The best karate

Kara te - empty hand is the modern translation with the modern characters.
Kara te - China/Tang hand was the original description. Funakoshi was one of the ones who pioneered the alternative spelling and meaning as part of his promotion of Karate as an exercise form and self improvement vehicle rather than a fighting system.

 

Bruce Lee was in favor of cross-training.

I think you are referring to this quote:

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Goes along with the idea of this saying, "A jack of all trades is a master of none", and is basically saying that it takes effort to get really good at something and really understand it.

This has nothing to do with cross-training because cross-training is to supplement your own training and helps to understand your own art better. So part of mastering karate is to go out and cross-train in other martial arts, only after doing that can one truly appreciate and improve their own karate.

What is the danger is not cross-training, but rather the danger is in not actually building a good foundation. Foundation + cross-training (jack of all trades) = stronger foundation. No foundation + jack of all trades = weak foundation.

In fact, Bruce Lee warned about systems that claim to teach everything and thus discourage cross-training. Well rather than explain, here is the quote:

 

Unless your life or someone else's is on the line it's downright foolish to try to disarm someone who is robbing you. Not surprisingly this is advocated by many of the top names in self protection in the industry. Self protection is 90%+ mental skills and >10% physical skills. Realistic self protection systems are based on very broad skills that can be applied over a number of scenarios. They are not very technique heavy. It's more mindset and aggressiveness.

Where do you live? Perhaps we could help you find something else.

Rather than expect to be spoon fed all of your training....why not get a few friends together on a nice afternoon and practice 2 on 1 fighting scenarios? Experience is the best teacher after all.

Give your buddy a foam pair of nunchaku and have him attack you. Trial by fire.

Being attacked by a nunchaku-wielding crackhead ninja is probably the least likely of most of the self protection scenarios you need to worry about.

Good luck finding that style because it doesn't exist. The only "style" that can come close to that is your own personal fighting style. And that can't be taught. It needs to be developed through hard personal training by (drum roll) you. As a shodan your instructor can't hold your hand anymore. It's time to take charge of your own training. When I was training in Okinawan karate (Goju Ryu) while stationed on Okinawa many of the training sessions were based on individual effort. We would practice kihon and kata hard or work on hojo undo. Meanwhile my instructor/s would walk around and occasionally correct but for the most part what you did was on your own. Why? Because it's your training. You can take it as light-hearted or as serious as you wish because it's yours.

 

Most of that is straight Oscar Meyer baloney right there. Sometimes improper training can be even more dangerous than no training at all.

Sorry but about 90% of what I saw in that video you posted I would not consider practical application.

I'd much rather use a video by Kelly McCann as a good reference point. His biggest strength is they are always constantly pressure testing so what he teaches now might be different in a few years as if they find something better they replace it. He's also the first to point out that his responses are primarily what works for him and are only a starting point for you to experiment and find your own methods. Through your own hard personal training. Are you sensing a theme here?

(NSFW - vulgar language. Cover your ears kiddos.)
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWQrkFErRuc"]KELLY McCANN - Slashing Knife Attack - YouTube[/ame]

 

Are you possibly thinking of the quote - "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."? If so that's not really a style issue. It's more back to what was mentioned before - you don't need a huge collection of techniques to address multiple scenarios. You need a solid foundation of simple effective ones you can use in a variety of different scenarios. That's the closest quote I could even find to what you're saying.

EDIT: Rebel Wado beat me to it.

 

I've taken quite a few robbery reports in my day (I'd venture to say dozens and possibly pushing close to triple digits). I'd say half usually involve a weapon which is typically a firearm (real or fake). None of them ever was robbed with the firearm shoved directly against their chest to my knowledge.

 

cool, thanks.

 

It makes me proud to know that the criminal element we have has actually taken the time to learn a little bit of competency with a firearm.

 

I didn't want to have to resort to this... but people swear style doesn't matter...

Let's watch this video.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSzSflkns8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSzSflkns8[/ame]

Mind you, this is his style. This garbage is what he practices, but according to all of you, style isn't important...

 

Yeah. Because the differences between those who populate his organization and those who actually achieve their goals in the martial arts are all personal. The individual who is honest with himself will not fall into that. The one who isn't usually will fall into something similar.

The good ones end up quite similar, and the poor ones do too. That particular styles and training cultures tend to attract one sort or the other does not mean that style is the defining factor.

 

Seriously? You really think you're right in what you're saying and that everyone else is just missing something. Doesn't matter if people who have been practicing for years, are established, have competed or been in actual self defense situations are contributing to the discussion with volumes of experience to you. Why? Because you know you're right regardless of any other input and you try to manipulate the content to work for you, even if the point you think you're making is ridiculous.

 

How do you know his style of training doesn't work? Because according to a lot of you, style doesn't mean anything. His style could work, and all of the practitioners could be chi throwing masters.

Of course, that's impossible. That's my point. People assume so much that it is the individual. It's not. It's the style you practice. Proper training is essential in understanding martial arts. If you are taught how to fire a chi ball, or you are not taught how to defend against a knife... well then you are 'effed in both scenarios. Your style employs either stupidity, or fails to cover all aspects of true self-defense.

(( BTW, I forgot to ask you. How did you mean when you said Enshin karate was "live"? Like, it's more realistic in how they approach the fighting? ))

 

I can tell you are getting annoyed/angry because I proved a lot of what you guys stood for and said wrong. If not, you wouldn't have resorted to bashing me with your reply. You completely ignored the point I was trying to make and just went ahead and bashed me for my post.

