AndrewGreen

You'd be better off picking one. If you want to add more, don't add another karate style, do something very different.

It can be, but it depends on how you do it, and what you mean by fighting.

Hehehe.... Well a little history: - Karate comes to North America (along with other "traditional" Asian arts) - They promote themselves as "the ultimate fighting systems" - They are much too dangerous for full contact competitions. - Boxing/wrestling/etc are just sports and a karate fighter would destroy them in a "real fight" - Karate fighters develop "American Kickboxing", no one gets killed, a little back peddling occurs. Oh well, the rules restrict "Real Karate" it is just a sport as well. - UFC comes up, puts them in a real fight. They get clobbered... Err... What happened? - UFC develops rules to keep it legal. AHA! It too is just a sport. Basically for a long time karate guys (in general) never really took boxing/wrestling serious. They got put to the test and karate got beat. A little reversal took place. Karate practitioners have a history of making incredible claims and not being able to back them up. Not all, but a good portion of them. There are some very good karate folk, who know they're art, and more importantly the limitations of it. They train hard and know how to make there stuff work. Karate is not for MMA competition, when people claim it is they get shoot down. They are different things, one does not work for the other. Would you train like a 100 m sprinter if your goal was to run a marathon? Both are running? WOuld you train synchronized swimming for a 200 m Butterfly event? Both are swimming. Karate is not MMA, claiming it is is goofy. Knowing the limitations of what you do is very important, and it is the reason these "bashings" take place. Take WTF TKD for example, it is a great sport, but no one would ever try to fight like that outside of a WTF environment. Or Wushu, do you think it bothers them that they aren't really learning to fight? How about Tai Chi? Do you think they feel a need to step into the Octagon to prove their style works?

Yes, and I'd imagine just about everyone, with the exception of you perhaps would agree. You already do karate, doing another style will not be as beneficial as doing something with a different skill set, one that is not covered in karate. But since you asked, I've been doing Isshin ryu for 15 years, that is not all I've done and it is not really the main thing I do anymore. Now my focus is mainly MMA and weaponry, but I still do and teach Isshin ryu.

So do something other then karate, you'll probably get more out of it anyway...

Sparring is always the best answer

Yes, mistake being not also training in wrestling and learning how to sprawl. But even wrestlers get taken down, and they are far better at staying on there feet then karate people. I admire your enthusiasm, but it is misplaced. Karate is great, but you have to know the limitations of it, same for any other method.

These things are not style specific, but school specific.

Why not test your theories?

My money is on the wrestler. Go watch the early UFC's see what happened to all the karate fighters that thought they couldn't be taken down. I mean even when it was just two karate guys in there it ended up on the ground and neither of them had planned that... Besides, if you are close enough to hit, you have been close enough to shoot on for some time.

5 Instructors Chotoku Kyan Chojun Miyagi Choki Motobu Taira Shinken His Uncle, whos name I can't remember right now. Kobayashi ryu is Itosu lineage, go dig out a lineage chart and find Ituso in any of there lineages. You won't Taira Shinken would come the closest, having studied with Gichin Funakoshi (Shotokan) but he taught kobudo, not karate. Shimabuku studying Kobayashi-ryu was a mistake which has been debunked many times, whatever document you have is in error. As for not ending up on the ground, find a wrestler and test that theory of yours. Unless you do a lot of wrestling, you will end up on the ground whether you want to or not.

He didn't. Requirements to be successful in MMA: Good clinch work Good Ground Work Good Standup fighting Isshin ryu does not have all of those. That is not what it is for.

And some corrections No Kobayashi ryu connection, this was a mistake. Nope, just one. Some groups do, not all do tonfa, most do sai and bo though. Some groups do some others. And it won't be seen in MMA, never will, nor will any other karate style. That is not what it is for. Kind of funny how there are so many different "largest gathering of Isshinryu Karate-ka" around isn't it

Most Okinawan styles do weapons of some sort Some Shotokan branches teach weapons, Funakoshi did

Not as productive as you might think.

The question was on Mixed Martial arts competition where you would not be wearing boots and would be trying to kick each other hard. No one kicks to the shin in MMA, there is a reason for that.

Take some classes and learn to do them in a way that is effective... Practicing with friends won't teach you proper technique. Without proper technique they won't work.

Umm... The idea IS to hurt someone... Front kicks are done, just not that often. Kicks in general aren't done that often. Anytime you are standing on one leg you are vulnerable to a takedown.

Either you didn't actually watch them, or didn't pay much attention then.

My question would be "Why would you want to?"

So why don't you train in shoes if you are training for a real fight where you will be wearing them?

Nope, full contact sparring is done without people getting seriously injured. Those that don't do it tend to overestimate the effects on what they are doing. They also tend to lack the timing to actually land against a resisting opponent. You should watch the first few UFC's. Full contact, bare knuckle, no rules. They dispelled a lot of the myths about the martial arts.

No, the Romans added the extra goodies, the Greeks used leather. Different rules different stances, LPR and Broughtons had different stances, and different fighters within those had different stances.

Toe tip kicks can be done, they're not really that hard. But I don't think kicking a makiwara with one is a good idea... But then I don't think hitting a makiwara with anything is a good idea. Start with focus mitts, body shields or wavemasters. Something fairly soft with a bit of give. Start light and work up. They're easier with shoes on though. Mostly it's just a novelty skill, it has no real value to be able to do that barefoot...

The bones of the instep and foot are much smaller then the shin bone, kicking with the ball of the foot or the instep has a greater chance of breaking something then kicking with the shin... Also, I do know of anothoer fighter that did something similar, it was due to a stress fracture that was there before he fought. I'd guess something similar in that clip. Guys kick through baseball bats 2 & 3 at a time with there shin, it is not easy to break. The small bones of the foot however, break fairly easily.