DokterVet

A few that I like: Front leg side kick to the chest when the opponent is advancing. (they always give great facial expressions) front jab(fake) to a front hook around the guard. Or alternately, move in and elbow strike instead of hook. step with front punch, then as the front hand retracts to the back shoulder, the back hand comes infront as a kamae(guard), then front backfist

There are techniques in karate that deal with those situations - in fact many katas contain escapes from trapped hands and similar situations. But like these guys said, any good grappler could take down most karateka.

I started at 11, and I'm still going stong. I turn 18 next week. I think I started at a good age because it helped me develop into a pretty strong and healthy guy, and now that I am starting to have the maturity to have a black belt, I am also starting to have good enough technique for a black belt.

Inverted punch(fist remains upside down - usually a close range strike to the body, or upward blow to the nose as seen in Pinan Yodan) slip punch - a short punch that travels to the side accross your body (usually a short strike to the body from a sideways stance/situation as in the Neifanchi katas) Most hand strikes in karate are just variations of the front punch and the reverse punch.

I saw it today. I liked it, although the ending to the last fight was the most retarded thing I've ever seen. Certainly didn't have the effect that the Romeo Must Die ending fight had. Anyways, Tito Ortiz, and a few other MMA guys were in it! And I must say, Mr. Ortiz is a totall badass. I noticed the filming of the fight scenes wasn't as bad as the rest of Li's movies. The american directors are starting to learn that we actually want to see people fight, not a bunch of quick cuts of barely discernable limbs flying around. The filming basically killed Kiss of the Dragon - although the final fight with the TKD-style guy was cool.

Hi, I'm a karateka, and I've been hearing a lot about cutkicks on this board, and I'm not sure to what this term refers. A brief description, or perhaps a comparison to a similar karate technique (if it exists) would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Good stuff. I don't think board breaking is essential, but I think it definately has its uses.

I know someone who does karate and kung fu, and he feels they complement eachother well, but on the other hand, "the hunter who chases two rabits catches neither one."

"board breaking to me is usless im in shotokan and we will never break boards boards dont hit back" I think this argument is flawed. Air doesn't hit back, so why do you punch and kick the air? Katas must be useless because the air doesn't hit back. Not every excersize needs to perfectly simulate a fighting situation, just a few/one particular aspect(s) to focus on. I don't break more than once a year, and when I do it's just for demonstration, but I think it is useful in demonstrating the stability of your striking hand/foot/whatever, and testing your aim and power. I think it is more of a benchmark test than an excersize. (like a max bench. Doing it doesn't make you stronger, but it measures whether or not your training has increased your strength). The board break 'tests' your accuracy, focus, and power. That said, I play guitar, and can't risk hurting my hands, so I don't push myself in board breaking. I think the risks outway the benefits in my case- because I need my hands for other things. But the logic in discounting breaking entirely because they don't hit back is flawed.

Wado-Ryu Karate Groundwork: 1 (occasional freestyle grappling with an 'anything that works' strategy) Trapping, Throws and Takedowns: 3 (Hip tosses and joint locks are staples of the Kihon Kumite(pre-arranged sparring)) Infighting - Elbows, Knees and Head: 1 (We practice the techniques, but don't employ them often) Punching: 4 (The single biggest focus of karate) Kicking: 3.5 (Almost as important is punching, but not quite) Weapons: 0.5 (optional training in sai, bo, shindo, etc. mostly at black belt level. Not really part of the style, but incorporated by individual teachers)

He is starting in a sparring stance, then moving into zenkutsu datchi with the punch. It is very common in karate. In my style, the foot would be flat on the floor, and the leg would be straighter in the zenkutsu datchi. Also, his wrist angle looks a little extreme.

"I think it would have been great to see the two in a movie together." They were . Jackie was a stunt double and/or extra in a number of Bruce's films including Fists of Fury (the big boss) and Enter the Dragon. Or maybe you meant starring roles. Yes, that would have been cool.

Thanks for the good comments guys.

Like BlueDragon1981 said, it is different everywhere you go. There is no universal system. In my organization, Toronto Wado-Kai, we have the following: white(and up to four stripes for children, adults go straight to yellow) yellow orange green blue brown shodan-ho (This is brown with a black stripe. You compete and train as a black belt, but don't have the full honour yet. This is my rank after 7 years of karate) Black As the black belts gain age and experience, their belts become worn so that white shows through. The whiter a black belt's belt is means he's had it longer.

A tough one is holding your hands out to the side at shoulder height for minutes on end. Go through katas, and other excersizes, but keep the arms up the whole time. Boy does it burn.

