In here are many different h ow are ways to fight whether it be in competition, the dojo or the street.
This article touches on some of the points that should be considered for each of these three arenas.Some of the biggest issues for new karate ka are learning footwork, dynamic movement and knowing what techniques to use in the appropriate situation. Recently I did a survey and my suspicions were reinforced by the results. Over 80% of people are unsure what to do when they fight. Sure they might be able to make a strong punch, or have an idea of how to put a combination together but many can't do it under pressure with a moving target.
In competition,
there are many different strategies and tactics that are used. It's a game, like chess, where often the most clever player wins, not necessarily the one who can move their queen fastest across the board. Recent changes to W.K.F rules have considerably influenced these strategies. For example it's now legal to grab and throw your opponent without punching or kicking first. In the past you had to punch or kick BEFORE you could grab. So now you can simply cross the gap, grab your opponent and toss 'em on their back. Finish off with a counter punch or kick and the referee should give you 3 points.
In the dojo there's no referee there to tell you what's allowed and what's not. It's usually perfectly OK to rush your opponent, and take out their legs. You simply do what you like as long as it falls within the regulations of your club rules. However, make sure you ask your sensei before trying anything you're not sure about! You don't want to upset or injure your training partners.
Out on the street, there are also tactics, strategies and rules (called laws!), that you should consider at the time of conflict. Using the above example it might not be the greatest idea to rush in, try to take the legs of your opponent and wind up on the ground, particularly if it's a multiple attacker situation or if you have no experience with ground defense. You will be putting yourself in a vulnerable position.
Whichever the scenario, there are many common themes and I'd like to give you a few tips that will boost your overall fighting ability.
Know the Rules
This should be first and foremost on your list. I can't emphasize this enough. Whether it be in the dojo, street or competition, you must know the rules (or laws) by which you fight. Once you know the rules of the game, you can prepare a plan.
For competition rules, you must know them inside and out. Whether it be kumite or kata, you must know the rules. For kumite the rules are quite complicated and many coaches and even some referees struggle to get everything correct 100% of the time. This means one thing and one thing only - it is up to you to learn them yourself. (You can download the latest W.K.F rules from ) If you mess up during your fight because you didn't understand the rules, the buck stops with you. It is your complete responsibility. Not your coach's, not your friend's, but yours!
For the dojo, ask your sensei what rules you are fighting by. For example when you fight are you allowed to kick below the belt? Are you allowed to grab? Can you use your elbows and knees? Are you allowed to kick to legs or groin? Some clubs allow and actively practice this in the dojo, while others opt to stick to W.K.F fighting rules or similar standards.
The street is another very different arena again, however the same principle applies. You must know the law, how far you can go before your self defense situation turns into assault, your rights and responsibilities. Most laws in developed countries specify that you can use as much force as necessary to remove the threat... then stop. Anything past this point is often considered assault.
For example, this means you can use whatever you have at your disposal to take down an attacker who is threatening your life, remove the threat and no more. This doesn't mean that you can hit an old lady with a garbage can because she asked for the time and you got spooked.
So, the point is, know the rules by which you fight and do your utmost to comply.
Categorize Your Techniques
As you develop your fighting repertoire, it's a very good idea to write down the techniques that you learn, whether you like them or not. At a later date you might change your focus and you'll wish you could remember those techniques you once learned some time ago.
Categorize your techniques and keep them in your karate Break your fighting section into competition, dojo and street sub categories.
You might be thinking that you know what techniques to use and when, but by writing down your thoughts you'll find that a couple of interesting things begin to happen.
When you put pen to paper write as though you have to explain it to a beginner. This makes you explain each technique in detail, which in turn helps you understand the application on a deeper level. You will quickly uncover aspects that you overlooked and find ways to improve your technique.
You will find that with small modifications, many of the techniques that you use when sparring can be adapted to self defense. For example a punch to the head in competition, might become a punch to the throat in a self defense situation, or a punch to the stomach might become a punch to the solar plexus, while the footwork, the line, the distance and timing might all remain the same.
