Point By Point

[sensei8]

Even though this comes from 2007 and 2008, I thought they'd be nice to see....enjoy them....

http://www.empiremediallc.com/PointByPoint.html

[JAKEHE3078]

Thanks. The majority of it looked like a U.S. Team highlight video

[Toptomcat]

Would any of you Shotokan types care to educate a full-contact barbarian raised on a steady diet of K-1, Sabaki Challenges, Kyokushin and Daido Juku about how to watch this? There are so many stylistic oddities. Why does no one ever strike with their front hand? What exactly are the rules for how kicks are adjudicated? What is going on with the frantic strangeness that happens when someone loses their footing? Why is hands-at-waist-pointing-straight-forward the only game in town stancewise? What, in short, should an educated consumer of point-sparring kumite know to make sense of it all?

[ps1]

Would any of you Shotokan types care to educate a full-contact barbarian raised on a steady diet of K-1, Sabaki Challenges, Kyokushin and Daido Juku about how to watch this? There are so many stylistic oddities. Why does no one ever strike with their front hand? What exactly are the rules for how kicks are adjudicated? What is going on with the frantic strangeness that happens when someone loses their footing? Why is hands-at-waist-pointing-straight-forward the only game in town stancewise? What, in short, should an educated consumer of point-sparring kumite know to make sense of it all?

Excellent questions!!!! Here's the basic jist of the thing.

The first to strike to the body or head with a strong stance, power, and a kiai is scored.

To my knowledge, straight strikes to the face are allowed. I'm not sure what you mean by "front of the hand". But if you mean knuckles (fist), that is certainly allowed and demonstrated several times in the vids.

The stance you see must bode well to this type of rule system. Otherwise the athletes would have adopted a different stance.

As far as point distribution, I can only say that it used to be a full point for strong strikes with proper spirit (stance, power, kiai ect...) to the head or body. Half points for a strike that lands on an open target, but did not have proper spirit (ie...backing up, no kiai ect...). I believe kicks may now be awarded more points however.

Once you take an opponent down, you are allowed a brief moment to strike to an open area.

Hope this helps a little.

[Toptomcat]

Not 'front of the hand'- front hand. The back hand is seemingly all that's ever used for strikes.

And I'm not saying that stance doesn't work well in that ruleset- obviously, as you've said, it does, or it wouldn't be used by all the top-level competitors. My question is why- what characteristics of that stance make it ideal for competition of that type?

[ps1]

Not 'front of the hand'- front hand. The back hand is seemingly all that's ever used for strikes.

And I'm not saying that stance doesn't work well in that ruleset- obviously, as you've said, it does, or it wouldn't be used by all the top-level competitors. My question is why- what characteristics of that stance make it ideal for competition of that type?

I think it just puts alot of distance between the opponent and his targets. It's harder to bridge the gap. I believe front hand (strikes using the palm) are illegal.