All in the same post!
First, this is what a truly badass martial art looks like- and for once I’m not talking about either MMA or Krav Maga:
No question about it- traditional karate, of the kyokushin or shotokan styles, is seriously lethal. As you can see in the video above, when kyokushin karate students engage in kumite (contact sparring), they do so with almost no protection at all. Those who become truly proficient at kyokushin-style karate really are true killing machines; their bodies have been conditioned through years of hard contact to be strong, agile, and resilient.
Worse yet, from the perspective of an antagonist anyway, is the fact that those who practice these styles do not fear getting hit. That’s because they’ve been getting hit, hard, in kumite for years if not decades- and with almost no protection. There is nothing like the agonising sensation of feeling your shinbone connect with someone else’s knee to help you realise just how painful full-contact sparring really is- and these guys don’t hold back when they spar.
The question of whether such styles are actually effective on the street, however, is much harder to answer.
Is kyokushin karate all that useful when you’re dealing with someone with a knife? Maybe. Against someone with a stick? Probably. Against someone with a gun?…
At any rate, now that you’ve seen what truly great martial artists look like, here’s a taste of what terrible martial artists look like:
2 Comments
I kept waiting for Doug to use the Miyagi Crane Kick. I worked for Daniel, after all.
It did seem like his foes in the Kumite avoided attacking his left leg, whether it was intentional or just how they edited the film. It was interesting to see the cultural differences in training and fighting (for example, no blows to the face, although they didn't mind kicking the crap out of the rest of the guys' heads).
"If do right, no can defense…" =)
It was interesting to see the cultural differences in training and fighting (for example, no blows to the face, although they didn't mind kicking the crap out of the rest of the guys' heads).
Probably also because jawbones are more likely to break fingers than the other way around. If I had to punch someone in real life, I would generally aim only for the chin or nose, and then only for opening shots- everything else would be to the ribs, liver, kidneys, or groin.
Kicking people in the head, though, is VERRRRRRY satisfying…