Gyak

When I move in for the gyak the other hand covers my face instead of pulling back to the hip. Back foot is right up and twisted round to get the hip in and pointing towards the opponent not at 45 degrees. (It faces the opponent during normal sparring aswell). Also I snap the punch back to emphasise it more and make it look like a cleaner technique so that it is more likley to score.

A boxing punch is probably more powerful than a karate punch, all other things being equal. Can you really see a Karateka hitting with more force than a heavyweight boxer? However, whilst boxing might have more power they are slower because they are hooks, at least the most powerful punches are, and boxing relies partly on throwing as many as possible and working on probability. Being a stright line, a karate punch HAS to be faster than a hook, and generally, karate pucnhes are "cleaner" when they hit than in boxing. In terms of raw power, I would definatly say boxers can hit harder (all other things being equal, eg. the same strength, skill etc)

This is a technique that I struggle with also. Dont seem to get enough snap for it to score consistently at tournaments. Ill look forward to some advice on this one.

Its for all styles tournaments. By this I mean tournaments that arn't specific to one federation, but that all federation fighters can enter. For example, the WKF (World Karate Federation) world tournaments. I think the governing body is "Karate England"?

Hi All, I heard that there will be a new rule taking place concering entry for all style tournaments. No competitors will be allowed to compete unless they have all Adidas equipment including: Gi, Pads (Red & Blue), Mouth Guard, Belts (Red & Blue) Feet Guards (Red and Blue) Shin Guards (Red and Blue) All of this equipment is likley to cost a hell of a lot! Has anybody else heard about this?

My personal opinion is that belts are not important. Training hard to try and reach my potential best is the ultimate goal for me. You can strive towards this goal at any level/belt. Dont get me wrong, I think they help to give a sense of achivement, especially to beginners, Im just saying I belive the goal of attaining personal best is far more important, or at least that is the case for me.

When sparring we are taught to have front hand open, other hand closed. The reason for this is so that you have the added avantage of being able to grab with the front hand. The other hand should be closed ready to fire the gyak.

Wayne Otto is 9 times All Styles World Champion I belive, and also 9 times European Champion. Thats a record that may never be broken...