Kirves Posted June 8, 2003 Posted June 8, 2003 Sure they were. But even in the old days, if a peasant killed a wealthy man who attacked him, he'd go to jail - or worse. Karate has lots of different kinds of defences. Especially the old Okinawan styles, which train lots of throws, takedowns and control holds too. Anything from eye-rakes, throat punches and neck breaks to simple locks and holds are in old style karate. But rarely is anyone killed with a single blow to the torso. There's a saying in karate, "ikken hissatsu" = "one punch, one kill", which was originally misunderstood by some mainland instructors and even more by the west. Originally it was taught on Okinawa to mean "treat any technique/attack as if it could be fatal" but through some misunderstandings and translation errors, some textbooks from earlier this century taught it meant "aim to kill with a single punch".
mArTiAl_GiRl Posted June 8, 2003 Posted June 8, 2003 Things won't happen without reasons. So, try not to involve in that or anything, be careful, but don't let it get you down. Kill is love
mikS Posted June 8, 2003 Posted June 8, 2003 I thought the techniques were originally developed for use in combat? For self-defense? I am quite sure that is the case for Okinawan karate. Yes, you are 100% correct.
Sensei EJ Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 The aim of the martial artist is control. I would think, if the strike killed him/her, that there was a serious lack of control. I am quite sure that the Shihan of the dojo instills this aspect of budo in the students. One of my Renshi's past away a few months ago. He was in his forties and in great shape. He had a heart attack unexpectly after a jog. He had a cardiovascular disease. He nor anyone, including the doctor he saw the week prior, knew anything about it. Needless to say, his passing was a great loss to everyone who knew him. Back to the topic...I would not worry about being killed from training. If you feel that the students lack control, pursue another dojo. I would never give up Karate. You will be happy you did not.
Guest Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 We had a black belt who was around 40, doing just fine, karate kept him in great shape. One day he was teaching class. Right after, he went to get a drink of water, felt dizzy and sat down. Then he passed out and was rushed to the hospital. We found out he had a brain aneurysm. No warning signs or anything. Stuff like that does happen, but not too many cases where people actually died from sparring because so many precautions are taken. You have to wonder what would have happened if they didn't stay fit in the arts? Could they have had more problems w/out staying in shape?
Kirves Posted June 18, 2003 Posted June 18, 2003 And the fact that one looks okay, doesn't mean he doesn't have some hidden health problem. So much is up to nutrition, lifestyle, genes, general lifestyle. Just because he's one tough cookie on the mat, doesn't mean he's healthy as a horse.
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