grappling

The Five Elements of Karate

This entry was posted in articles basics bubishi bunkai combat concepts fighting hikite history kata kicking kishimotodi misconceptions mma motobu muto oyo pressure testing punching research self defense sensei eddie bethea sensei richard poage sharing skills sparring sport styles submission sweeps tactile sensitivity techniques tegumi throws ti tradition traditional martial arts training trapping tsuki tuidi uke-waza and tagged chokes grappling groundwork joint locks karamidi kicks newaza strangles striking sweeps takedowns throws tuidi on by

“Karate” is a broad term, which covers many different martial methodologies and styles originating on Okinawa and, later, Japan. There are a number of misconceptions about what karate is, although there has been a movement–a sort of “karate Renaissance”–in the past decade, or so, which has been making more information about karate available, and promotes a practical approach to the […]

Is Karate a Grappling Art?

This entry was posted in clinch criticism fighting kakidi kakie misconceptions mma motobu muchimi muto perception pressure testing push hands randori shima skills sparring sport styles system taiji tegumi throws tma traditional martial arts training tuishou and tagged fighting grappling karate mma pressure testing sparring striking training on by

Lately, my friends over at Karate Culture have been posting videos, like the one above, that connect kata to techniques found in mixed martial arts, and various grappling arts–something I have also done, although on a smaller scale. This has brought with it some argument as to the nature of karate. As with most such arguments, this one is not […]

Pressure Testing Tuidi

This entry was posted in bunkai compliance oyo push hands randori skills sparring submission tegumi throws ti trapping tuidi tuishou and tagged atemi grappling joint locks kansetsu-waza kyusho takedown tuidi on by

The grappling techniques of karate are classified as tuidi-waza (seizing hand techniques). This primarily refers to joint locks and grabbing/tearing techniques, but could technically include some types of chokes, throws and takedowns. We practice these in kata, in application drills, and in flow drills, but most people don’t work them in a randori (free grappling) scenario. Admittedly, free grappling with […]

Karate Kicks (Keri-Waza)

This entry was posted in kicking sport and tagged competition goshin grappling keri-waza kicks mma self defense on by

Keri-waza (kicking techniques) Keri-waza (kicking techniques) are great, but sometimes they are over-emphasized, or under-emphasized, depending on the art, style, and school. As with any technique, context is important, and determines how and when a technique should be used. In the case of kicking techniques, there are typically three categories–kicks for self defense, kicks for sport fighting, and kicks for […]

Revisiting the One-Legged Spin in Kusanku

This entry was posted in kusanku muto oyo sambo shima tegumi throws and tagged bunkai grappling judo kusanku nage-waza oyo throws on by

The one-legged turn in Kusanku Dai A little over a year ago, I wrote a quick post to show three techniques that I had recorded video of, and wanted to share. I didn’t go over any of the techniques in-depth, and I wanted to revisit the Kusanku application, to shed a little more light on it. The kata movement is […]

Stepping on Toes

This entry was posted in ti trapping and tagged ashi-waza goshin grappling karate kumite mma self defense toudi wrestling on by

Recently, there was a UFC event here in Phoenix, which was headlined by a very competitive fight between Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic. In one of the earlier fights during that event, a minor thing happened that caused some interesting discussion on some MMA forums. One of the fighters stepped on the foot of his opponent. Normally, this would […]

The Magic of Hikite 4

This entry was posted in blocking hikite muchimi oyo trapping and tagged application atemi bunkai grappling kata tuidi on by

A “traditional karate” example of hikite (pulling hand) while punching Sometimes, I forget that the wider karate world hasn’t moved on from formalized, impractical, block-punch-kick kata applications. I was reminded when, just a month or two ago, a relatively new karateka posted on a martial arts forum that I moderate, asking about hikite (pulling hand). He commented that it didn’t […]

Heresy and Hygiene

This entry was posted in belts health hygiene obi and tagged bjj grappling judo karate on by

Every time I wash my obi (belts), I get mental images of countless karate instructors and practitioners screaming “never wash your belt!” When I first started training, I followed that tradition, and everything was fine. Of course, I also went up through the belt ranks pretty quickly, so I didn’t wear the first few for very long. On top of […]

The #1 Attack Against Women

This entry was posted in oyo and tagged application bunkai grappling karate self defense on by

The bruises left by the #1 attack against women–a grab to the upper arm According to UK crime statistics, the most common attack that women reported being the victim of was a right-handed grab to the right upper arm, which was used to try to control them and drag them to another location. From talking with women who have been […]

Naihanchi Bunkai and Randori 1

This entry was posted in clinch naihanchi oyo randori and tagged application bunkai goshin grappling kata self defense striking on by

Morote-Uke (Double Receiver) from Naihanchi kata On Wednesday nights, I usually teach the Self Defense Class at my dojo, which is usually attended by Youth Students, but adults are welcome. In this particular class, as I often do, I focused on Naihanchi applications. We started off with a basic forearm blocking drill against wide swinging punches, and then moved on […]