From: jon@zeus.med.utah.edu (Jonathan Byrd)
Subject: Re: poor technique
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 17:41:08 GMT
	<JON.92Dec29120826@zeus.med.utah.edu> <4451@unisql.UUCP>
Organization: University of Utah

In article <4451@unisql.UUCP> wrat@unisql.UUCP (wharfie) writes:

   In article <JON.92Dec29120826@zeus.med.utah.edu> jon@zeus.med.utah.edu (Jonathan Byrd) writes:
   >This discussion arose when you said that the participants in karate
   >tournaments "pretend" to hit.  You implied that techniques thrown in
   >karate tournaments are somehow less than real.  That runs contrary to

	   I'm really not saying what I mean very well.  Bear with me while 
   I try again.

	   A tournament _must_ be less than realistic, or it would be 
   actual combat and not a tournament at all.  There are different approaches
   to make this unreality happen.  In judo we allow only a subset of possible
   techniques and we pad the ground and practice falling so that we can do
   that safe subset of techniques at full speed without injuring each other.
   Where I'm confused about karate tournaments is that since there _is_ no
   safe subset of techniques - what's a painless way to strike someone? - how
   can you use karate techniques in this situation without "watering them down",
   that is, NOT executing them at full power and speed?  

	   Your answer seems to be that my mistake is to believe them when they
   say "no contact", and that irregardless of the rules they really do hit each
   other with full power blows...

Ah.  I'm beginning to understand now.  Sometimes it takes me a while.

In striking arts, there is a third variable besides power and speed:
Focus point.  When I do a reverse punch to the body, I adjust my body
position so that my fully extended arm penetrates about 4 to 6 inches
into my opponent's body.  In a match, I try to leave my elbow slightly
bent, so that the penetration is incomplete.

Of course, in the excitement of the moment, elbows sometimes go
straight, and people sometimes misjudge distance.  When this happens,
the reality of the situation becomes apparent.  I'm not sure whether I
have seen a karate blow land with full speed, full strength, and full
penetration (I suspect I have), but even the partially penetrating
blows carry enough destructive power to be taken very seriously.  I
saw one guy knocked unconscious for 5 minutes by a crisp strike that
barely moved his chin two inches!  Maybe he had a glass jaw, though.
It was pretty scary.  He just stood there for a moment, randomly
balanced on his feet, with his eyes rolled back in his head.  Then his
knees buckled and he slowly fell forward, landing with a plop at his
attacker's feet.  It took him so long to regain consciousness that the
paramedics took him to a hospital.  He was okay, though.  Anyway...

It is true that the techniques in karate tournaments are restricted to
a subset.  In the tournaments I have seen, certain targets, primarily
the knees and groin, are not allowed because they are easily injured,
or don't heal well.  Inside-to-outside foot sweeps are not allowed.
Certain techniques, like the crescent kick, are not usable because
they are almost impossible to focus outside the opponent's body.  The
knee kicks are probably a significant loss, but IMO, the head punches
are by far the most important techniques.

You are correct that any martial art must be watered down for
tournament purposes.  It is also true that we must water down our
techniques even for dojo training.  Once in a while it is instructive
to trade a little of the undiluted stuff, but it is tough to find a
good partner, and very hard on the body.

--
jonathan byrd
jon@apollo.med.utah.edu