Cuts and Bruises from Kumite

[Soheir]

Constantly doing knockdown kumite will eventually condition what ever is getting hit. The problem with only conditioning that way is exactly whats happening to dave_pvc. You get bad bruises that take a while to heal and in the mean time you aren't training. Light, CONSISTENT, arm pounding with a partner or on your own will help minimize the bruising. Personally I like makiwara training, I also have a piece of bamboo with a tee shirt wrapped around it. I rarely bruise up anymore, except for those nice occasional shin to shin clashes.

Is that really even possible? Maybe, if you get more muscle in time.?

I do get bruises often, sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much, but it doesn't really matter. At least you get used to them, later you don't even almost notice it; Few bruises, So what? I get, some people doesn't like it when you might often have bad bruises at somewhere, where others can notice it easily (when you're not in training). I don't mind, though.

[Sokusen]

Seems to be working for me. I think the reason conditioning has gotten a bad wrap is that most people do it wrong. For some reason they start conditioning and feel they have to make up for lost time, hurt themselves and then say conditioning is stupid. You can't just go up to a makiwara and start pounding away at it you have to work slowly into it. If you don't you just end up hurting yourself. Conditioning starts with hitting pads then working up to things with more resistence. Same with arm pounding or leg pounding, the slow pace wins the race.

[TheKarateKid]

@ Sokusen: my motto for knockdown karate which is what TSKF is, is

" If you're afraid to get hurt or to hurt someone, don't bother doing it!" my reasoning is you have to be tough. if you get hit Jodan you might have you're face rearranged so if kumite sparring and getting cuts and bruises bothers you don't bother with comps because you'll seriously break something like you're face or arm.

you can't let some cuts and bruises put you off. i saw my sempei break his toe severly ((open compoud break)) last week on tuesday and the whole tip of his toe had moved to the right and was horizontal while he had bone exposed. he had been practicing a double kick that only 5 mins before he had done the same kick in training.

[dave_pfc]

I'm not worried about sparring, it would just be nice to come away without cuts and bruises, therefore padding is probably the best short term solution.

[Soheir]

I'm not worried about sparring, it would just be nice to come away without cuts and bruises, therefore padding is probably the best short term solution.

In my opinion, if you want to do your style fully, as a style that it is. It's not possible! If you spar, like they do in knockdown styles, you will get bruises and maybe some cuts (?)too, Idon't get where do you get them from though.

[Toptomcat]

He said earlier that his gi sleeves are short: I think that might be why he's getting cuts on his forearms, because he's blocking bareknuckle strikes with bare forearms. Just getting a longer gi might prevent some of the cuts.

[Soheir]

He said earlier that his gi sleeves are short: I think that might be why he's getting cuts on his forearms, because he's blocking bareknuckle strikes with bare forearms. Just getting a longer gi might prevent some of the cuts.

Then they must do hell of a lot of that kind of blocking.

[TheKarateKid]

He said earlier that his gi sleeves are short: I think that might be why he's getting cuts on his forearms, because he's blocking bareknuckle strikes with bare forearms. Just getting a longer gi might prevent some of the cuts.

he's not blocking correctly then. when being attacked Jodan by your sparring partner or whoever the proper block is jodan age uke which is to have your forearm at an angle like so

http://www.3battleskarate.com/images/jodan%20age%20uke_lg.jpg

when blocking Chodan the right block should ALWAYS connect with the wrist and not the hand and when counter attacking you sweep the opponents fist across their body so you have access. learn Chudan age uke correctly and you won't get hurt

[/url]

[Toptomcat]

The strictly traditional karate blocks are not terribly applicable to knockdown kumite. Dave's sparring is not the stop-and-go affair you may be used to: even if one strike is blocked perfectly with a textbook chudan age uke another few tsuki will be headed down the pipe, and they'll hurt! This is what a successful competitor in knockdown looks like.

As an aside, that's a pretty poor jodan age uke by the standard of orthodox Shotokan: the fist should be facing outward, with the wrist straight, not bent.

[TheKarateKid]

yes i agree it is a poor example but it was the best i could find. To me knockdown karate looks more like boxing in a do-gi! all i suggest then it train at home with wrist and ankle weights on and that way you build up the strength in your forearms and not your bicepes. in karate all power comes from your hips, once you nail hicatai you're righ