You guys rock. Found this channel yesterday. Studied karate as a kid and teenager but didn't realize a lot of its practical applications especially in kata. When the UFC came along, karate's image seemed to take a hit, but now people are realizing how effective in can be in combination with clinching, and ground game. Thanks for the vids.
Kata applied in kumite has a chance of getting dangerous and bloody!. Please do wear protection gears while sparring !. Awesome content as always!. Thanks again Oss
(Ignore any English fail) I thought I would live without having the opportunity to one day see what a real karate combat would be. But I discovered your channel. More specifically, I do not mean a semi-contact competition, but true karate, the old and really traditional way. The application of techniques just as we do in Kihon and Kata, but not Shiai Kumite. I practiced the Shotokan style, but for the most part during practice, as most practitioners must think, I never understood what the applications of the movements we did outside Shiai Kumite would be. It seems to me that this causes a certain alienation about karate. Many students think that Shiai Kumite is the real combat of karate, that's what you use in a real-life situation. But many teachers do not explain that this is not how it works. They just focus on the sporting side. It might be necessary to reform the way Karate is taught, or at least make students aware of what the real Katas and Kihon applications would be like, even though they are not yet graded enough to practice it. The sports side is good, okay. But we can not let them think that Karate comes down to just that. I have seen practitioners being knocked out in amateur competitions for using Kumite against full-contact sports opponents. This is an absurd! It seems that the Shorin Ryu style is still closer than traditional and non-competitive Karate. Too bad I do not find a school to practice the style in my town. Thanks for sharing this info. Keep on this path. OSS!
Great stuff. I've said before that while people think Kata dilutes the combative aspect of Martial Arts, introducing it to sparring just makes it more destructive, and effective under pressure. I call it "deadlification"
Great video, now I want to spar in the dojo using only kata techniques, I'm from Bolivia, currently practicing Karate Shito-Ryu, my black belt exam is this january and I was feeling that all the katas that I trained so far was no used properly, your video prove that, I really need to use all the movements learned in kata during kombat. Amazing skills and please, keep it up!! Greetings from Bolivia! OSU!!
I used to hate on karate and it's useless kata cause I always felt it was so point like . Now I know karate can be very good as now a days all the styles are doing full contact so I respect you guys for what you are doing . Any martial art that uses deadly force in a sparring scenario and that doesn't look stupid earns my respect
karateculture still, i have to point out that if you're gotta practice things the same way you will realistically fight. so in a fight if you're not gonna do katas, i will suggest not doing it at all. of course i know in this video you're fighting only using katas
+temenos58 Thanks! we're glad you enjoyed it, it looks very unconventional compared to modern perceptions of karate but we feel like we are starting to scratch the surface of how this should've been done. thank you
Very good video! More, more, more please! yesterday I had a quarrel with vice-instructor of my dojo about kumite. No teaching it at all and was pretending a sparring! OK, so I am grateful to you guy: i will study your sparring videos and I will apply it in my karate trainings. I want to see the face of vice-instructor when I will show your techniques :) All the best for you!
hey could you guys do a video about kumite with the kata vs kumite with the usual method (ie the typical kumite stance/approach or like how kyokushin fighters would spar standing in) like a comparison or a sparring session? haha😅 i always wondered why kumite looked the way it looks despite all the kata and bunkai especially after reading karatebyjesse and browsing through videos of different karate schools. btw, your vids are really amazing and eye opening! keep it up!
Thanks to You and Your videos I understood the meaning of the kata's and how to use them - after few years of learning. I guess, better now, then never... I think that's the original way of karate, not some jumping, punching from mile, kicking with 420 degrees roundhouse kicks or something acrobatic ;) I like Your meaning of kata's. Great Job!
this is such a great comment and gives us more motivation to make more videos, thank you so much! we're so glad you got to a deeper understanding of karate!
Really enjoyed your video's thanks for sharing. I do Shotokan and was really interested when my instructor said that when you move it's subjective. I'm currently orange belt and have a long way to go but didn't realise that even basic blocks can be turned into advanced moves Do you have any tips as a student. Again many thanks!
that's a great way to put it, everything is subjective and also anything can work depending on the situation and whether or not you've trained it. It sounds like your instructor is very knowledgeable, good luck with your training! Since you're still early in your journey, just keep showing up to class. That's the hardest thing to do once life gets in the way, many times the most talented ones take their skills for granted and stop showing up. But those who figure out a routine and attend classes regularly, those will be the ones that progress the furthest. Good luck!
