mixing shotokan with street fighting for protection..

[Dobbersky]

This Sensei sounds really Intense, more of the Old School Karate of days gone by when you couldn't get out of your bed upto 3 days after your dan grade lol.

His methods are good, too many clubs tend to work on competitions and having "champs" in there schools doing tippy tappy bouncy bouncy one strike and stop sparring.

I think your Instructor seems to more akin to Kyokushin than Shotokan. Kyokushin means "The Ultimate Truth".

I did hear from my Sensei a story about a 7th Dan Shotokan Karateka who worked on the doors as a favour for a friend. He had to deal with some drunken lads and it ended up he swept them, then finished with a rear punch which stopped just millimetres from one of their faces (a perfect finish for a competition 10 points). The guy on the floor looked up and swung and knocked him out for the count and got up and walked out leaving the 7th Dan on the floor.

This shows that Karate "conditioning" that you learn ion the Dojo you translate into street situations. If you Sensei allows Semi Contact/Full Contact Sparring, continuous, all the better; as most of the time one strike is not enough on the street.

Also Finally I have never ever been attacked by someone adopting "Zenkutsu Dachi Gedan Barai" except in a Karate Dojo

PPS.

Never loose sight of who and what you are! You make the karateka not the karate makes you. I've seen people change in attitude and become aggressive due to the "conditioning" that they have had. make the difference. If you can get out of a confrontation WITHOUT fighting you have used your Karate.