Ok so i tried a self defense karate class called kokondo and i hated it there was no fighting to it and it made me realize i love the fighting type of training and lately ive had my eyes on kyokushin karate but im not having much faith in it sence its designed for sport and how they neglect blocking lunches to the face but is that really a big deal i mean if they can block punches to the stomach why not the face and they also have to block kicks to the face as well so i wanted to know what you guys think of kyokushins practical usefulness if you had to defend yourself
As with any style its as practical us you make it. The training in kyukushin is probably more suited than many styles when it comes to application outside of the dojo. Also don't get too hung up on the no head punches thing, just because it's not allowed in competition doesn't mean it's not trained at all, how much it is dealt with will vary drastically from club to club though. Besides if your that worried about is there's an easy fix just cross train with some boxing occasionaly and your sorted. In fact why not just do a combat sport like boxing, kickboxing or something similar? If you want hard training and just want the fighty bits then why not go for an art that does just that? The idea that something is 'just a sport' is a totaly flawed argument. Sports can be very effective methods of learning to scrap. They deal with resistance from an early stage and place an emphasis on drilling the basics and finding what works best for you, add some brutal conditioning and your doing well already
If you're looking to be able to defend yourself against people trying to fight with you, then being tough, fit and resilient are pretty essential. I think kyokushinkai type karate is pretty heavily focused on these attributes. There aren't many martial arts with such a crazy competition format - it pretty much relies on you being able to absorb damage and not back down. What you learn from martial arts isn't just the actual techniques, it's the determination and the attitude and the knowledge that you can fight and take a hit. I reckon the KK format is pretty good for encouraging that.
Never trained it but kk is a well respected form of karate due to the hard fighters it produces. I wouldn't get too hung up on the head punches. You might not have the head movement of a boxer but you'll get very comfortable handling an aggressive opponent which imo is more realistic than the majority of what is called self defense and rbsd. The ability give and take a solid shot should not be downplayed. Try it out, your other options are boxing, must thai, or a kick boxing system. I'd just make sure any kickboxing school you visit actually competes, kb can have pretty broad definitions for some.
Kyokushin is sometimes called "kenka" or "fighting" karate. Unless you find a terrible dojo (which is less common than in many systems) it is very practical.