i admire how you put your videos out there on youtube. i am not good enough to ever do so. however, if my limited understanding of karate history is correct - the kata must be able to defend against an attack you never see coming until it is almost connecting. in that case, have you ever done "pink panther" style sucker punch/surprise attacks and see if the first move of your kata "works" against that? as far as i understand karate from a forensic/archaeological perspective, there is no guard and there is simple no time for what are commonly considered "defensive" moves (i.e. blocks)... just try it with the very first move of pinan shodan or yondan and see what it tells you. there are a few "rules" to make it work though: do not brace the legs, do not kick off the floor, and do not twist/turn the hips and shoulders. and your attacker has to have the upper hand at first (i.e. no setting and waiting for the attack, you can't know when it is going to come) and he has to be as fast as this guy draws his sword at at around 0:47 on this vid... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-t93ThAl7M00.html Oh, and no, Sanchin basedKata don't work because historically they were designed for a differing scenario. :)
Hey guys, I love Karate. I love Kata. I like you guys, I feel like you're doing something good to combat the extremely negative reputation Karate has gotten over the years due to it's departure from it's pure form to the vastly diluted "art" we have today. Please know that this post is meant to be constructive. Having said that, a little about me: I've been training in various styles of Karate and martial arts for a very very long time. I've been in dozens of street fights and I have a few amateur MMA bouts under my belt. I believe fitness plays as much a part in combat effectiveness as combat training does. When I watch your videos, I can't help but feel like you are doing it backwards. Finding a reason to use Kata techniques because they are your favorite movements, or because they are movements from a specific kata defeats the purpose of practicing them in the first place. It's because of the limited ways the human body is able to attack that ideal movements have been developed to respond to those attacks. Limiting your responses to kata techniques is just that: limiting. This is the first and last mistake of the modern Karateka. Kata makes you explosive. It teaches you to move in unconventional ways, and ways that can be effective given the situation. Bear in mind, it is not my intent to sound disrespectful by any means. My point is this: Use a technique because of it's effectiveness given the parameters of the situation, not because it's in some kata. On a side note, if you feel like you can cherry pick specific techniques from a kata and successfully use them in a combative situation and use only those exclusively, try it out. I promise you that in that time of need, when real danger is present, you will find a better more natural more effective way. It may not have any movements from a kata you know, and you'll be better off for using it.
+musicpro26 Thank you for the very constructive comment, it sounds like you are experienced and really want to help out. Although we disagree with some aspects of your comment, we understand where you are coming from. Kata should hold all the tools of combat since it comprehensively holds responses to every movement possible of the human body. Any deficiency you see in the video is our fault alone and our lack of experience in drilling the movements rather than because of the kata itself. Kata definitely makes you explosive and we agree that it helps you move in unconventional ways. We've even experimented on that type of fighting where you just let loose and let the movements happen without restriction. It definitely works even if it feels a little unrefined at this moment. On the other hand, picking specific kata movements that fit our bodies and align with our personalities might be a better route since it brings up the debate about mastery of basics versus being a jack-of-all trades. Karate becomes individualized at a higher level. We would like to achieve some sort of mastery over the body (both hard and soft) but my movements can never be the same as someone else's just because of our anatomical make up and our own mental/physical limitations. Therefore, perhaps drilling specific responses to attacks that fit our bodies might be a good route to go down. At the same time, we do including a freeform, non-limited method of fighting in our training sessions. This is because we believe the best route would be to train every possible way of fighting so that nothing seems foreign. Thank you for your comment, we appreciate your concern and hope to train and learn more from you one day.
Looks like somebody missed the like button. I have always questioned the applicability of point style sparring as it translates to combat outside of point competition. Don't get me wrong, I think it has its place, in terms of conditioning ones reflexes for accuracy as well as in out movement; but in many ways it can limits ones full implementation of kata. How often do you engage in full gear, freestyle sparring?
+IndigoXYZ18 We realize that we're showing some pretty unconventional stuff so it's understandable that not everyone will agree with it, however we appreciate your support! Definitely agreed that point sparring has its place and we try to train as many variations of sparring (point, full-contact, grappling, ground combatives, etc.) as possible to develop ourselves as much as possible. Kata-based sparring is just what we've gravitated towards because, in our opinion, it truly expresses the original meaning of karate. In terms of full gear, freestyle sparring, that takes up around 5-10% of our training. We understand that it's necessary to develop our reflexes for full speed attacks with 100% resistance however full gear sparring doesn't develop the fine sensitivities needed to really mold us into martial artists. Therefore, we primarily focus on drills, like the ones in our videos, with varying levels of resistance and at the same time we do full gear sparring to give everything a reality check. thanks for the question!
karateculture Another metaphor that I think applies, is the concept of learning knowing a language vs speaking it. Communication via spoken word is the end game of all language, in the same sense that combat via applied technique is the ultimate purpose of any martial art. However just because somebody can speak a language, and effectively communicate their message to an listener, does not mean the fully comprehend the language's structure, and syntax. It is true that the rules of language are not near as structured and far more fluid and malleable in application, and in most situation we only use small amount of the full vocabulary we posses; but the difference between only knowing the words you will most often use and having a full vocabulary, is the difference between sounding like what you speak is your second language, or sounding like you are speaking your mother tongue. When it comes down to it just like how knowing how to speak is more important than knowing how to read, knowing how to fight is more important than understanding martial forms, if you are concerned with baseline practicality. However you are never going to be able to wield your language (be it martial or spoken) with wizard like proficiency until you have mastered the its structure and syntax. Personally I think freestyle sparring should be practiced somewhere closer to 15-20%, with the focus on speed, pressure and precision (save the power for conditioning and pad drills), to simulate the what you are likely to face in an unwanted and unsanctioned street bout. This is unlike competition sparring, where sparse clothing is worn, biting on the ground is prohibited, there is a more relaxed atmosphere more focused on winning rounds and impressing judges rather than surviving a violent encounter.
