Mixing techniques?

[elbows_and_knees]

I have been in this business for a very long time. I have seen many Karateka try to go that route. What you end up with is a very poor fighter, who can now make some nicve fancy high flying kicks.

I cannot explain how bad it could get, without my post being removed.

If that were the case, then he had bad karate training in the first place, I would guess. I trained in a longfist style and currently train capoeira, along with muay thai. As you can imagine, from capoeira and longfist, I am used to high and flashy kicks. That has not made me "forget" what I am learning in thai boxing. In my last fight, I kicked my opponent in the head and stunned him pretty good. In sparring, I will use a high roundhouse and high hook kick, but these other styles really have not changed me at all, other than giving me more exposure to other styles.

[gojupralgo]

You say it works well in sparring. Has it in the street? Or in a real situation? If so, then more power to you.

In my experiences anyone that throws a kick above chest level against a decent fighter in a street situation, they get dragged down. Unless the opponent is already stunned or intoxicated.

[White Warlock]

Every situation, every encounter, is different. Regardless of how much experience one has with street encounters, one will never be prepared or be able to gauge what will work, and what won't. It is based on the circumstances... the moment. Whatever you know can be applied, if given the opportunity.

And that's the crux of this entire debate: Opportunity. It is opportunity that presents to us the moment where one or another action will be applicable. If we are to debate this issue, then we need to consider this, and recognize that there are 'less' opportunities for presenting 'high' kicks in street encounters. Far more opportunities present themselves for strikes that have a far shorter distance to travel before making impact.

High kicks are not merely about speed, but about the distance traveled. The longer the distance, the more likely that the path could be disrupted; that an obstacle could be interposed between the striking member and the intended target. But, of course, speed is a factor... and a strike that travels a shorter distance is going to be inherently quicker to implement/utilize.

In a competition, rules exist that can 'intercede' in the 'normal' process of decreasing the size of windows, the windows of opportunity. Because competitions present rules, restrictions, on what can be done, so too are some opportunities removed, while others accentuated. This accentuation effectively increases the window that an opportunity presents itself therefore, depending on the type of competition, a high kick could very well receive 'more' opportunity to be effectively utilized than what would normally be available.

But, as i said before, every street encounter differs... so windows of opportunity differ as well. Assuming the large windows found in competitions will also be found in street encounters is merely presenting far too much dependency on an 'assumption,' rather than treating every encounter with an adaptable mentality and essentially doing 'whatever it takes.'

[Goju_boi]

"You say it works well in sparring. Has it in the street? Or in a real situation? If so, then more power to you. "

it depends,if u see the person really doesn't know what they are doing then go for it,but if they do,just go midlevel.Kicks tend to lose power anyways the higher they go.

[White Warlock]

it depends,if u see the person really doesn't know what they are doing then go for it

I disagree. If you see that, then do something more efficient. Don't play games, because he may be 'faking it' and hoping you will do something foolish, like a high kick to his head.

Kicks tend to lose power anyways the higher they go.

Also disagree. If you stretch sufficiently, and practice sufficiently, a well executed high kick can generate a lot of power for impact. The problem, getting the time and undisrupted distance to generate said power.

[Goju_boi]

hmm,guess u have a point

[cleung]

Mixing styles is one way of broadening your own education in martial arts and then finding things that work for you.

[Goju_boi]

that's right, weed out all the useless stuff like jkd

[Kajukenbopr]

depends on what you want: if you want to keep your style as it is, make it work for you.

if you want to learn to defend urself faster then cross training and mixing the techniques can result in a powerful combination.

I like leaving stuff as it is, but from time to time I will learn somethign new and incorporate it to what I already know.

[Goju_boi]

I pretty much have your aproach too. I like my art as it is, but I do add more to my arsenal.