If a Martial Artist were to discuss the various reasons they train Martial Arts, a plethora might come to mind including:

• The desire to exercise and keep one’s body in good shape.
• The desire to learn a new skill or skills.
• The desire to compete and possibly win some tournaments or a belt.
• The desire to interact with others and create friendships.
• The desire to make some amount of money.
• Last, the desire to defend oneself in a physical confrontation.

When discussing the last one in particular, then many individuals might consider a particular Martial Art superior simply because it has a better Self-Defense curriculum. However, I’d say that more important than the particular Martial Art is whether the curriculum is grounded in a set of principles. This story shall discuss a few.

Would Cover All Forms of Fighting

The first entry is probably the most obvious, but I think any Self Defense curriculum that’s worth its salt would probably cover all forms of fighting. This would include striking and grappling but would also cover the basics of weapons handling. Alas, even after the success of MMA and the UFC, I’d say many purists still exist who prefer proficiency in one Martial Art. A claim made by former Navy Seal Jocko Willink somewhat echoes this line of thinking:

“Here’s how it works out. If you come to me and you wanna fight me and you like square off in like a boxing stance, I can run away from you. Like there’s my primary self defense, I’m just gonna run away from you. When you grab ahold of me, now everything’s different. I can’t run away anymore. Now I have to actually know how to handle myself in a grappling situation. So that’s why start with Jiu Jitsu.” [1].

For the most part I’d agree, but a BJJ practitioner can still get sucker punched if they don’t understand body cues and danger zones. Willink says start with Jiu Jitsu perhaps claiming that an individual can learn other forms of fighting, but in my experience training separate Martial Arts can be somewhat problematic. My rationale is that different Martial Arts have different rulesets and different techniques that might be attempted from similar positions. As an example, we could discuss Judo.

Judo is a stand up grappling art with two opponents attempting to throw each other to get an Ippon (or one point). Alas, when Judokas try for grips, they’re not worried about their opponent punching them in the face despite boxers employing similar postures. The presence of both strikes and takedowns gives athletes a unique burden of needing to multitask between multiple rulesets.

Granted, I’d say BJJ practitioners would have an easier time cross training than Judokas or Wrestlers but they might still run into difficulties. This is why I think an individual should train in all forms of fighting.

Fitness would be a Massive Priority

Next up, we shall discuss fitness. I’m no exercise scientist, but I would say that an individual’s fitness could be assessed via the following four attributes:

• Flexibility: The ability to stretch one’s body past certain limits.
• Power: The ability to move a certain mass in a short amount of time.
• Stamina: The ability to sustain a strenuous activity for a lengthy period of time.
• Strength: The ability to move a certain mass.
• And perhaps a few more.

And, out of all these attributes, I’d say Stamina is the most important by a wide margin. My rationale is that there are few situations as dire as being in a self-defense situation and out of energy. I think I can remember a conversation I had with a Judo Sensei about Self Defense and the stamina necessary.

“Whatever you do, you better be able to do it for thirty seconds.” He stated.

I’d agree but would increase that by a scalar of at least three.

I’d say strength (along with power) and flexibility are less important but are still attributes helpful to one’s performance. Consider that a Judoka might find themself in a Self Defense situation and need to use one of their throws.

As mentioned above, judokas will try for different throws but throwing a resisting opponent is a difficult endeavor and (in my experience) a fraction of throws completed are powerful enough to end matches. If a Judoka finds themselves needing to utilize a throw, however, it should be as violent as possible. Here, strength is helpful as an attribute that will increase the speed for which an attacker travels through the air. I’d say that it’s harder to integrate strength into striking, but a skillful boxer can also utilize their strength to put just a little more mass into each strike. Flexibility also provides benefits for higher kicks and certain submissions from odd angles.

And so, I’d say that anyone who wishes to prepare themself for Self Defense should be in decent physical shape.

Would Discuss Clothing and Attire

This next entry might seem the strangest, but I think a Self Defense curriculum should cover how clothing or hygiene choices can become Self Defense liabilities.

One can imagine a hypothetical scenario where a Muay Thai practitioner is being antagonized by a homeless man at a bus stop.

The Muay Thai fighter (containing enough power to drop the man with one punch) steps forward to engage. He doesn’t intend to seriously injure the man but rather diffuse the situation through a few hard strikes. As he steps forward, however, he steps on concrete wet from the prior night’s rain and slips. The Muay Thai fighter gets back to his feet quickly, but the situation could’ve been much worse.

