Do you see the problem?

[wagnerk]

It looks like the style of karate is kyokushin (basing on the emblem on the gi's).

However, I can't take the video at face value for the point because:

1. It doesn't give each of the people's history/experience or

2. Rank

3. Rule set they were using

The karate guy may literally only have been training for 4 years (eg a new black belt) or not.

The karate guy is a first Dan (based on having 1 stripe on the black belt), the Wing Chun guy has no show of rank (he may have been a 1st degree black sash or a 4th, 5th or even a 6th degree black sash).

If it is Kyokushin karate (which I believe it is), their rule set is (even in knockdown) is no hits to the head (kicks are allowed) - which I believe is what took the karate guy by surprise.

Both guys have their strengths and weaknesses, but it was nice to watch

Anyway:

"expose yourself to the opposite end of the martial arts world?"

A little, I've crossed training in various arts.

"Most importantly, are you and/or your students sufficiently equipped for a challenge such as this?"

That's a fuzzy question, especially with the words sufficiently equipped . What outcome are you looking for? A draw, a win? The ability to say "No" to a challenge?

I've won and lost against people who have studied the same style as me - and the same thing has happened when sparring against people who have studied different styles and/or arts.

[bushido_man96]

The Wing Chun guy looked sharper, but I wouldn't say he won. I didn't hear anyone give up, but I don't know the language. Even though the Karate guy got a little wild, and didn't look to be landing the same percentage, he didn't get knocked out.

Aside from the fight between styles, we see a few things about fights in general:

1. Its real easy to lose your cool, and let training go out the window.

2. Its not as easy to knock someone out as might be though. The WC guy hit the Karate guy in the head several times.

3. Two apparently predominant strikers both end up on the ground. How important is learning to ground fight?

As for exposure to other styles goes, here in northwest/central Kansas, we don't have a lot of opportunity for exposure to other styles, especially like Kung Fu. The most we could get is some grappling exposure and Aikido. If it were me running the school, I would gladly bring in outside talent to train with.

[Montana]

The Wing Chun guy looked sharper, but I wouldn't say he won. I didn't hear anyone give up, but I don't know the language. Even though the Karate guy got a little wild, and didn't look to be landing the same percentage, he didn't get knocked out.

Aside from the fight between styles, we see a few things about fights in general:

1. Its real easy to lose your cool, and let training go out the window.

2. Its not as easy to knock someone out as might be though. The WC guy hit the Karate guy in the head several times.

3. Two apparently predominant strikers both end up on the ground. How important is learning to ground fight?

As for exposure to other styles goes, here in northwest/central Kansas, we don't have a lot of opportunity for exposure to other styles, especially like Kung Fu. The most we could get is some grappling exposure and Aikido. If it were me running the school, I would gladly bring in outside talent to train with.

Agreed. To me, it didn't look like the karate fighter was using any type of techniques at all. More of a brawl from his perspective, whereas the kuing fu guy was using technique.

Everybody fights differently, even within the same system. I've had kung fu stylists in my dojo and fought them, and yes, it's quite a bit different and has a different rhythm to it, but it certainly is possible to defeat them once you click on to how they move. Experience is a big factor in this and my guess is the karate guy wasn't very experienced outside ofhis own system.

[Dobbersky]

It looks like the style of karate is kyokushin (basing on the emblem on the gi's).

However, I can't take the video at face value for the point because:

1. It doesn't give each of the people's history/experience or

2. Rank

3. Rule set they were using

The karate guy may literally only have been training for 4 years (eg a new black belt) or not.

The karate guy is a first Dan (based on having 1 stripe on the black belt), the Wing Chun guy has no show of rank (he may have been a 1st degree black sash or a 4th, 5th or even a 6th degree black sash).

If it is Kyokushin karate (which I believe it is), their rule set is (even in knockdown) is no hits to the head (kicks are allowed) - which I believe is what took the karate guy by surprise.

Both guys have their strengths and weaknesses, but it was nice to watch

Anyway:

"expose yourself to the opposite end of the martial arts world?"

A little, I've crossed training in various arts.

"Most importantly, are you and/or your students sufficiently equipped for a challenge such as this?"

That's a fuzzy question, especially with the words sufficiently equipped . What outcome are you looking for? A draw, a win? The ability to say "No" to a challenge?

I've won and lost against people who have studied the same style as me - and the same thing has happened when sparring against people who have studied different styles and/or arts.

Definately not Kyokushin, the symbols on the Gi are the same as on the wall/mirror.

