Olympic Karate

[AnonymousOne]

Competition limits many techniques and while one is limited one cannot perform at their utmost, therefore the outcome is not accurate

 

 

[AnonymousOne]

Competition limits many techniques and while one is limited one cannot perform at their utmost, therefore the outcome is not accurate

[spinninggumby]

*Sigh* Not accurate? Not accurate for what?! Not accurate for determining that, given in a life or death situation, who would really be able to maim and kill the other? I guess I could understand where you are coming from since that is pretty much all you value about karate is its ability to kill (which, as far as i know, was not the only purpose that karate was created but hey, maybe originally it was since it was the only way people could survive). True, competition has rules and therefore limits your choices in winning, but your opponent also has those same limitations, does he/she not? When you say 'one cannot perform at their utmost', you are referring to how a competitor would not be able to perform such techniques such as groin kicks or throat rip-outs or eye gouges or wrist snaps or ridgehands to the throat or any type of technique that might put the opponent's life in danger. Oh shucks.

 

Competition karate is a game. A game with rules which has techniques derived from traditional karate, which was originally intended for self defense in life or death situations. They are two different things. Competition karate WAS NOT MEANT TO DECIDE WHO IS A BETTER KILLER. Not accurate in determining the results? Competition karate does just fine in terms of determining who is a better practitioner IN TERMS OF COMPETITION KARATE AND COMPETITION KARATE RULES. Whether or not one likes to practice competition/sport-oriented karate or traditional karate is, pretty much, beside the point and up to the practitioner. Many sports that are played today, including soccer, rugby, or some other typical bleacher-type game, probably had some more brutal ancestor version in which the losers were eaten by tigers or some other huge carnivorous beast way back in Roman times or something like that because i"m not a history major. Gosh, what sissies we are now for only allowing the losing team to walk back to the locker rooms with heads hung in shame. They have no idea what it was really like!

 

On a practical point of view, you could look back and see that originally karate practitioners practiced and refined their craft as a matter of necessity and survival due to their harsh environment which put them in constant danger or alert. However, nowadays in our relatively calm and sedentary environment (because face it, if we have the luxury of reading this forum, we are probably richer than 90% of the world), it is much more practical to learn and refine your craft in karate for the goal of ultimate health and fitness (which I have no doubts that many do) and not for the slaughter of your enemies - unless you live in South Central Beirut. In which case I advise you get your a$$ out of there as fast as you can, either that, or take a nice stroll down to the local black market and purchase you some nice fine durable firearms.

 

Me, personally, I am not a big fan of the tap-the-chestguard-for-three-bonus-points type of contest. Neither am I a big fan of the all-out-brawl last-man-standing type of sparring. In fact, I don't even like competing unless it is against myself. But it is not my place to judge others who find something that they can work towards as long as it makes them feel happy and fulfilled, idealistic ******* that I am

 

Btw in real life I am very softspoken but for some reason whenever I see this page of blankness I just get the urge to type type type :razz:

 

 

[Piastre]

I've never been a really big fan of sports karate, and always found points fighting a bit of a game.

 

So imagine my surprise when I found out that some people had the temerity to have different motivations than me for their ongoing martial arts training and actually enjoyed sports karate.

 

What's the big deal? Nobody is going to hold a gun to your head and make you watch.

 

I just hope that karate is presented in a good, positive light, and gains some good publicity.

 

 

[AnonymousOne]

Everyone has their own ideas about Karate and thats fine. We are all entitled to our opinions.

 

 

[Prodigy-Child]

oh jee they are putting karate in the olympics along with taekwondo, judo and boxing but they wont put kickboxing in.......what a gip!

[SuperMinh]

Yeah Prodigy, i know it sucks...

 

One day...

 

SuperMinh

[bjjbarbie]

im with u spinninggumby all the way!!! karate isnt some secret shaolin past time...it is becoming a sport in recent times!! why not use the olympics as a means of "advertising" karate!!!

 

there are disadvantages for sure!!! but still the advantages out way it!!

[Ai Hate]

Kiyoshi Yamazaki:

 

Participation in the Olympics will certainly transform karate. Our next mission is to make sure that karate maintains its honor, technical integrity and traditional values so that our ancient art will be accepted and respected as a constructive member within the greater family of sports. Karate is a sport cultivated by the Eastern culture and tradition, and has much to offer the youth of the world in building strong bodies, minds and spirits, as well as developing character, compassion and humanity.

this is the point. what's a better way of promoting karate than joining the olympics? if we could really maintain the fact that karate isn't just training to fight but also training mentally (as mentioned in the "kata is useless" thread), then there's really no con to karate joining the olympics.

 

spinninggumby, i agree with what you said whole heartedly.

[Prodigy-Child]

WHATS IT GONNA BE ? POINT SPARRING OR SOMETHING?