Depends on the Shotokan school. There’s the Shotokan stereotype of light contact point fighting, which is true of many Shotokan schools. But there are Shotokan schools that go hard contact and bare knuckle. Those seem to be the exception and not the rule, but they’re definitely out there.
People overlook the body conditioning they do - trading blows with a partner in many drills.
Good explanation JR137 there is certainly a lot of body conditioning in Kyokushin and it takes time to work the body up to that level of punishment BUT it is also important to train safely and to not injure you dojo mates to the point that they will be discouraged to come back. Conditioning the body to take shots is part of the style though so make no mistake about that. I used to come back from classes with scratches and bruises but after a few years it takes quite a bit of pounding to get the same marks on the body.Depends on the Shotokan school. There’s the Shotokan stereotype of light contact point fighting, which is true of many Shotokan schools. But there are Shotokan schools that go hard contact and bare knuckle. Those seem to be the exception and not the rule, but they’re definitely out there.
If you’re looking for the Pyung Ahn forms and bare knuckle sparring, one name - Kyokushin karate. Others do too, but it’s a guarantee with Kyokushin. More and more Kyokushin schools are going to protective padding, but it’s for beginners and the padding gets less and less while the contact gets heavier. Some Kyokushin schools will start off with bare knuckle full contact sparring from day one (my first school which was a Kyokushin offshoot did).
There are many Kyokushin offshoots after Mas Oyama’s (founder) death in 1994. Some got rid of most traditional kata and replaced it with their own kata the founder developed, but many kept it. Regardless of the kata, the Kyokushin roots are quite obvious to anyone who’s been around Kyokushin.
Kyokushin’s philosophy on fighting is basically two-fold; be able to hit hard and be able to take a hard hit. They’ll get you by constantly coming forward with hard offensive pressure and you won’t be able to hurt them even if you hit them with everything but the kitchen sink. At least in theory anyway
I loved every minute of it when I was in it. I was 18-25, so my body recovered far better than it does now at 42. I don’t know how long I’d put up with it if I started training like that again today. A year? 2 years? Karate is supposed to be a lifelong study.
I could do it if I had to. But at 42, I don’t hang out in the same places I used to nor hang out with the same crowd who’s looking for trouble. After a while I’d start asking myself why I’m putting myself through it again. I’d start finding excuses not to go. I love a hard hitting kumite session every now and then. I’ve got several higher ranks at the dojo who I really mix it up with. When I tested for 2nd kyu there were a few lower ranks also testing that didn’t start the contact sparring yet. They saw us going at it and were a bit shocked. Two seemed a bit scared and one was all excited about it. They didn’t realize that not everyone goes that hard nor is required to; they know how hard to hit me and I know how hard to hit them. And it’s pretty hard
My teacher did a great job of talking about knowing your partner and how hard they’re willing to go, and how you only hit as hard as you’re willing to get hit. So while I’m not sparring at that knockdown level like I used to, we’re still going pretty hard. But it’s not that day in and day out and every single person level like it was back then. It’s what Kyokushin guys do when they get older but still want to go hard when they’re in the mood. Funny thing is most of them are in the mood whenever I line up across from them. We know each other’s limits.
Man, I love that.
Sometimes, when you ask a stupid question, you deserve a stupid answer.
This is how i'm learning to walk from Karate. I also have done lots of Thai boxing. Is their a benefit to moving like this in a fight or competition? I never did learn exactly the method behind the madness of walking like this.
There's 2 practical purposes and 1 training purpose that I normally tell people I teach it to. The training purpose is that it helps teach keeping a low center of gravity, fluidity and how to balance your muscles properly. The two practical purposes are being able to 'switch' between southpaw/regular stances, and as part of an entering and off-balancing technique.
