karate and self defense?

[chinto]

I, most energetically, do NOT agree with this. Some time ago I would have, but not now. The difference is that I started looking at Iain Abernethys works on bunkai. Bunkai that do NOT start with the opponent coming at you with martial art techniques, but actually is based on realistic situations and no-nonsense applications to counter street techniques.

I highly recommend that you take a look at his work. It is a real eyeopener.
http://www.iainabernethy.com/

yes and no, In that a man who is trained will tend to use strait punches as well as hooks and things. but some on the street use both or only strait punches like a martial artists tend to prefer, and other hooks and such more like an untrained brawler. we look at bunkai from both perspectives , the liner and the circuler, and the brawler. We cover the ground both ways, and I think that is a good thing to do. but, not all street fighters are brawlers who only use the big hooking punches and not all martial artists are going to use only liner techniques, so I would recomend you do at least look at both.

 

[Em MacIntosh]

In retrospect, I don't think it's so much the technique as much as the calm, controlled atmosphere. Not that we have whole lot of choice. To practice under pressure mimics the encounter better, as does relentless, fast attack (an attempt to overpower). It has it's place beside sparring, but sparring I find more fluid and under more pressure. I'm finding I'm leaning less and less toward bunkai. Though most bunkai is like jiu jitsu to me.

 

[chinto]

In retrospect, I don't think it's so much the technique as much as the calm, controlled atmosphere. Not that we have whole lot of choice. To practice under pressure mimics the encounter better, as does relentless, fast attack (an attempt to overpower). It has it's place beside sparring, but sparring I find more fluid and under more pressure. I'm finding I'm leaning less and less toward bunkai. Though most bunkai is like jiu jitsu to me.

bunkai is a very good tool! should be used to point out how meany diferent things kata is teaching you weather you realize it or not.
sparring is also a good tool! It helps a lot with distance and timeing and other things such as reaction time and such. I would say that each is a tool for a diferent thing but together they help us understand and aply that understanding.