Here, an experienced fighter was almost defeated because he slipped before even throwing a punch. With a different set of shoes, however, the probability that he would’ve slipped can be diminished. This is why I think any serious Self Defense curriculum should go over clothing for liabilities or assets. Just to throw out some examples:

• Shoes: As I just stated, shoes that don’t grip the ground might cause an individual to fall on slippery surfaces. Conversely, shoes with extra protection might add to certain kicks and I don’t know too many individuals eager to receive a hard kick from steel toe boots.
• Pants: Tight pants can restrict movements making kicks, footwork or even certain submissions difficult. Conversely, loose pants provide flexibility of movement to make certain techniques possible.
• Jackets and Sweatshirt: A thick jacket or sweatshirt might keep an individual warm during the winter, but it also provides plenty of leverage when being pushed or pulled. When I first started training Judo, I was amazed at just how many throws were started by manipulating the Gi. BJJ practitioners also utilize the Gi of an opponent via various chokes or submissions and I can remember a girl (of lesser strength) choking me with my Gi. Now granted, utilizing clothing for throws or submissions is something few individuals have experience with, but it remains a potential liability nonetheless.
• And perhaps a few more clothing items.

Closely related are choices one makes about hygiene or body modifications. In the 1991 Horror Film Child’s Play 3 (spoiler alert), a deranged barber informs a young cadet that the military haircut began in Ancient Rome to prevent a Soldier from getting his throat slit. Although the historical accuracy of this claim might be questionable, long hair does give an attacker something to grab. Similarly, one might decide to get their ears or nose pierced and this also gives an attacker something to grab.

This is not to say that an individual shouldn’t have long hair or earrings, but these are things to take into consideration and I think Self Defense curriculums should cover them.

Learn Some Breakfalls

In the previous section, I mentioned how a Muay Thai fighter might slip and fall on a slippery surface. Well, I’d say that as far as Self Defense goes, learning how to actually take a fall is pretty high up on the list. This requires making sure one hits a surface with a particular part of one’s body and slapping the ground at the right moment. This is a skill taught to many Judo students (often called Ukemi) but some BJJ students might also learn this.

The lack of success of Judo in MMA (at least compared to Wrestling and Muay Thai) makes me believe that break falling as a skill might not be as common as it should be. Nevertheless, I think everyone interested in Self Defense should know the basics of how to take a fall.

Should Teach You How to Injure Someone

Next up, I think Self Defense courses should go over the necessary steps to seriously injure, maim or even kill an attacker.

When one considers the various scenarios of a Self Defense incident, then there’s always the possibility that an individual would be faced with incredibly dire circumstances that would call for certain techniques banned in Boxing and MMA. Consider the following scenario:

A woman who has a Blue Belt in BJJ is walking to her car one night when a man outweighing her by twenty pounds confronts her asking for some change. The woman says she doesn’t have any and wants the man to leave. The man keeps approaching and eventually tries to grab her. The woman knows enough BJJ to take the man down and get Full Mount. As the woman has a Blue Belt, she knows enough grappling to get on top but she’s not an expert and the man is struggling to get back to his feet. Deciding to end the exchange quickly, the woman proceeds to stick her thumb in the man’s eye permanently blinding him in one eye.

Under these set of circumstances, I could see said woman’s actions being justified in a court of law.

The banning of these dangerous techniques is a source of criticism against MMA and Boxing as the ruleset is inherently different than that of a Street Fight or Self Defense situation. An apparent Wing Chun teacher said so:

“If you’re not practicing (and I mean practicing) eye attacks, thumbs to the eye, groin hits as well, you’re not doing self-defense.” [2]

To a large extent, I understand this feeling but there’s no real way to practice gouging another man’s eye and do so multiple times; One would run out of training partners rather quickly if they did. The closest an individual can get is to practice these techniques against animals (hopefully dead) or inanimate objects like the instructor practicing against the dummy. I’d say that modern technology has made it even easier to practice these techniques and to measure efficiency. To use the eye poke from the video, high speed cameras (and also AI) can measure the speed and accuracy for which an individual’s thumb travels toward its target. Even here, an individual is practicing their technique against an object that is not fighting back or even moving away.

