Karate v Boxing

[shukokai2000]

i agree,but what i'm saying in the latter part is i feel more confident in myself in my opinion... it comes down to the indervidiual i suppose.Please take note i'm not putting boxing down i used to enjoy doing it,and i still love watching it..it is a tough sport.

[SevenStar]

I don't think that you are putting it down.

 

IMO, it's not the individual, however... It's the training methods.

[47MartialMan]

Boxing may lack kicks, but where it lacks in kicking has made up in footwork and receiving blows.

[Flying Tiger]

I think the biggest difference between the average karateka and the average boxer is the training. Boxers train aggresively, oftentimes including a weight-lifting regiment, aerobic conditioning, and pretty hard-contact sparring. The average American Karateka (and this is from what I've seen, so if I'm making a false generalization, please excuse me) goes to his/her hour long class two to three times a week, a quarter of which is used to stretch out the legs, doesn't train very often outside of the dojo, and does mostly light-contact sparring. I believe that the average joe boxer would win in a fight, hands down. Now if the Karateka changes the methods in which he trains, then he/she could be devastating. Karate is supposed to use so many more weapons than boxing, most importantly, grappling and kicking.

[jarrettmeyer]

I think the biggest difference between the average karateka and the average boxer is the training. Boxers train aggresively, oftentimes including a weight-lifting regiment, aerobic conditioning, and pretty hard-contact sparring. The average American Karateka goes to his/her hour long class two to three times a week, a quarter of which is used to stretch out the legs, doesn't train very often outside of the dojo, and does mostly light-contact sparring. I believe that the average joe boxer would win in a fight, hands down. Now if the Karateka changes the methods in which he trains, then he/she could be devastating. Karate is supposed to use so many more weapons than boxing, most importantly, grappling and kicking.

 

Ditto, Mr. Tiger. Read Morgan's Living the Martial Way. I think more boxers train more rigorously, change their diets, lift weights, jog, etc. more than karateka. That makes for a better warrior. If you are really fighting, the better warrior will win regardless of formal technique. All martial arts are artificial.

 

Given a boxer and a karateka who both train for 1 year, 2 nights/week, 1 hour/night, and do little on off nights, the outcome is dependent upon luck. Same thing the other way. Both have trained vigorously for 8 years, and the karateka has studied COMBATIVE KARATE, not dojo sparring, then the outcome again will be based upon luck. That boxer didn't pull punches when he trained. Neither should the karateka.

[Nick_UKWC]

As a few people have said I think this is really down to the way people train, boxers just tend to be stronger, fitter and tougher.

 

That said if you put two guys with equal experience in all terms together Karate probably has more options and more devastaing attacks. Pro western boxing is a sport, after all. As such it has rules which don't allow for leg breaks, eye gouges etc and as such they are never trained.

 

Well I assume they're not!

[judoguy]

Against the average st

 

rip mall karateka boxers win hands down. Boxers have some of the best conditioning in all of Martial artists. Think about fighting 12 3 minute rounds. Your stamina would have to be incredible. Boxers timing and reflexes are great because of the TRAINING METHODS. It's not always about full contact sparring either because boxers rarely do it up until a fight. It's all about bag work, building stamina, working combinations, and strategy. The average karate dojo isn't doing this. Some serious dojo's do it. A few Kempo dojo's do it, and all Kyokushin dojo's do it.

[Kreisi]

surely if fighting a boxer.any karate-ka could sweep his legs,smash his knee/groin/ankle etc etc the boxer would be knackerd as he is only trained in stance fighting,not grappling ground work etc...

that's true. no grappling, you are gone in a street fight

[SevenStar]

nah, what he said isn't true. karateka vs boxer - boxer all the way.

[DaChroniclez]

make sure you specify what style of karate aswell. Sevenstar i notice your leaning towards the boxer, but how about if we're talkin about Kyokushin Karate for example which trains very vigorously, moreso than boxing. does full contact sparring including kicks to the head and such on a regular basis (which boxing does not). Edurance is also a very important aspect of kyokushin as you well know, to achieve blackbelt you must complete the 10-man kumite facing 10 new fighters each round (the black belts i've talked to have complete 20 man instead of 10, thats 20 FRESH fighters, unlike boxing wherey ou are both tired out). SOME kyolushin fighters have complleted the 100-man kumite which no boxer could even fathom (that i kno of).

 

I do give boxing credit where its due, but i see alot of bias towards boxing in this thread sayin that it would woop a karateka. Part of the reason to this is because so many of the karate schools in the u.s. and canada are complete crap and dont train nearly hard enough. They do point sparring, pulling back punches...2 classes a week and hour or two each and most of the students there dont train outside of class at all.

 

I believe that Karate is a little harder to grasp than boxing, so if two begininers were fighting, the boxer would have the upper hand. But as the levels advance I would give the edge to the karateka, this is given of course that the karateka trains hard.