Even so, the Karate fighter wasn't prepared for this type of fight, which is fine, as next time he'll be ready. Wing Chun an awesome art but I rarely see Wing Chun in the Cage, shame as I think it would be one of the proment styles used

Also to "counter that, here's one featuring a Wing Chun Chun Champ and Ninomiya Kancho (head of Enshin Karate) in his younger days

[Zaine]

The Wing Chun guy looked sharper, but I wouldn't say he won. I didn't hear anyone give up, but I don't know the language. Even though the Karate guy got a little wild, and didn't look to be landing the same percentage, he didn't get knocked out.

Aside from the fight between styles, we see a few things about fights in general:

1. Its real easy to lose your cool, and let training go out the window.

2. Its not as easy to knock someone out as might be though. The WC guy hit the Karate guy in the head several times.

3. Two apparently predominant strikers both end up on the ground. How important is learning to ground fight?

As for exposure to other styles goes, here in northwest/central Kansas, we don't have a lot of opportunity for exposure to other styles, especially like Kung Fu. The most we could get is some grappling exposure and Aikido. If it were me running the school, I would gladly bring in outside talent to train with.

Solid post.

[evergrey]

"Do you, as teachers and students, expose yourself to the opposite end of the martial arts world?"

Absolutely. Not only do many of our good fighters cross-train in a grappling art, but we also have an open sparring day every month where martial artists of any style and rank are welcome to come play, so long as their leave their ego at the door and keep it friendly. We do stand up, rolling and stand up/rolling. We go pretty hard, unless our partners do not wish to. It's an important part of Kyokushin, we feel. Sosai was constantly testing himself and his students against other styles, and learning from them, so we endeavor to do so as well.

It's a great way to see what works against different techniques, and where we are as martial artists overall.

" Do you make sure that you or your students understand the principles of the other styles?"

I do my best to, and my instructors do as well.

" Most importantly, are you and/or your students sufficiently equipped for a challenge such as this?"

I'm just a 6th kyu, lol!

Our liability insurance is cheap, and therefore doesn't really cover the hospital bills of whoever would attempt this. I believe that my instructors could handle a challenge like that, if they felt the need to, but given that we have students, myself included, with chronic injuries that have to be protected, I don't think it would be allowed. That's just not what we're about.

We have a lot of people who are law enforcement officers at my dojo. At least 5 or 6. They have very important day jobs, and their skills are tested often out on the street, at least the ones who work the really bad areas that have a lot of drug use.

We also fight at full contact knockdown tournaments.

Pretty much, our head instructor would ask someone like that to leave, and if they didn't, they would have to take him on first. They wouldn't like it.

[yamesu]

Its definitely not the Kyokushin Kanji.

Interesting video!

Both of these guys are pretty out of their element I would say.

Also - interesting the perception of a lot of the viewers of this video. I watched this and saw two things by the end:

1) Who had drawn first blood;

2) Who wanted to keep going towards the end (once they were both back on their feet), and who didnt...

That about sums it up for me.

In response to Zaine's original post -

I cross train as much as possible, in addition to having Isah and Dan ranks in Kyokushin and Arnis, I also proactice Judo and kickboxing whenever I can.

Would I accept a dojo challenge? No - not of this sort. It goes against what I believe is the real underlying concept of Martial Arts. I would gladly invite anyone offering a challenge to the Next National Kyokushin full-contact titles and see how they fair.

On a side note - years ago my instructor had a much bigger guy come in who had been training kickboxing for some time, and asked to spar. Sensei took up the opportunity, and although somewhat smaller than the other guy, still managed to drop him a few times. Mind you - it was nothing the likes of the first video posted, it was all in good fun.

[Drew]

The only problem I see is the free triangle choke the karate fellow had around 1:20 that he didn't take.

It bothers me so when I see such awful grappling.

[bushido_man96]

The only problem I see is the free triangle choke the karate fellow had around 1:20 that he didn't take.

It bothers me so when I see such awful grappling.

I understand you here, but neither one of these guys is likely a grappler. Its just a natural human reaction when you are getting pummelled to close and clinch, to take away those weapons pummelling you. Even non-grapplers will end up doing this.

[Drew]

The only problem I see is the free triangle choke the karate fellow had around 1:20 that he didn't take.

It bothers me so when I see such awful grappling.

I understand you here, but neither one of these guys is likely a grappler. Its just a natural human reaction when you are getting pummelled to close and clinch, to take away those weapons pummelling you. Even non-grapplers will end up doing this.

I agree with you completely, which is why I think everyone should practice grappling in the first place. This is almost always what these cross-style matches end up as, sloppy grappling.