Oyama Karate

[Rock-fght]

this style is a little more rugged than shotokan. I think its related to Kyokushin but they dont go by that name. More light sparing and moving around. doesent hit to the face (dissaponting), Knee and groin. no gloves.

 

what do you think of street practicality? not hitting to the face is a major handicap.

 

I was training for kickboxing before I went to this class and it seems im the most athletic student there. has enyone heard of this type of Karate.

[AnonymousOne]

To say learning to hit an oponent by practising full contact is better is completely wrong.

 

A competent karate-ka has the ability and control to pull a punch 1/4 of an inch from their opponent or punch one foot through them. One constantly knows exactly where a punch or kick will land.

 

Control is practised by sparring, using a makiwara and a heavy bag.

 

Over the last 41 yrs I have heard many people claim you can only learn to be effective by full contact and this is a misnomer.

 

True full contact would put a sparring partner on the deck every time. If I can break 15 tiles with a punch (and I can) what would that do to your head or rib cage?

 

Sparring with full contact with that capability is not only dangerous its plain stupid. The force generated by a punch is just far too dangerous.

 

If I need to develop power I go to a makiwara or heavy bag. Those two can take blows that a human simply cannot.

 

In the interests of safety, punches are pulled short of a target in sparring. Does this mean someone is ineffective or is only used to pulling punches?

 

Absolutely not! I never miss tiles, bricks, a makiwara or a bag ... never!!

 

And neither have I missed a target in the few street fights I have had.

 

Its about control, knowing the length of your weapon and so on. Youthful enthusiasm wants to feel the reality of actually hitting a target. If that is desired, I would suggest appropriate protection. Wear a sparring condom so to speak Haha!!

 

After many many years of training and learning to effectively control the placement of an attack, one doesnt need to worry about if they might hit or miss a target, you know damn well you have total control.

[searcher]

To say learning to hit an oponent by practising full contact is better is completely wrong.

 

A competent karate-ka has the ability and control to pull a punch 1/4 of an inch from their opponent or punch one foot through them. One constantly knows exactly where a punch or kick will land.

 

Control is practised by sparring, using a makiwara and a heavy bag.

 

Over the last 41 yrs I have heard many people claim you can only learn to be effective by full contact and this is a misnomer.

 

True full contact would put a sparring partner on the deck every time. If I can break 15 tiles with a punch (and I can) what would that do to your head or rib cage?

 

Sparring with full contact with that capability is not only dangerous its plain stupid. The force generated by a punch is just far too dangerous.

 

If I need to develop power I go to a makiwara or heavy bag. Those two can take blows that a human simply cannot.

 

In the interests of safety, punches are pulled short of a target in sparring. Does this mean someone is ineffective or is only used to pulling punches?

 

Absolutely not! I never miss tiles, bricks, a makiwara or a bag ... never!!

 

And neither have I missed a target in the few street fights I have had.

 

Its about control, knowing the length of your weapon and so on. Youthful enthusiasm wants to feel the reality of actually hitting a target. If that is desired, I would suggest appropriate protection. Wear a sparring condom so to speak Haha!!

 

After many many years of training and learning to effectively control the placement of an attack, one doesnt need to worry about if they might hit or miss a target, you know damn well you have total control.

 

I agree almost fully with your post, but I do have a problem with the light or no contract style of sparring(the non-heavy contact way). There is an advantage to the heavier contact style and that is the ability to take a punch. I am not saying that I want to take a punch, but it is that IF you get hit it will not freak you out. I have seen to many times "young toughs" come in and spar with out having ever been hit. The first time they get tagged they fold up. That being said I don't want my students to be trying to kill each other all of the time. It is just a good idea to goa hard and heavy now and again. Your comment about pulling a punch is right on. That level of control IS essential as one progresses.

 

Now, for Rock-fights post. Oyama(Kyokushin) karate is a little more "rugged" in that the style focuses more on full contact training. This is not to say that a Shotokan karateka can't get with it and hold their own. It is just that the two styles focus on different things.

[krunchyfrogg]

I won't claim to be as skilled as AnonymousOne, but I agree with him.

 

I think you learn a whole lot more by sparring with no equipment and learning to pull your techniques (either by not hitting to the head, or by really pulling body shots), than one does by suiting up in a ton of armor and having no fear of being hit.