On the other hand, Martial Arts (MMA included) that have sparring allow a student the opportunity to practice non lethal techniques against other students actively resisting these techniques. To use my background in Karate as an example, then I’ve probably thrown hundreds of kicks during sparring or drilling over the years. Most kicks are not lethal, but they remain something I can utilize that I have actually practiced before using in Self Defense. Traditional Martial Arts training is also beneficial as one learns good footwork to set up strikes or positioning and posturing on the ground. To elaborate, I’d say equally as important to actually gouging an eye or stomping a knee is putting oneself in a position to where they can do so. At the risk of offending a few WWII Era Commandos, stabbing a sentry in the neck isn’t that difficult (depending on the size and sharpness of a knife). Actually putting oneself in a position to where they can stab the sentry is extremely difficult, however, requiring examinations of paths and a stealthy approach. This is why I think BJJ is a great Martial Art to learn even if students aren’t actively trying to kill each other.

When one thinks about a rolling session they might go through in a BJJ class, then this usually involves two students competing for positions to eventually get a submission. One submission they can attempt is that of a rear naked choke where a student chokes another student from behind by using their forearm and bicep to cut off blood or oxygen. Alas, the student performing the technique also has access to the eyes of the other student so gouging out said eyes wouldn’t be too difficult. Put another way, the student getting choked is largely at the mercy of the other student. I’ve heard similar arguments as to why the “pin” in Judo and Wrestling is a definitive end to a match where the individual on top is free to pull out a knife and finish the engagement. So while BJJ students and Wrestlers aren’t actively trying to kill each other, they are practicing putting themselves in positions to where they could potentially hurt or kill each other if desired. This is precisely why Fighter Pilots stop with missile lock when practicing their dogfighting skills.

Still, I think there is benefit in practicing certain techniques designed to kill or maim another individual. The problem, as stated above, is that there’s no real way to practice these techniques against training partners leaving solo drills as the only viable method. Ultimately, I’d say even if an individual trained these techniques in solo drills, they might be reluctant to utilize them in the streets. This is a claim I make analyzing history and understanding that humans have natural inclinations to not harm each other. As an example, it was found that 25% or less of American Soldiers were actively shooting at enemy soldiers to kill them during WWII [3]. Now, it seems plausible that if humans are reluctant to shoot other humans at distances where facial features are illegible, they might also have difficulty crushing the windpipe of a human with their bare hands. This is why I believe the teaching of “crippling techniques” should really be accompanied with psychological training to allow execution of these techniques. Similar to how attack dogs might have a certain set of words designed to bring out aggression, I think every self defense student should have some switch they can trigger when the moment arises. How this can best be done, however, should probably come from experienced psychologists.

Of course, it’s sort of a mute issue if an individual has not the ability to put themself in positions where they could actually perform these techniques in the first place.

Would Deal with Sudden Violence and Unpredictability

Next up, I think that any good Self Defense curriculum should cover how to deal with unexpected violence or aggression.

I think many Self Defense styles exaggerate differences between sanctioned fights and street fights, but MMA fighters might also overestimate their effectiveness when startled. Consider that in an MMA Fight, two fighters have weeks to prepare for a fight and start the fight at opposite ends of the octagon. In the streets, however, a fight can begin when any individual throws a fast sucker punch as close as a few feet away. Something Self Defense legend Tony Blauer pointed out is how the great Boxer Muhammad Ali could fight heavyweights yet get startled when someone throws a punch on a talk show [4]. When one considers Ali fought individuals like Sonny Liston, Earnie Shavers and George Foreman, there is credence given to the claim that differences exist. This is why I think certain basic movements should become instinctual and can be triggered in the event of a startle response.

Although Karate Students (in my opinion) don’t get near enough time sparring to actually utilize the lessons from kata in sparring, I’ve been told this is a benefit of learning kata. As an example, I can remember an old Karate Shihan telling us about how he utilized a combination from a Kata in a sparring session and did so somewhat reflexively. Whether this type of conditioning can be repeated or not, should determine if Kata is the best way to satisfy this need.

Like training students to injure attackers, the exact way to build Operant Conditioning for unpredictable events like Self Defense situations should probably come from psychologists.

