Is Point Sparring Worthless?

[helmutlvx]

Why do you think you can't cause organ damage with a punch?

You don't think people suffer internal bleeding as a result of wounds suffered during fights?

And while hardly deadly...have you never been floored by a good shot to the solar plexus?

You're right that there is more long-punching to body in point Karate than other stuff. The body is a bigger target with a bigger scoring zone, plus it's easier to shoot in coming high low, than low high.

****. I edited this like four times and I'm still not satisfied with my response.

Some karateka think this will happen if they get punched hard enough.

YouTube- Hokuto No Ken - Kenshiro is badass

I don't understand why, but there's some weird obsession over it. I have been hit in the solar plexus and internal bleeding can certainly be caused by a strike, but combat is less flamboyant than most people think.

Mostly because they've never gotten into a fight in their entire lives. Much like some of these point-sparring Shotokan types.

[XXIV]

And while hardly deadly...have you never been floored by a good shot to the solar plexus?

Even a soft, nearly playful punch to the solar plexus can hurt like a mother fucker ! That and I hate getting punched in the sternum that part of my chest bruises like a retarded peach.

[aiyer]

****. I edited this like four times and I'm still not satisfied with my response.

Some karateka think this will happen if they get punched hard enough.

YouTube- Hokuto No Ken - Kenshiro is badass

I don't understand why, but there's some weird obsession over it. I have been hit in the solar plexus and internal bleeding can certainly be caused by a strike, but combat is less flamboyant than most people think.

Mostly because they've never gotten into a fight in their entire lives. Much like some of these point-sparring Shotokan types.

I don't think anyone, or at least anyone I know, thinks that way. The sole reason why most punches in point karate are to the body is due to the competition rules.
Punch to the head and punch to the body are scored the same, however you can get penalised for punching the head to hard whereas there is no limit to the contact to the body. So people punch the body.

Which is a flaw if you want your sparring to mirror 'fighting' since you'll have people punching the chest or stomach when the head is right open.
Or worse, people jumping in with a rear punch (gyaku tsuki) leaving their head right open considering that if they hit, they get the point and if their opponent counters to their head, he won't have controll and will receive a penalty.

[helmutlvx]

I don't think anyone, or at least anyone I know, thinks that way. The sole reason why most punches in point karate are to the body is due to the competition rules.
Punch to the head and punch to the body are scored the same, however you can get penalised for punching the head to hard whereas there is no limit to the contact to the body. So people punch the body.

Which is a flaw if you want your sparring to mirror 'fighting' since you'll have people punching the chest or stomach when the head is right open.
Or worse, people jumping in with a rear punch (gyaku tsuki) leaving their head right open considering that if they hit, they get the point and if their opponent counters to their head, he won't have controll and will receive a penalty.

Man, I gotta get better friends to fight with.

I do feel a bit of an ass for throwing out a half-formed thought on a thread full of very logical summations.

There is indeed a methodology behind point sparring, as well as a list of specific reasons of why it has evolved to its current form.

But in my mind it's the same as TKD where I can overhand right the dude in the face while I shin kick until they puke.

[maofas]

Yeah or boxing where you could kick them in the legs and kickboxing where you can take them to the ground and wrestling where you could just punch them and mma where you could just bring 5 friends and and guns. Sometimes it's more productive to focus on what people are doing that's right rather than what they're doing wrong or lacking.

[DayOfTheJackass]

I have heard John Will say that point fighters can have excellent tools at their disposal for self defence as they're trained to react quickly and get that first shot in.