Hi, Today I had an experience that made me realize that I need to train myself to react using kata techniques instinctively. There is so much there that will come in handy if one trains the mind to do the technique in and out of kata. I was walking with my friends to lunch today, and I had my hand in my coat pocket. I made a joke about a friend's sister, and he punched me in the gut for it. My hand was in my pocket, so I couldn't block and got nailed. Then I realized it was the perfect time to use an elbow block like the ones featured in Pinan Sandan. I could have blocked and countered with ease, if only I applied the technique. I always thought those blocks seemed useless, but now I understand the application. That doesn't do me as much good as the realization that I need to open my mind and train all of the techniques in all of the katas so I can use them all instinctively. Call it a life lesson.

I, like ginge1980, practice Wado Ryu. And I wholly reccomend it if you are willing to dedicate your life to it. If you are looking to improve your fighting skills quickly, it will not help you much. Karate is something that takes years to gain effectiveness in. If you want to get into shape and improve the skills you have quickly, I recomend boxing, kickboxing or muay thai.

If both fighters were identical twins, then I'd certainly bet on the Muay Thai fighter. But you have to remember that martail arts will improve your ability compared to yourself, not compared to someone else. The street figher might be too big and too strong, or just naturally athletic and be able to beat a smaller, weaker Thai figher.

The link doesn't work. Is there another place to view this video?

It's interesting how many martial arts avoid practicing and defending againts hooks. My karate style is much the same way. You would have to heavily modify any karate block (either full block or deflection) to work against a hook. My segestions for defense are 1) Bend your arm, and basically place it next to your head next to your ear and take the punch with the arm. This is probably similar to how a boxer would defend against it. 2) Try to deflect or block by meeting their arm. You'll probably have to send your arm way out there to meet the elbow (your motion will basically be straight left or right) Even if it isn't standard wing chun, you gotta do what you gotta do. Get the hands out and back in as quickly as possible I guess. I've never really encountered this situation so I'm speaking from a theoretical standpoint here. It's an interesting dilema though...the fact that punches that are shunned from martial arts can be some of the most difficult to defend.

My style: Wado-Ryu karate Pros: -Powerful techniques. It is geared more towards power than speed (i.e. chambering fist to hip before striking, using reaction hand with techniques). -Accuracy. We are taught to be very accurate with our strikes, so we can instinctively nail the solar plexis, floating rib, etc. dead on. I've been winded by a sensei when he purposely hit me with no power whatsoever, to demonstrate a bad punch. -Very thourough blocking system. When properly used and applied, techniques can either be forcefully blocked or skillfully deflected. -Lots of katas to practice. You need to know 30 katas for your black belt. So there is endless amounts of training to be done. -A few effective takedowns, leg sweeps. We practice basic hip tosses and a few other takedowns regularly. -Functional grappling skills. We grapple on the ground, but we don't go into it in depth like a grappling art. My old sensei was basically a natural grappling expert. I don't think he's ever been beaten. We learned his 'whatever works' style of grappling, and it does work. I've tapped out a wrestler who recently placed 2nd in the region in one out of our two grappling matches. -Building character. Our karateka learn to be respectful and responsible. Cons: -Lack of multiple takedowns. A good judoka could toss us around like ragdolls. -Lack of formal groundfighting 'curriculum'. -Takes years to become effective. Before maybe two years of training, I would say most people will be a WORSE fighter than they would be with no karate. -Kicking flexibility/repitoire. We lack the variety of kicks and generally lack the flexibility of a tae kwon do fighter -Blocking techniques are rarely used effectively. Most karateka don't use them effectively or at all in sparring or fighting. If they are used correctly, however, they can be quite effective. -Lack of full-contact sparring. We spar with contact to the body but none to the face.

"It takes about the amount of force to break one that it does to break a human rib." Are you sure about that? Maybe a rib without muscles attatched? It's just from my experience, 1 board can be broken quite easily, whereas I've never broken anyone's rib with any technique. Is it really that easy? As for untrained people breaking boards - most couldn't without seriously hurting themselves. Especially if the punch with the wrong knuckles, I've seen someone's hand get broken from one board. One thing you have to keep in mind is that every board is different because they are made from living things (trees). The grain will affect how easily a board will break, and also the moisture. Dryer would will snap like twigs whereas moister boards have more give and can often be very difficult to break.

I assume that what you guys call Taikyoku katas are what my club calls Kihon Katas. We have 20 of them. To be graded to a white belt, you need to know the first four. Then you learn four more at each belt level until blue, at which point you must know them all (in addition one pinan kata per belt level (except white)). The kihon katas just differ in the block(s) used, the attack(s) used and stances. The pattern is the same.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I will try all of your advice. I am in front of a computer monitor quite a bit, so that might be it. phanthomspectre, can you please explain your last message to me a bit? I don't know what most of those things you mentioned are.

I just saw the movie today. It was good, but the fights looked a little off. They looked like computers or camera tricks were doing too much. Damon looked stiff and like he was going through motions as opposed to a master of the techniques.