Too often under pressure (particularly in the street) karate people will resort to the fighting method that they feel most comfortable with. This means if you practice competition fighting for 80% of your class time, that's the style of fighting you'll probably default to in the street.... possibly not the best choice if your life is on the line. You certainly don't want to be throwing head high kicks while dancing around the place. This is why it is so important to become familiar with different techniques for different situations... horses for courses as the cliché goes.
So write down and categorize your techniques. Build your own personal repertoire that you can refer to often. You'll be surprised at just how quickly it grows. Frequent revision will subconsciously embed techniques in your mind. You will find that you'll call on them quickly when faced with a variety of situations.
Use Tactics of Figting
Many people think of tactics as being a thing that is exclusively used in competition fighting. Well, I'm about to give you reasons to think otherwise.
When confronted with a self defense situation you have to very quickly assess the scene and tactics play a huge role. You have to make several educated decisions based on the information you have at your disposal. If your brain is still in "park" when your body needs to be in "drive" you are simply reacting to the situation, instead of leading it. However when you realize that your biggest asset is your mind instead of your arms and legs you'll just about guarantee victory.
A good way to illustrate this point is by telling a quick story of a real situation.
An uncle of mine was with his two small children when he was confronted outside a pub in a dangerous part of Sydney, Australia. A man stepped out from around the corner and asked him for a light. Both of my uncle's hands were occupied with the hands of his children and he had a split second to think what to do. He let go of his kids' hands, pushed his children behind him and reached into his pocket with one hand while maintaining eye contact with the other man.
As he pulled the box of matches from his pocket he saw the hand of the alleged smoker's fist clench and start to make an upward punch. My uncle tossed the matches on the ground to distract his enemy and as soon as the eyes of his attacker instinctively followed the trajectory of the matches, my uncle continued the motion of his arm to strike back fist to the side of his attacker's head. He knocked out his aggressor, grabbed his children and made an escape.
Luckily my uncle's years of martial art training had taught him to strike effectively, but more importantly to think tactically when it counted most.
The point to this story is that he changed the dynamics of the situation. He tactically altered a volatile situation to suit himself instead of his opponent. Instead of simply reacting to the attack with a block and counter (risking injury or death) he took the initiative and lead the confrontation down the path which he wanted to go.
You can apply this exact same concept when sparring. When do find that you spar at your best? Is it when you sit back and wait to react to your opponent, or when you fight by your rules? Fighting by your rules and controlling the situation is the best way to ensure victory.
In closing...
In the dojo there's no referee there to tell you what's allowed and what's not. It's usually perfectly OK to rush your opponent, and take out their legs. You simply do what you like as long as it falls within the regulations of your club rules. However, make sure you ask your sensei before trying anything you're not sure about! You don't want to upset or injure your training partners.
Out on the street, there are also tactics, strategies and rules (called laws!), that you should consider at the time of conflict. Using the above example it might not be the greatest idea to rush in, try to take the legs of your opponent and wind up on the ground, particularly if it's a multiple attacker situation or if you have no experience with ground defense. You will be putting yourself in a vulnerable position.
Whichever the scenario, there are many common themes and I'd like to give you a few tips that will boost your overall fighting ability.
Know the Rules
This should be first and foremost on your list. I can't emphasize this enough. Whether it be in the dojo, street or competition, you must know the rules (or laws) by which you fight. Once you know the rules of the game, you can prepare a plan.
For competition rules, you must know them inside and out. Whether it be kumite or kata, you must know the rules. For kumite the rules are quite complicated and many coaches and even some referees struggle to get everything correct 100% of the time. This means one thing and one thing only - it is up to you to learn them yourself. (You can download the latest W.K.F rules from ) If you mess up during your fight because you didn't understand the rules, the buck stops with you. It is your complete responsibility. Not your coach's, not your friend's, but yours!
