is karate an effective fighting art?

[cross]

Geez Martial Artist. Sounds like you need to learn how to avoid situations rather than get mugged by every person that walks past you. Or you could stop giving fictional examples.

[Martial Artist]

Geez Martial Artist. Sounds like you need to learn how to avoid situations rather than get mugged by every person that walks past you. Or you could stop giving fictional examples.

 

Yes, I know how to avoid confrontation, but it isnt always possible

[Kamidake]

I think Sauzin brought up a good point about changing the way you think. I am only going into my fifth month (not karate, though) and I am already beginning to use my peripheral vision much more, to look around for something that could be used as a weapon wherever I go, and to think about our drills in all my spare moments, mentally running through them. As far as the karate issue goes, I think some styles are mainly intended for sporting competition, and I expect those are indeed useless in an emergency. One reason I stayed away from karate was I was highly suspicious of its efficacy; I have heard too many sad stories of, and from, black belts who were attacked in a bar or by a mugger and badly injured. Those may well have been people who studied a sporting version of karate. (I don't know enough about karate to know which version is sporting and which is practical, and rather than gamble my life on a mistake, I just signed up with Jinenkan, which states right up front that it is strictly practical.)

[Scorcho]

Depends on the school and Sensei. However, I do think that in almost every fight situation it at least gives you confidence and helps you mentally. Technique doesn't help if you are to mentally unstable to use it!

[Sasori_Te]

Karate is as effective as the person performing the techniques. There are many other factors to a street fight than how many techniques you know or how well you can perform them. Perhaps a better way to put it is knowing karate does not neccessarily mean you know how to fight. With a little luck and if you're careful you'll never have to find out.