Would Introduce Added Stress into the Mix

I’d say the last entry might be most important, but I believe that Self Defense curriculums should have all the drills one might find in a Martial Arts class, but a decent percentage of content (particularly sparring) should be practiced under stress. But why? The reason comes down to what I would call the “Training Gap”.

I’d say that many great Martial Artists would likely do significantly worse in their first few street encounters than their competence would allow. There are a few different reasons for this, but I’d say they all have a basis in different stakes. Consider that when an individual spars in a Martial Arts class, they spar with another student and both try to develop their skills. The tempo tends to be somewhat slow and neither student worries about the other student bashing their head after they’re already unconscious. In the streets, however, rules (other than gentleman’s agreements) do not exist and there is no referee to step in when things go south.

My own opinion is that the closest an individual can get to replicating the stress of the streets is via competition. Here, an individual is competing with (potentially) millions watching and this introduces a type of stage fright that musicians or comedians might also suffer from. Even here, I’d say boxers and MMA fighters don’t compete often enough to remove all stress. This is where manufacturing the stress comes in.

I’d say there are probably a handful of different ways in which an individual can introduce some amount of stress into an activity including:

• Food deprivation: Depriving oneself of calories for a lengthy period of time.
• Sleep deprivation: Depriving oneself of sleep for a lengthy period of time.
• Cold Temperature Exposure: Subjecting oneself to freezing cold temperatures for a lengthy period of time.
• Hot Temperature Exposure: Subjecting oneself to hot temperatures for a lengthy period of time.
• Loud Noise Exposure: Subjecting oneself to loud noise (or noises) for a lengthy period of time.
• Physical Exercise: Going through various exercises designed to raise one’s heart rate or trigger muscular fatigue.
• Foul Odor Exposure: Exposing oneself to various odors which smell foul and introduce feelings of repulsion.
• And perhaps a few other methodologies.

My hypothesis is that Self Defense curriculums would best prepare students for the Streets through methodologies similar to those employed by the Navy Seals.

When an individual examines the steps necessary to become a Navy Seal, then they must go through a lengthy selection course called Buds and one particularly difficult week is called “Hell Week”. Over the course of an entire week, students are allowed less than ten hours of sleep and forced to perform strenuous exercises while being shouted at and in cold temperatures. Similarly, I can envision sparring to become realistic when performed by students deprived of food and/or sleep, in cold rooms, with heavy metal music playing, with foul odors disrupting one’s natural breathing and often against students of a heavier weight division. The general idea is to make the training as unnatural as possible. It should also be mentioned that this type of training would be the tip of pyramid sitting atop a whole lot of fundamentals.

Of course, without any detailed and expansive scientific evidence, the proper methodologies are anyone’s guess.

References

1. “Jocko Willink Explains Why Jiu Jitsu Is the Best for Self Defense” YouTube. Uploaded by WarriorWealthWave. 4 September 2024. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4gLVbWf6Fmw
2. “MMA is Not Self-Defense” YouTube. Uploaded by Greenville Academy of Martial Arts. 31 October 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp23--fuNBU
3. “Why Most WW2 Soldiers Never Fired Their Weapons — The Classified Study That Shocked The US Army” YouTube. Uploaded by Battle Portraits. 25 July 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJXtHvjdXZM
4. “Violence Expert: Real Self-Defense Is TERRIFYING” YouTube. Uploaded by Jesse Enkamp. 2 July 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgS-5j_jTm4&t=26s

What would a Quality Self Defense Curriculum Look Like? was originally published in The Thinking Martial Artist on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

With the rise of MMA, the general public has seen practitioners of many different Martial Arts bring their respective skillset to the Octagon. If, however, a general spectator were asked for the best basis for MMA, a relatively small list might emerge including:

1. BJJ
2. Wrestling
3. Muay Thai
4. And perhaps a few others.

When discussing Karate though, I’d say many individuals would share a certain degree of skepticism about the Okinawan Martial Art being effective for MMA or Self Defense. Opinions as to why Karate isn’t the most popular Martial Art anymore are likely to be mixed, but I’d say that many of them could be addressed with an updated curriculum. Henceforth, this story shall discuss the various drawbacks of Karate and how the Martial Art can be updated for the 21st century to become a more complete fighting style.