 

I've only worn gloves and headgear once, and that was because of tournament rules. I was really uncomfortable, and I don't think you would be as prepared as someone who spars without equipment were a real-life fight to break out.

[Sauzin]

I agree with everything AnonymousOne just said and then some...

[jarrettmeyer]

Man, I must be lucky. I seem to have it all at my dojo. I get to practice self defense, sparring, light contact and moderate contact.

 

I have a sensai who distinguishes self defense and sparring. He's even been known to say, "This is a sparring move. Don't try to defend yourself with this. It only works if the other guy is following the same rules as you." Where sparring helps you develop your fighting skills is made clear. It helps with reaction time. It helps with balance. It helps with control. It helps with distance. It helps with endurance. The broad concepts are the same, but the finer points are not similar at all. I know that I wouldn't open a combo with a roundhouse to the back of the head if my opponent were allowed to grapple my leg or pull out a knife.

 

Then we learn self-defense techniques. They will get you disqualified from a tournament, but are very good at subduing your attacker. That's what they were designed to do.

 

Then we learn light contact. You should have the control to wrinkle your opponent's gi, but not make contact with his skin. For now (still a 10th kyu here ), you go at whatever speed you have to go to make that happen. Later, that will get faster.

 

Then, upon my personal request, I am working with another black belt to up the intensity. This is something that kyu ranks do not do in their classes, but something that I want to do outside of class. (If I were to wait, that would mean the 4 year minimum until black belt.) There is redness, swelling, and bruising at this level. Nothing terrible, but you'll remember that you were hit.

[Ashigeru]

While I do agree that control is a neccessary skill that all karateka must learn, I must also disagree about the lack of emphasis that full contact training is given in most styles. It is not the experience of hitting your opponent that is of value, rather it is the experience of being hit and how you react to it in combat that matters. You react the way you train.

 

The whole purpose of medium and hard contact (w/o pads or gloves) is to teach the student to overcome pain so that when they are hit on the street, they WILL NOT crumple in a little mewling pile to be beaten at the leisure of their attacker.

 

Before anyone in my style engages in full contact, they voluntarily undergo rigorous body conditioning training. (After six months of this training, I found that I just would not bruise (at least for the next five years) even after having (36" long with a 1" diameter) oak dowels broken across my abdomen, and back.) But the down side to this training is that the conditiioning process is rather painful. (Honestly, if it sounds like it, I am not trying to brag.)

 

Those who have not volunteered for the training are limited to light, or no contact. As are their opponents. So, even though I have fought numerous heavy contact matches, I have fought even more in non/light/medium contact matches.

 

Contact, in Kyokushinkai, is considered neccessary not only to temper the mind and body, but also the spirit. It allows you to lose the fear of pain, because YOU are in control of it, not letting either the pain, nor the fear of pain to hinder your actions.

 

No matter the level of contact, control is considered to be of the utmost importance. ( otherwise all of my classmates would never have been able to afford our lessons for all the medical bills! )

 

Just because I can break more than 10 tiles doesn't mean I cannot control the amount of power I put into a strike from a light as a feather touch to a bone shattering strike.

[Knockdown]

I won't claim to be as skilled as AnonymousOne, but I agree with him.

 

I think you learn a whole lot more by sparring with no equipment and learning to pull your techniques (either by not hitting to the head, or by really pulling body shots), than one does by suiting up in a ton of armor and having no fear of being hit.

 

I've only worn gloves and headgear once, and that was because of tournament rules. I was really uncomfortable, and I don't think you would be as prepared as someone who spars without equipment were a real-life fight to break out.

 

The only armor worn in Kyokushin, World Oyama karate and similar

 

Knockdown styels is your Dogi/ There is no gloves, headgear, or bogu gear for tournament fighting, or actual matches in a dojo.

 

Light gloves and shin pads may be worn for dojo sparring.

[Kevin K.]

I trained in WOK for about 2.5 years until recently when I moved to a new mixed martial arts school.

 

I enjoyed my training while there but I hated not having face contact and I wanted more sparring.

[Pacificshore]

Man....I'm so glad I train for myself, and can think for myself, and don't walk around each day wondering when my next street confrontation will be