Childish much?

I thought we were having a normal discussion? My post had a point to it. Don't think your reply did other than try to bash me. Sorry that I disagree with you, sir.

 

This is how the thread has gone . . . .

Hamah: "I believe this"

Many Other Contributors: "Well sir, this is why we disagree" (followed by examples via experience, applications, teaching . . . etc.)

Hamah: "Well I still believe this, and here is this ridiculous video nobody in their right mind would even acknowledge as being a legitimate contribution to the discussion to prove why I'm right. By the way, all this is personal speculation, I have still yet to get out and start training."

I wouldn't be surprised if in a few more pages you miraculously discover this martial art that's so perfect in its doctrine, that you bring it to light for all of us to see and encourage us to join for a small hefty fee.

You haven't proved anything because the way you are reasoning things is not correct. People have just been being polite in trying to answer your questions. I'm annoyed at how you're just casting aside people's posts, many of whom are putting some real good insight and depth into them, with something like the video you posted and thinking it's legitimate to your argument.

 

Lol. Really, all I got from your post was -

"Hamah disagrees with me, and so I will get angry."

Really, how many times have I given argument after argument about how what style you practice is so important? It has barely anything do with the practitioner. I don't care if you become an expert street brawler. Or an expert Karateka. What you practice is so important.

You can go ahead and say that what's important to your needs is even more important. Fine. Go ahead and say that. I am not disagreeing, but the term self-defense shouldn't obscure you from the world around you. If you focus so much on punching, how will you be able to master kicking? Are you... like... do you not understand what I type? Must I do it in some other language? Want me to type it in Spanish? I will do it, sir.

The practitioner is so critical to mastering a martial art. Application is so important, but there is a fine line with knowing how to go about applying your knowledge effectively and properly, and not knowing at all. You can't assume things when it comes to your life. That's why the style that you practice is so critical. Can it teach you everything, in all aspects, that truly means self-defense? If not, go and cross-train. When did I say I was against cross-training? But, the fact that people tell you to go cross-train is so important. Why? It means that your current style isn't good enough to truly encompass what the term self-defense means, and so you must train in other styles that do. It's the style that grants you the knowledge in being able to apply what you learn properly and effectively through various training lessons. When you learn how to do something, you practice over and over in your dojo to learn it. If they don't teach it in the first place, how will you ever learn? You can't just go out and expect to perfect Wing Chun without proper training first. You must first train in the style, learn what they have to teach you, and apply it out in the real world <- up to the practitioner, right? Yes. But, what gave you the necessary tools to be able to have the confidence to know what you are doing and how to apply it in the real world through training? Your style. They might not have covered everything, but they gave you enough to start. You are not completely oblivious when you come across a situation like that because your style prepared you beforehand with proper training. And that's why your style is so important. Even general knowledge helps, but that's not enough. You need to go out, learn different techniques through different styles.

It's the styles that prepare you. The rest is up to you, yes, but your style gave you the tools through proper training and focusing on how to defend yourself in different scenarios that allows you to go out into the real world and learn. If your style didn't teach you first and foremost, where would you begin? You wouldn't know what to do. That's why your style is so important. What you study matters.

 

When I say "live", I mean moving against a resisting opponent who is actively and freely trying to defeat you, whatever that may mean in the context.

And you're still ignoring the main thrust of what everyone is saying.

Most styles which try to teach everything consistently produce crap. Krav is a prime example. There are exceptions, but they are individuals and not a reflection on the style. In fact, those exceptions are almost universally avid cross-trainers, where their poorer style-mates are almost universally not.
The people who consistently achieve well-rounded proficiency seek training in many arts and fill in one art's gaps with another art. This is because of the above point.

Mr Dillman is an unpleasant and dishonest man who attracts people who are also unpleasant and disonest(generally mainly with themselves). If he taught or practiced boxing, he'd still attract and produce fantasists because he is a weak man looking for validation and appearance without substance.

Paul Vunak, on the other hand, is a shrewd, talented, well rounded fighter with solid work ethic, an honest, analytical mind and an attitude which allows him to calmly and precisely hunt other human beings on a life-or-death scale.
He would be a formidable opponent no matter what style he practiced because he is driven to prepare himself realistically.


We all acknowledge that most styles do not cover every eventuality. You need to acknowledge that one can fill in those gaps with cross training and personal study.


And I think you'd be surprised how well general movement and ability to read and control an opponent goes. I've had no formal training with knives but I've put in some time sparring with them and more often than not my SAMBO has me coming out uncut, whether I have one or not. Obviously you'd want knife-specific training but all I'm saying is that it does indeed carry over.

 

Also, very simple question on how style is so important -

If I am a boxer, how can I learn how to kick properly and effectively if my style doesn't focus on kicking? Where is the application there? How can I apply anything in the first place?

You should go out and study Taekwondo if you want to learn kicking.

Style is so important.

 

Pearls before swine Kurtka...I doubt this one could find his ass in a bathtub

 

Man, I can tell with a post like that, all the people here take negatively to someone disagreeing with them.

"I'm sorry master. Please don't whip me. I'll be a good slave, honest. I will never disobey you again." Lol. You know how dumb that sounds? Thank whatever you want to thank for giving us the freedom to disagree.

 

I can barely begin to address how wrong you are...why makes it worse you are damn arrogant with it...and with no reason to be