Nobody 'uses' karate.........
by Daveyboy on May 28, 2009 1:09 PM EDT
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PrintI am a huge Lyoto Machida fan and I am a long time Shotokan karate practitioner and competitor. I have to tell you, I am feeling pretty good about last Saturday night. Having said that, I feel compelled to write concerning the amount of attention karate has been receiving since Machida's victory, in particular, Shotokan karate.
One common statement I have been reading over and over is that Lyoto Machida 'used' or didn't 'use' his 'karate'. Like 'karate' is a 3-wood in his golf bag that he only pulls out for particular shots. Karate is not used any more than an NFL wide receiver 'uses' his athletic ability. Karate is a way of 'programming' your body to move and react and it takes years and years of practice. That's it.
Karate techniques in their raw form are ridiculous looking. 'Oizuki' or 'lunge punch' for example, is a technique practiced by stepping forward in a long stance with a straight punch extending from your back hip while the other hand (the retraction hand) is pulled back rapidly so that your it rests on the other hip. Does that sound like a technique that is actually going to be 'used' in a fight? Of course not. It isn't used any more so than a push up or a sit up in a fight but it's practiced hundreds of thousands of times. It's conditioning. Karate is just a practice of disciplined mind programming and muscle memory to facilitate automatic reactions and balanced movement.
The truth of the matter is that karate is a full package of tedious commitment. Basic techniques, 5 step sparring, 3 step sparring, one step sparring,'free sparring' (if you last that long), and finally, I have to mention it, the perfection of kata. Remove any one of those components, including kata, and the finished product is incomplete. This is the basis of Shotokan karate training. MASS repetition of self-handicapped movement to create a fast, powerful, balanced and disciplined fighter.
To me, Machida is no mystery. Lyoto Machida, in addition to being tremendously athletic and multidisciplinary, is simply a product of dedicated karate training and programming. Does Machida 'use' karate? No. Does his mind and body react and move in a certain way because of decades of Shotokan karate programming? Yes. Can anyone fight the same way Machida does? Of course. Start training now and report back in about 20 years.
Note: I am not trying to say Machida is unbeatable. I am only trying to outline how his particular style came to be.
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thanks for posting
interesting input on the discussion
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Karate
I am a long time Shotokan karate practitioner
I suspect we’ll be seeing this quote from a lot of folks for the foreseeable future.
...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
…followed shortly thereafter by “I WAS DOING KARATE BEFORE IT WAS COOL!”
...Behold, a pale horse. The man that sat upon it was Wieters, and hell followed with him.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Doubt it
If anyone even does have a karate background it’s usually Taekwando. I believe the man.
by poundnground on May 28, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions
"Karate is not used any more than an NFL wide receiver 'uses' his athletic ability. "
Using the mentality of his karate training is still using karate. The style of an art is still the art and one could even argue is more defining than an actual strike/form/submission/etc..
I’m not sure where to start with your NFL analogy except to conclude that when combined with your opinion of a person using karate perhaps your understanding of the word “use” may be different than what is commonly accepted.
I guess what I should have said was, it would be impossible for him NOT to ‘use’ karate in a fight. It would be pre-programmed. Maybe focus on the sit-up or push-up analogy.
I had actually chosen to ignore those since they were more blatantly incorrect than the football analogy. I’m unsure how you have been able to view fights and not see anyone flex their spine or push.
Don't be such a pedant
Simco, how about take the article as a whole for its many insightful points from a person who is a Shotokan Karate practioner and who competes rather than pick pointless holes in a couple of analogies he has made. Whether or not the analogies hold up fully you can understand the points he is making, which help to give an insight into how top level Karate fighters don’t necessarily incorporate Karate into their MMA skillset in the way that others fighters do with boxing or Jiu Jitsu. I think the post also makes people understand how rigorously discplined Karate is, and how it seems to transcend being simply a combat-based martial art.
Good post, Davey, interesting read.
Exactly my point
Sure they flex their spine and push but are they choosing to ‘use’ a push up or a sit up? No! It’s an automatic response from conditioning.
I understood your point just fine
And thought it was a good post. The Perfect Analogy Police notwithstanding.
"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it." -Hal McRae
"I was doing this when BJ was in his father's nutsack." -Renzo Gracie
by Sweep_the_Leg on May 29, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
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