Karate dosen't work?

**Wolf1099** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 8:20pm

Hi. I've been browsing the web and I've seen a lot of stuff about how Karate dosen't work and a lot of black belts even do not win in street fights. I took karate when I was like 7 but I quit quickly, but I know a lot of you take karate seriously and have been practicing for years. Is this a true fact that karate dosen't work? There's some pretty painful kicks and hand striking techniques in there. Peace.

- Wolf

**Hannibal** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 8:31pm

Of coarse it dosen't work !!Its basically kickboxing.
I've seen dozens of karate practitioners in many many dojos train.The way they train,isn't the way they fight.When training and doing kata they stand in lovely deep rigid stances with their fists chambered by the waist line while they do reverse punches. Yet when they do sparring,its just like kickboxing. Karate guys bounce around on the balls of their feet,they flick jabs and **** like that. All that solid forearm upper and lower block stuff is to slow and dosen't really work.

Muay Thai or kickboxing is more direct and straight to the point.They are the probably the best stand up striking arts.Karate has alot of useless baggage attatched to it.If you can try MT of KB. If not do boxing.

**Kempocos** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 8:58pm

Not all KARATE fights like described, the hand chambered and down blocks in Okinawian styles are used for grappling and throws. In the school I train at nobody bounces on thier toes.

**Black_Rose** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 9:04pm

Hmmm, i dont know about what Hannibal said.

Sure alot of Karate is BS, but i do believe alot is misunderstood by the general public espically when it comes to their kata work.

Frankly i have known quite a few people who study Karate who fight like absolute monsters and dont fight like kickboxers. It really depends on the person, personally things like kata are important as they are a FOUNDATION of techniques and movement which after understanding its concept can be changed to your persoanlly preference in order to make them applicable. Thats just a little bit of what i have gathered. So yes, Karate doesnt work.. FOR YOU! but. for many other people it does and good luck to them .

TRAIN HARD!!! :)

**IndoChinese** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 9:05pm

Karate work? not at all.

See it uses punches and kicks, even some sweeps and throws, and *gasp* even chokes.

problem is, those things only work when done by a MMA fighter trained in Muay Thai or BJJ.

before MMA came along and defined reality, we all lived in dreamland. Now that we have been brought to earth by the double leg tackle, we see that, in fact, Karate does NOT work.

thank god for the cage. cause till now, nobody ever fought before, and we actually used to think that Karate DID work?

Hey, maybe it only works on Japanese people!? That's a thought...

**Southpaw** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 10:25pm

Originally posted by Hannibal
Of coarse it dosen't work !!Its basically kickboxing.
... Yet when they do sparring,its just like kickboxing...................Muay Thai or kickboxing is more direct and straight to the point.They are the probably the best stand up striking arts.Karate has alot of useless baggage attatched to it.

wtf?

**udo** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 10:50pm

Most karate schools train like crap. The same stuff that happens in TKD. Too much emphasis on forms, never really hitting a bag, let alone another person.

**Nihilanthic** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 10:53pm

I think what he means is in MT or just vanilla KB you train your punch like you use it. You train your kicks like you use them. You do bag work and pad work and condition and spar.

versus....

Meditation, learning Japanese, doing rictualized things, kata, board breaking and using chambered punches and deep rigid stances and KIAIING when you do that reverse punch.

I'd hapeen to agree that cutting the crap is a good thing. If I want rictuals and various cultural things I'll go to Japan (in that instance). If I want to meditate I'll go find a monk. I just want to learn the techniques and drill.

**udo** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 10:55pm

What Nihilantic said. Right on the money.

**GAB corp.** · Posted On: 12/30/2003 11:05pm

I hate to say it but I agree with you guys for the most part. Modern sport karate doesn't appear to be very effective from what I've seen, mostly because I believe they train for point sparring tournaments, which is fine assuming that's what they want. I don't like the bouncing and the tapping but hey, there's nothing you can really do.

I also do karate but we don't train for sport. We don't kiai or break wood.