Must have Sparring

I’d say this first point is really only an issue for certain Karate styles, but all Karate schools should have some amount of sparring for which students should participate in. There are perhaps a few reasons for this, but I’d say that Sparring is essential because it allows a medium for which to pressure test techniques and figure out what works. With freeform sparring, the techniques only work on willing participants and these dynamics are unlikely when discussing a Self Defense situation.

Again, Karate styles such as Kyokushin and Kudo already have full contact sparring so this point is more directed towards other disciplines.

Fully Defined Kihon

If one were to examine all the things that made Karate unique, at least a few things would come to mind including:

• Standardized Uniforms (called Gis).
• Katas (or choreographed movements that students are to perform multiple times).
• Ceremonies (E.G. Ways for which a student is to bow into class and bow out of class).
• Last, standardized basics that are called Kihon.

When discussing Kihon in particular, then this typically involves different students performing certain solo techniques related to fighting including:

• Tsuki (or punch). Traditional Karate has three different levels for which Tsuki can be directed.
• Geri (or Kick). There are many different kicks including Front Kicks, Side Kicks and Back Kicks but this also includes Knee Strikes.
• Uke (or Block). There are at least a few different Blocks including High Blocks, Middle Inside Blocks and Middle Outside Blocks.
• Barai (or Parry). The term Barai might mean a sweeping motion but can also translate to a Parry or misdirection of a strike.
• And maybe a few others.

Ultimately, Kihon is sort of controversial with some considering it too unrealistic and others deeming it a valuable part of training. To discuss the former, the trainer of former MMA Fighter Chuck Liddell pointed out the obvious flaws in the traditional Karate Punching hand position (called Hikite) where one’s face is exposed [1]. My own view is somewhere in the middle and I think Kihon is a valuable training methodology provided it’s accompanied with sparring. This is an opinion I hold from over a decade of training Kyokushin and witnessing the many students I’ve met going on to becoming heavy hitters.

When examining the Kihon of students, however, these are likely to be mixed with slight differences existing between the Kihon of one student and the Kihon of another. As an example, we could discuss the technique Jodan Uke (or the upper block).

Jodan Uke is typically used to block strikes towards one’s head and the formal variation is probably (of course) too exaggerated to be effective in an actual fight. Nevertheless, I think it remains good for providing a basis level of biomechanical understanding.

I’d say I’ve seen at least two variations of Jodan Uke from different students.

1. The first is to have the underside of one’s forearm exposed as they intercept the strike.
2. The second is to intercept the strike with the side of one’s forearm such that the ulna is facing outwards. This is the way I was taught, and I think the rationale was that a block is more supported when one’s two bones are in alignment.

Other variables are also at play when a Karateka performs a Jodan Uke including:

1. The stance they are in and whether they can use kinetic linking from the ground up.
2. The posture of one’s body (as far as whether they are leaning forward, leaning back or at an upright position).
3. The angle of separation between one’s body and one’s upper arm.
4. The angle of separation between one’s bicep and their lower arm.
5. And many others.

But for this example, one can assume that all these are equal and the only difference is the section of one’s forearm that a Karateka blocks with. As I was taught a certain way, my bias will inevitably be towards the way I was taught, but I think there’s a relatively easy way to determine the best way for the technique (I.E. Does it work?). Simply put, does the technique do what it is supposed to do?

When it comes to Jodan Uke, then this should be able to block an incoming strike and (I think) should block an incoming strike against a larger opponent. Now granted, each student might naturally have slightly unique Kihon, but this is fine so long as their way works. As the phrase goes.

“The proof is in the pudding.”

A Practical Use of Kata

Next up, we shall discuss Kata.

Katas have various moves in a sequence for which students are to practice repeatedly. Out of everything in the traditional Karate curriculum, I’d say there are few methodologies as controversial as Kata.

1. In one camp, traditionalists might think Kata is the most important part of training and is indispensable.
2. In another camp, skeptics might consider Kata to be a complete waste of time.

As with Kihon, I am sort of in the middle but think that Karate organizations should restructure how Kata is utilized in the curriculum. Before discussing modifications, it might first be beneficial to discuss the criticisms that some individuals might have about katas.

1. Kata typically involves students performing various techniques against the air, but hitting an Uke or blocking a strike gives biomechanical feedback which allows for high levels of mastery for these techniques.
2. There is not just one kata but rather several. To discuss Shito Ryu, the Martial Art has dozens of Katas and (assuming a student will be tested on these) this mandates that a student must memorize a lot of content using Route Learning over deeper understandings.

