, here is the training looks like: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-147288876242752783

I live in the sacramento area. ive been looking for a kyokushin school but i cant find any. I might take shotokan since there are some schools in the area. http://csusmma.home.comcast.net