When someone tells you that the have a black belt in karate...do you laugh?

Seriously I took karate for about 6 months as a kid... And a month when I was 19 from a dojo I heard was real legit...that was when UFC first came out and I wanted to learn some of that..it was worthless...no going live...lots of slow motion form stuff..and the way they punch sucks....also I have know a few black belts who got their ass kicked in street fights...of course that can happen to anyone...but it shouldn't happen all the time. I would say some of the karate dojos in japan are legit and those guys could whip ass (but its still not great at high level mma, again, Machiada is cross trained) I learned more actual useful **** (ie, could help in a fight) in three weeks of boxing, or wrestling or bjj I have taken then the 7 months total of karate I did. (Again, in lame nonfight McDojo's). As for my combat experience...8 years boxing on and off...5 months sold mma...focusing on wrestling and bjj...I don't claim to be a expert...but if your going to devote time to learning to fight..then you should try to do something that works.

 

Point is its fighting form..but it doesn't teach you to defend yourself much. I have literally known 3 guys with blackbelts who got beaten up in street fights...now can that happen to a good wrestler, or boxer, or mma guy? Sure (I say "good" because the whole black belt thing suggests they are good at karate) but the boxer wrestler mma guy shouldn't get his ass beat as often as I have known karate guys to get beat.

 

I really don't go around making fun of karate guys...but I do think it gives people false confidence. I guess false confidence is better then no confidence...still. When I was in high school a kid had a black belt from a school called Joe Goss karate. He played soccer..but otherwise wasn't real athletic..anyhow he got into a fight with a kid...who basically just played foot ball..now the karate kid was skinny...like 5"10 160...but the football player was 5"6 about 140...not big...not known as being really tough or anything...but he beat the hell out of the karate kid...since then I have known a few other karate guys who got smashed in street fights. Had to have sucked for the karate guys...now could I lose a fight to some non trained street tough...well it hasn't happened since before I started boxing...but I know it could..but hell...I know what I have learned is far more useful then most forms of karate that your going to get...where its basically breathing exercises and parlor tricks where they break boards.


But yea I did make my question sound slightly dickish...however..when guys tell me they have a black belt in karate...I can't help but be amused.

 

Lol...I've watched the guy fight..he doesn't throw punches in the left right left right stright from your hip karate style...the fact that you got a pic that shows his arms in that position means ****...plenty of boxers end up with hands in those kinds of positions during a fight...doesn't mean they actually punch like that.

 

Again...I did state that some dojos may teach a effective form...but what you get in 95 if not 99 percent the dojos in america is ****.

 

Chuck norris did practice a real combat form of karate...but most dojos are set up for business...for kids to go...where their moms will feel safe...moms aren't going go feel safe if you are doing real effective work for hand to hand combat..because kids will get hurt....karate in america by and large made itself so safe that it has very little practcal value. Will it make a kid who is teased more confident...and theirfore less likely to be teased? Yes it definitly can...I just hope that kid doesn't have to back up his confidence...because then he is likely to find out that years of doing lame punches and thousands of dollars of mom and dads money has added up to nothing.