Thank you! Choy li fut is a great art! Wish we could find a place to train that here, it's great to hear from those outside of karate, we appreciate the support!
Great work as always, but remember well that if you really want to understand the combat concept than you need to do CONTACT sparring....well, I don't know if you already do it :)
If you look at some of the best fighters they have a tendency to bounce in the balls of their feet. Although it does seem like in the clenching range or anywhere close to that it seems like it's more practical to not bouncing The Balls of feet so much
the bounce is a product of training for an exchange, "i strike him, i move out, he strikes me, i block" etc. If you watch traditional combat like say how samurai square off with their katana, or how sumo begin their matches, it's from a slow crawl or from a stand still. The idea is that the first one to commit to an attack will continue attacking until the threat is over or he is dead
Karate Culture I slightly disagree. If you look at Fighters like vehicle mechita or Conor McGregor they use the bouncing of the feet too quickly move off to one side and counter-attack which allot of times ends the fight with seemingly one punch or one kick. Being light on your feet means you be able to maneuver around your opponent more quickly. It's the fencing Style. But as you've demonstrated within this video I do agree that within a certain range bouncing on the balls of your feet can leave you wide open for a variety of attacks. To me it's all about the range and each range dictates that certain stances and techniques work better within those ranges.
your videos are fantastic and john msgregor (the fighter) is right that modern martial arts like mma are losing this ablity from the traditional martial arts that were loosing the balance and the way how we incorporate kata and basic training to our sparring. As a Oyama Karate student (another branch of kyokushinkaikan karate) I feel little shame of myself. Maybe should I join Shotokan or Gojuryu Karate for finding a right way to being a karateka?
Kyokushin karate is a great art that teaches mental fortitude and body conditioning, does your art have katas? Generally speaking, Okinawan karate dojos would do more of the bunkai and self-defense applications found in kata but don't lose the art you chose first, it's all part of your martial journey. Shotokan is a Japanese derivative, so if you were to find another dojo, the Okinawan styles of Goju, Shorin, or Uechi would be more similar to our videos. Good luck and keep training!
I practice Shotokan and our katas closely redemble more to Shito ryu more than Shorin ryu. Both these okinawan styles are shotokan's foundation. However with that being said the bunkai between both shotokan and shorin ryu katas are the same.
The purpose is to balance what you have learned. And at times to break your limits or create focus points to learn more with other martial artists.. You should learn what to expect by furthering your questions on the martial arts' movement and control.
Guys, I like the way you train. Do you train a specific style of karate? Cos' as far as I can see u kind of do a mixture of several styles. Am I right?
We've training in many different martial arts growing up and are ranked in an Okinawan style called Shorin Ryu. However, after a while it really all depends on what you choose as your path as a martial artist. we were lucky to run into a sensei who was a retired green beret and border patrol officer that used kata in the field in everyday situations. Ultimately, every style at a higher level will gravitate towards the same conclusions: efficient movement through body mechanics and physics. Currently we're ranked in Shorin ryu but like to represent the old ways of karate, that's why we also have a private instructor for wrestling. Also, we train daily at a brazilian jiu jitsu school so there's that influence as well
+Tom Marker Each of us have been training the majority of our lives however really got into focusing on kata and movement in the last 4-5 years, thanks for the question!
Thanks for the answer! You guys are right on the mark with what I've been working towards over the last couple years (albeit a bit ahead of me in practice!) and the blend has really started to come together as the range gets closer.
I've read that karate, was never designed to become the hard style we've become accustomed to. A More smooth and flexible movement from its origins in Okinawa.
These punches from clinch are too wide though, does it happen in a real life fight situation? most punches from clinches that I've seen are usually straights not hooks.
Hmmm, its kinda hard to punch straight through someones guard. Usually a rounding punch will hit around their guard and can also serve as a means to drag their hands down in a grip fight. I think most of the fights I've seen have punches that come from the outside in not a straight from the inside. Thanks for watching.
I'll try, thank you for your answer. Reading again my comment, I think it may sound like I'm saying it's not there, sorry, I put an emphasis in the "I", I know "I" have bad times trying to see the kata on these drills. I'm green belt in Shotokan, but the way sensei teaches, we learn lots of advanced katas.
