What do you think? Karate that looks like boxing.

[j1123s]

What exactly do you mean , they way you dress ( i mean gear not uniform ) or the way you fight ???

I meant the way you fight.

[emma]

I think karate looks more like boxing, when we work either with pads or wear big red gloves when sparring blatently on two different occasions.

[Uechi Kid]

Sparring is the sport aspect of karate that's why it looks so much like boxing. If you were to really defend yourself with techniques from kata it wouldn't look at all like boxing. I think that what we learn when we spar is very important, but it isn't the creators of our styles had in mind to defend them selves and their families.

[emma]

Sparring is the sport aspect of karate that's why it looks so much like boxing. If you were to really defend yourself with techniques from kata it wouldn't look at all like boxing. I think that what we learn when we spar is very important, but it isn't the creators of our styles had in mind to defend them selves and their families.

Then they must have the defense technique etc in mind of the attacker/s, what happens if the attacker/s practices a martial art themselves, I won't be in my 'yes I can easily defend myself against this person' element if I trying really to defend myself if they are better at sparring/attacking then me.

[Why_Worry]

I think it sbecause either they arent skilled anough practitioners (I dont know how else to say it, but its deffinitely not your fualt if you arent, it just takes more time) or they have trained for something different (i.e. a street fight). As you repeat blocks and excersize eventually they become integrated into you. You have something called muscle memory and the more you do something it will eventually be ingrained in your muscle memory and you will react without thinking. As you practice more and more if someone throws a punch at you or tries to hit you you will automatically respond with somethign different than what you would have before. The longer you take karate (or any martial arts) the mroe will be engrained into your body and mind/spirit and it iwll become natural.

[Iamn]

erm how come karate looks like kick boxing or boxing in a street fight

erm

right answer = because it is boxing

traditional karate has upper cuts, round house puches, jabs, nee kicks, throws etc

the front stance in shotokan is very good in a street fight and so is the back stance ======== oh I hear u laugh look at the way boxers and ever street fight are and u will sthe variation of the front a back stance.

I repeat though never do the same stance as u doin in training, u are going to get hurt.

best wishes

[Sauzin]

A couple of reasons.

1.) If you restrict the fight to just kicking and punching be it light contact or full contact, then no matter what style you put in the ring, you will get a similar kind of fight. This is the problem with such rules. The fighting adapts and evolves for even the slightest rule. Unfortunately these rules don't exist in a real fight.

2.) Not all sparing rules do restrict the fight to just kicking and punching and in those fights, especially with Okinawan karate-ka you will see a lot of differences between a kick boxer and a karate-ka.

On a side note, I really disagree with the stance statement. I use deep squat stances, horse stances, & leaning stances all the time when sparing and demonstrating. They work great if you use them correctly coupled with shallow stances and proper transitioning.

[Chemical Burn]

then what would be the purpose of karate? why do we do it? why dont we just take kickboxing or tae kwon do instead? Ive often found myself asking these questions, and to be completely honest, I dont have the answer. I have been to a couple of TKD and kickboxing sessions and it just doesnt feel the same. Can a kickboxer or a TKD'er take on a Karateka? Is it better to "jump around" or to have firm stance and techniques which can fluctuate? I see kickboxers and TKD'ers as very sloppy martial artists. Maybe this is just due to the fact that in karate we polish techniques so that they look effortless yet are effective. Maybe since karate was my first martial art, I have been conditioned to see things this way. I dont know.