Karate's Effectiveness

[Spirit At Choice]

That video was interesting. But as has been stated, not all arts/dojos train for sport fighting only. Even as a 7th kyu in my system I can tell you five things that victim did not do that I am already being trainied to do:

1) be aware of your surroundings

2) trust your gut

3) maintain distance (run away if necessary)

4) get in a stance (he had time to)

5) STEP OFF LINE!!!

A common first attack on the streets is a punch to the face. He totally set himself up by looking at his watch when asked, then he got a strike to the head. If he'd been looking up he could have stepped off line. (Getting a victim to look away is a very common pre-strike tactic!)

If he'd trusted his gut he could have maintained distance and avoided the whole thing. If he'd gotten into a stance and been loud, he might have made them think twice about targeting him.

[cathal]

Something else to consider about fighting is that you're going to see a different level of skill with each person. In my own experience it doesn't matter what a person is trained in, it all boils down to the individual. So don't get locked into the style debate solely.

[TigerDude]

That video has already made the rounds. It's a scripted act used to make a point by a rival style.

Karate, and in fact most martial arts, will serve you well in an unexpected attack.

[GoGoGo]

Ok, thanks so much guys! I was thinking about it today and I got a better attitude towards Karate. I just might give it a try (The man here said $30 for 2 weeks, 6 days a week and free uniform for trial purposes) to see if its for me. One thing I learned from what you guys said is I'll get what I take out of it and the "style" shouldn't dominate me anyway. Thanks again!

[Dont call me Sir]

Self defence is 90% minset and 10% techniques, so why does everyone get so hung-up on a particular style being more (or less) superior (inferior) to others in a SD situation?

Watch a 3 year old do a jig-saw puzzle. Watch how they force the wrong peice into the wrong hole. Watch how they use a Hammer Fist effectively. I've won physical confrontations using the correct minset and a natural striking technique used by a 3 year old!

"It's not the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog!"

DCMS.

[Orion]

I have to say with regards to that video you could tell it was a fake. Hell two guys started to do that to me i'd cross over if they followed i'd be running like a whippet.

Not because im weak or scared but because I can. The style is not important like everyone else said its what you think you can get out.

[MartialArthur]

How well a person is trained is much more important than what he trains in. A beginner in a combat MA would have his clock cleaned by a skilled karate practitioner. The style is less important than the level of skill and training.

Board breaking is useless. I don't see a reason for it.

As Bruce Lee put it, "Boards don't hit back."

I love this one. If you follow that logic, you would want to eliminate heavy bag work (heavy bags don't hit back), target drills (targets don't hit back), pushups (the floor doesn't hit back), ...etc.

Board breaking serves a definite and useful purpose. Unlike any other training aid, it gives definitive feedback about force and focus of a technique. Just like any other training aid, it's not essential by itself, but it's useful as a tool when used in an overall training regimine.

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[mya]

If you are starting on Karate, try also to train a grapeling art, like Judo or Jujitso. Dont go to Aikido, i think you are to young for it, and the non violence spirit will frustate you.

You will thank yourself 3 years from now from atending grapling lessons, once you begin to blend striking with throws in karate in your daily randory.

[Brandon Fisher]

If you are starting on Karate, try also to train a grapeling art, like Judo or Jujitso. Dont go to Aikido, i think you are to young for it, and the non violence spirit will frustate you.

You will thank yourself 3 years from now from atending grapling lessons, once you begin to blend striking with throws in karate in your daily randory.

Or find an art like what I teach that teaches both.

[mya]

Personaly i am distrustfull of 2 in 1 thing.

Because when you do the 2 thing you train the double of the time witch mean more training experience, of course its a lot harder to integrate 2 diferent arts but you will be blending them to your personal fighting style.

One of the thing that i fear about bouth in one is also that they tend to drops the tecnicks that do not work for them. Let me explain.

Im Mr Bob and i train in Karate and Judo, and atain a high level of perfection on my 2 arts and i decide to branch out and teatch.

During my years of training i have learned many tecknick many of them witch i think have no pratical value because they are ineficient and do not "work".

When i teatch i will teatch mainly the things that work and that i feal confortable using.

Mr Mat is a student of me (Mr Bob) and he learns the tecknicks i teatch, but he is a diferent person from me. What works for me does not work so well for Mr Mat.

Mr Mat would have benefited more from learning all the tecknicks and discarding the ones that he does not, adapting all to his personality.

Its the old debate "Expertise Vs Jack of all trades".

So that is why i say learn from the experts what works for you and then become the Jack of all trades.

You will notice this in classes, i mean how many of you learned a tecknick that you could not make work and that your partner made work in perfection, to learn a new one that you can make work like born for it and now your partener cannot even make it work at low speed...

For example i fight in a totaly diferent way of most people i spar with, most are not afraid to get hit and will parry block and strike, while i prefer to defend and counter by circling and throwing/trap from back.