And, I’d say these are valid criticisms related to Katas. Ultimately though, I think something should only be removed if it’s without purpose or if other activities provide substantially more content and yet, I’m unaware of any detailed study related to Kata and its effectiveness. Truthfully, I think Kata (as a very abstract concept) has applications in many fields and combat is no exception. A pretty good example of this can be found in firearms training.

When practicing with one’s firearm, an individual typically shoots bullets at a target a distance away. When this becomes too easy, an individual might make the drill harder by adding time constraints or by introducing some physiological stress. One thing they might consider, however, is to shoot multiple targets in sequences to simulate scenarios with multiple attackers. If, for an example, an individual anticipated being accosted by two individuals, then they might practice a drill with two targets separated by a few meters and practice neutralizing the left target before moving onto the right; they might also practice a scenario with three targets and shoot the middle before moving onto the left or the right. I can remember having this discussion with a Judo Sensei.

“Those are drills.”

Well, who’s to say a kata couldn’t be looked at like a drill in itself? Traditionally, Kata is done solo with students punching the air or blocking imaginary strikes, but two person katas do exist where techniques are performed with an Uke. If nothing else, one might think about keeping Kata as a textbook for different techniques.

I previously wrote an article on Kata and how I think Karate puts too much importance on the practice but truthfully, a story dedicated to how exactly Kata could be utilized in a Karate curriculum would probably deserve its own story.

More Stringent PT and Fitness Standards

Next up, we have the issue of Fitness.

Walk into a Karate class, and there is a nonzero possibility that at least a few students will be out of shape. These students might even be upper belts but one can still tell that fitness is not the top priority. To be fair, this is somewhat understandable given that Martial Arts are really but a recreational hobby for a majority of practitioners. Also, at the risk of sounding like I’m using kata as a scapegoat, this will always be an inevitable byproduct of making kata the single most important part of training. To use myself as an example, I had every intention of being in excellent physical shape for my Black Belt test but the need to memorize so many katas meant dedicating this time away from other activities. And so, there is a measurable difference in the average fitness level of karate practitioners with practitioners of other Arts (E.G. Wrestling).

Now, skeptics might claim that fitness is of little importance simply because most of the techniques are designed for people of smaller stature with limited abilities. Put another way, if you have to rely on athleticism, then this is sort of an indictment about the effectiveness of the Martial Art. To an extent I agree, but one shouldn’t necessarily view Martial Arts competency and athleticism as two attributes at odds with each other. Rather these are things that can complement each other. To discuss the Martial Art of Judo, then this typically involves throwing or sweeping an opponent in hopes of getting an Ippon.

An experienced Judoka shouldn’t need to rely on physical strength to throw opponents, but strength can be useful as an attribute to assist with their throwing capabilities. Consider the Judo throw Ippon Seoi Nage.

Ippon Seoi Nage typically involves trapping an opponent’s arm in between one’s bicep and forearm before spinning around to release the throw. Such a throw might resemble a young child throwing their backpack off when they get home from school. The Kazushi (or Off Balancing) can be accomplished by grabbing the Gi under the elbow of an opponent and dragging their arm forward. This will pull an opponent forward, but an opponent might anticipate the intended throw and constantly pull the arm away. Now, a very physically strong individual might be able to get the same Kazushi by pulling the Gi near one’s wrist instead and this might be easier to grab onto. Here, strength will not complete the throw but it will get the throw started. I believe Karate is similar in this regard.

In actuality, I believe that many talented Karatekas are somewhat limited by subpar athletic abilities and capabilities. The most obvious example I can think of is the usage of flexibility when performing high kicks.

Traditional Karate does a pretty good job teaching students how to punch and kick, but I’d say a relatively small percentage of students (upper belts included) have the ability to kick head high. One can improve with good flexibility, but this requires implementing stretches into one’s curriculum. Still, one’s kicks might be limited to a maximum height of let’s say five feet and ten inches, but one can add a few extra inches by turning the kick into a jumping kick; Here, a Karateka might benefit from traditional Olympic Lifts designed to build explosive power and increase one’s athletic abilities.

I’d say a Karateka doesn’t need to have the fitness level of a CrossFitter or Gymnast, but improvements can still be made.

