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Post by tomobrien1 on Nov 5, 2013 1:58:54 GMT
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Post by stevenm on Dec 2, 2013 14:40:40 GMT
Very interesting article Tom. We in Shotokan are sometimes led to believe that the range at which we prefer to 'fight', is unrealistic and impossible to maintain, Machida seems to manage very well to keep highly skilled opponents at a distance which suits him and his strengths. The most interesting aspect for me though, was the part about opponents having to take a step forward to hit him. To have your opponent step forward with one foot to punch you is surely a variation on Oi Tsuki? (or perhaps Kizami Tsuki, or even Gyaku Tsuki?) But surely this can't be the case, because we all know that 'Nobody will ever attack you with Oi Tsuki!' Machida, like virtually every high grade Shotokan Karateka bar none, has spent years learning to deal with this very thing, with Ippon Kumite drills and the like. It shouldn't be surprising that he has enjoyed success with these tactics. This, of course does not make the Shotokan syllabus complete, by any means, but it is certainly not as ineffective as many in the MMA fraternity would have you believe.
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Post by gazrichards on Dec 3, 2013 13:35:50 GMT
The thing to remember is that mma/UFC is still a sport and there are still things that you are not allowed to do. As a shotokan fighter we do tend to be trained to fight at distances and this is a big flaw with shobu ippon and wkf rules sparring - a good kicker, get in close so they can notice and score-in real fights/mma where grabs and short shots such as elbows are allowed this is a deadly mistake. The fact that machida is successful in UFC does not validate tne use of shotokan as a self defence system because UFC is not self defence - it is a sporting competition. Also machidas success does not mean that YOUR karate is mma competition worthy. Machida cross trains in wrestling and bjj and uses his karate techniques and trains them for impact and power.
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Post by stevenm on Dec 3, 2013 14:42:31 GMT
I'm aware of all that Gaz, and I quite agree. All fighting systems have their flaws, hence the need for MMA fighters to cross train, to fill in the holes, or disguise the shortcomings of their primary art. You train for the event you are entering. However, the article was about how Machida successfully uses Shotokan karate principles to defeat his opponents. Some of the multitude of comments you read on Youtube about how those karate guys wouldn't last 2 minutes in MMA or the street, are clearly wrong, as it appears to work quite effectively in both arenas.
What is most important though, is the fighter himself. His attitude, physical conditioning, and tactical awareness are crucial.
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Post by gazrichards on Dec 3, 2013 16:49:50 GMT
I was t suggesting for a minute you were unaware of any of what I said, apologies if it seemed that I was preaching to the converted.
You make an interesting point about youtube comments regarding karate guys getting their ass kicked in mma tournaments because the fact is that most would get a kick in (more than likely you, I and everyone else on this forum included). In many cases the karate that I see being trained in dojos is ineffective and possibly "useless". Machidas success doesn't change that. Machida and Georges st Pierre (another trad karate mma champ) are the exception rather than game changers that now all of a sudden make Kihon training and pre arranged kumite "work".
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