For the dojo, ask your sensei what rules you are fighting by. For example when you fight are you allowed to kick below the belt? Are you allowed to grab? Can you use your elbows and knees? Are you allowed to kick to legs or groin? Some clubs allow and actively practice this in the dojo, while others opt to stick to W.K.F fighting rules or similar standards.
The street is another very different arena again, however the same principle applies. You must know the law, how far you can go before your self defense situation turns into assault, your rights and responsibilities. Most laws in developed countries specify that you can use as much force as necessary to remove the threat... then stop. Anything past this point is often considered assault.
For example, this means you can use whatever you have at your disposal to take down an attacker who is threatening your life, remove the threat and no more. This doesn't mean that you can hit an old lady with a garbage can because she asked for the time and you got spooked.
So, the point is, know the rules by which you fight and do your utmost to comply.
Categorize Your Techniques
As you develop your fighting repertoire, it's a very good idea to write down the techniques that you learn, whether you like them or not. At a later date you might change your focus and you'll wish you could remember those techniques you once learned some time ago.
Categorize your techniques and keep them in your karate Break your fighting section into competition, dojo and street sub categories.
You might be thinking that you know what techniques to use and when, but by writing down your thoughts you'll find that a couple of interesting things begin to happen.
When you put pen to paper write as though you have to explain it to a beginner. This makes you explain each technique in detail, which in turn helps you understand the application on a deeper level. You will quickly uncover aspects that you overlooked and find ways to improve your technique.
You will find that with small modifications, many of the techniques that you use when sparring can be adapted to self defense. For example a punch to the head in competition, might become a punch to the throat in a self defense situation, or a punch to the stomach might become a punch to the solar plexus, while the footwork, the line, the distance and timing might all remain the same.
Too often under pressure (particularly in the street) karate people will resort to the fighting method that they feel most comfortable with. This means if you practice competition fighting for 80% of your class time, that's the style of fighting you'll probably default to in the street.... possibly not the best choice if your life is on the line. You certainly don't want to be throwing head high kicks while dancing around the place. This is why it is so important to become familiar with different techniques for different situations... horses for courses as the cliché goes.
So write down and categorize your techniques. Build your own personal repertoire that you can refer to often. You'll be surprised at just how quickly it grows. Frequent revision will subconsciously embed techniques in your mind. You will find that you'll call on them quickly when faced with a variety of situations.
Use Tactics of Figting
When confronted with a self defense situation you have to very quickly assess the scene and tactics play a huge role. You have to make several educated decisions based on the information you have at your disposal. If your brain is still in "park" when your body needs to be in "drive" you are simply reacting to the situation, instead of leading it. However when you realize that your biggest asset is your mind instead of your arms and legs you'll just about guarantee victory.
A good way to illustrate this point is by telling a quick story of a real situation.
An uncle of mine was with his two small children when he was confronted outside a pub in a dangerous part of Sydney, Australia. A man stepped out from around the corner and asked him for a light. Both of my uncle's hands were occupied with the hands of his children and he had a split second to think what to do. He let go of his kids' hands, pushed his children behind him and reached into his pocket with one hand while maintaining eye contact with the other man.
As he pulled the box of matches from his pocket he saw the hand of the alleged smoker's fist clench and start to make an upward punch. My uncle tossed the matches on the ground to distract his enemy and as soon as the eyes of his attacker instinctively followed the trajectory of the matches, my uncle continued the motion of his arm to strike back fist to the side of his attacker's head. He knocked out his aggressor, grabbed his children and made an escape.
Luckily my uncle's years of martial art training had taught him to strike effectively, but more importantly to think tactically when it counted most.
The point to this story is that he changed the dynamics of the situation. He tactically altered a volatile situation to suit himself instead of his opponent. Instead of simply reacting to the attack with a block and counter (risking injury or death) he took the initiative and lead the confrontation down the path which he wanted to go.
You can apply this exact same concept when sparring. When do find that you spar at your best? Is it when you sit back and wait to react to your opponent, or when you fight by your rules? Fighting by your rules and controlling the situation is the best way to ensure victory.
In closing...