A Focus on Hard Body Training

As I come from a Kyokushin background, I have some experience with body conditioning in the form of taking heavy strikes and intercepting incoming forearms with my forearms so I’d say an individual get some Hard Body Conditioning in Karate. Nevertheless, improvements can be made.

When one considers that Karate features fighters trading blows, then there’s obviously benefit in making one’s body tough. I’d say that a certain percentage of this can be accomplished through stricter PT standards, but Karate practitioners should also spend hours hitting a heavy bag or Makiwara board. Similar to how a tank should have good armor before going into battle, a Karateka should toughen themselves up for impacts. A more complete analysis of how this can be accomplished should probably come from a medical professional or sports therapist.

A More Complete Striking Curriculum

The last entry might seem the strangest, but I think that the Karate curriculum should really be expanded to include a much more comprehensive striking curriculum. Now granted, karate has a plethora of different strikes that a student can learn including:

• Oi Tsuki (or Lead Punch)
• Gyaku Tsuki (or Reverse Punch)
• Ura Tsuki (or Uppercut Punch)
• Kage Tsuki (or Hook Punch)
• Hiza Geri (or Knee Strike)
• Kin Geri (or Groin Kick)
• Mae Geri (or Front Kick)
• Yoko Geri (or Side Kick)
• Ushiro Geri (or Back Kick)
• Ura Ushio Geri (or Spinning Back Kick)
• Soto Mawashi Geri (or Outer Cresent Kick)
• Uchi Mawashi Geri (or Inner Cresent Kick)
• Kakato Otoshi Geri (or Axe Kick)
• Ushiro Mawashi Geri (or Spinning Back Kick)
• Mawashi Geri (or Roundhouse Kick)
• And many others.

And, there are even more techniques when one considers that many of these techniques have jumping equivalents where an individual performs the technique in the air. Alas, I’d say that a majority of Karate students have mastered but a fraction of all the techniques available. Furthermore, when one examines not just strikes, but also blocks, foot movement and head movement, then striking curriculums can become quite layered and I’d say relatively few Karatekas can be considered truly well-rounded strikers.

To use myself as an example, I can remember sparring a student in class and trying to hit him with some body shots. The other student, however, fought with something of a lean where he positioned his head hunched forward like the late Boxer Joe Frazier. If Kyokushin allowed for face punches, then I would’ve targeted the face but had difficulty reaching his body. Superior footwork would allow me to flank said student, but I’d say this takes a decent amount of time and effort to master.

When a striker becomes well rounded, they become quite dangerous as they develop many abilities including:

• An ability to see incoming strikes in their early stages and formulate short term plans as a response.
• An ability to generate decent amounts of power from short ranges.
• An ability to change techniques in the middle of their journey when paths become obstructed.
• An ability to lay traps under the illusion of creating openings.
• An ability to attack opponents from many different angles.
• And many others.

I’d say few fighters showcase this mastery quite like the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell.

For a period of time in the 2000s, Chuck Liddell seemed to be virtually unbeatable. His experience as an Amateur Wrestler made him difficult to take down and his powerful shots made him dangerous to stand with. What’s more, Liddell had something of a unique ability to attack opponents from all angles making defense a difficult affair; I might use the metaphor of trying to stop a leak as other holes emerge which require the reallocation of resources. Another MMA fighter who demonstrated superior striking is that of Karateka and Kickboxer Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

Thompson’s Karate background gave him the unique ability to attack opponents at unexpected times from unanticipated angles. Such feats were achieved by:

• Employing a sideways stance that hides certain techniques behind the shape of one’s body.
• Mastering traditional techniques such that subtle deviations can be made to fit the situation (E.G. changing from a mid-level side kick to a head-high side kick in travel).
• Subtle sideways movements meant to disrupt the processing of an opponent and disguise potential attacks.
• Having a variety of techniques mastered to utilize secondary attacks after the first is no longer appropriate.
• And a few more.

Thompson and Liddell’s success indicates that Karate training does have some of the ingredients for high level striking if thrown into the proper recipe. This is why I believe that the traditional Karate curriculum should be expanded to produce well rounded strikers who are Subject Matter Experts within their fraction of fighting.

References

1. “Hikite? What is it really?” uploaded by THE PIT Online Dojo. Apr 7 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9RH8kfq-Ds

How Karate can Adapt for the 21st Century was originally published in The Thinking Martial Artist on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.