Dojo Kumite- Some survival tips

Hello, everyone

This post is dedicated to a very special friend who is soon going to take her 2nd Dan exam in JKF Shotokan Karate.

Now we might not all know this, but Dan gradings involve free sparring as well and the type of free fighting used in these gradings is much more intense than the competition fighting which the public sees.

Yes- everybody knows that Kyokushin kumite is full contact and does not stop when a point is scored, but how many people that do NOT study Karate know about the Dojo Kumite of Shotokan which is used at black belt gradings and black belt initiations?

The videos below show some mild examples of what did manage to come out on the internet.

https://youtu.be/dDf-wknmegg

https://youtu.be/Uf0yOgTUdQw

https://youtu.be/Pbkr_UnX9iM

https://youtu.be/zjRejKWoNoo

https://youtu.be/I_zmL6BRCOA

https://youtu.be/GsjRUMxAyJc

https://youtu.be/BKHyXgpqOVs

With Kyokushin this is no big secret and lots of videos can be found of their full-contact fights. I don't think you will find many examples of this type of kumite from Shotokan as black belt gradings are often held behind closed doors and the public, even friends or relatives, is not allowed to watch the grading.

Now- kickboxers and MMA fighters would feel right at home in this type of environment as the bouts are much shorter than their fights and they are no strangers to hard blows and continuous fighting.

Karateka used to training in only a Karate environment, however, might feel a bit out of their depth. That is natural as for one reason- suddenly the fight does not get stopped when you score a point. Also- you can receive a series of blows if you do not fight back hard enough yourself. Then lastly- and this is probably the most important reason- this is when all your knowledge and training make way for lessons from a new teacher- the Universe.

The Universe knows no kihon or kata. The Universe holds no affiliation with any of the Shotokan factions or any school or registered and recognised organisation.

The Universe does also not care if what it throws at you causes your techniques to fail.

Well- at least enough people have done it before us to have gained some experience so, while I cannot guarantee a way to never get hit while sparring- we can at least give you some tips on lasting as long as possible... Trust me- that is as good as it gets in many schools, because after you have survived the grading the initiation waits the next week and that usually involves fighting all the black belts in the dojo while your back is against a wall.

Now that we all understand what we are talking about- let's see what universal truths there are for us to use.

1. The one who is getting hit the least is having the best time on the floor. Obvious, isn't it? So- whatever you do, you do not want to be exposed to too many potential attacks. This also means that toe-to-toe is not the way to go. The angle at which you have to face your opponent most of the time is one from which you can see only one arm and one leg. The other limbs must be obscured by the limbs that you can actually see. This means you have only one leg and one arm to control. From here your opponent will of course adjust to improve his situation. This time he takes to adjust is the time you are not getting hit. It is also the time during which you hit him...

2. Running away is not smart. Sure- it comes naturally and seems the best idea, but bear in mind- going out of bounds is not allowed and you will in any event get told to start again. You also do not want to retreat in a straight line from somebody who can punch and kick. Kicks deliver a lot more force than punches when they connect and you retreating make enough space for your opponent to kick. So- if you have always been used to retreating far out of the way and rushing back to score your point, you better change that.

 

The time it takes you to get back to attacking from that far away can be used to forestall you.

Rather work on your tai sabaki...

Your main goal with tai sabaki is not so much to get out of harms, way. Sure- an advantageous position means less blows landing on you, but the goal is rather to punt you in an advantageous position from which to attack. So, that move to the side should just be enough to make your opponent miss, but is should be close enough to allow you to counterattack in an instant, be it with a punch or a kick.

3. The fight is not going to end in one move. 

Yep- Karate is said to be based on the principle of Ikken Hissatsu- death in one blow. Well- you will soon find that nobody is getting hissatsu-ed at the grading and that landing one blow is not going to save your arse. So- get used to firing combinations- even when the first punch/ kick hits. The Sensei will stop the fight if he feel he has seen enough. A compassionate way to deal with an opponent whoi freezes under your barrage is a throw or takedown followed up by a controlled punch and then stepping back, but keeping the eye on the opponent as he gets up. This gives you a nice break until the trading of blows resumes. I know in MMA they will keep on pounding even when the opponent is on the ground, but this is still not part of Karate.

4. You will get hit sooner or later. This is a fact. When it happens, however, don't stop or give up. If your parry is too late, for instance, don't stop- knock that still extended limb to the side hard enough to unbalance your opponent and return his lucky shot to him with interest. For every one blow you receive- give three back! :D

5. Your opponent cannot hit you while he is busy retreating or blocking. Yeah yeah! Sure sure! Simultaneous attack and defense exists but is not used all the time. The first one to hit when within striking range should be you. As long as you have nothing to block you should be attacking. As long as you are attacking you are not getting hit. This requires a lot of stamina, I know, but there is no other way.

6. You will not always be able to attack all the time. Yes- attack a lot, but attacking where there is no opening or attacking as your opponent attacks is just silly. Sure- there is a thing such as ai-uchi, but thankfully fights do not consist mainly of that. It should not be encouraged anyway. You will have to develop a quick intuitive defense.

One of my favourite ways to do that when I train alone is with this rubber ball. I have not edited out the mistakes I have made as these surprises are what makes for the actual training in this exercise. 

Then- something else about blocking. If you know how to block you can momentarily break a chain of attacks so that you can get back on the offensive.

When an attacking arm is blocked towards the opponent's center line you can usually start attacking immediately as his other arm is out of the picture for a moment long enough for you to do just that. Blocking an arm away from your opponent's center line, however, gives you another hand to deal with.

Whichever way you use to block kicks, know this- best time to hit a kicking opponent is while he is on one leg. So- no jumping back or running away!

7. There is no such thing as an idle hand. The Universe has no respect for the hikite. If your hand is not attacking it is either guarding, blocking or trapping. I know the hikite serves a purpose and I will deal with that in next week's post which I think I shall call "Defending the Hikite", but for now- accept that putting a vacant hand at your side when it can be better utilised for protecting you is a bad idea during dojo kumite.

I am afraid that this is as much as I can write on the subject for now. Fighting with a head that is heavy from too much information is not a good idea anyway. So- learn, then practice and when your Dan grading comes around you may hopefully then have gotten at the stage of forgetting.

Good luck to everyone who is taking their Shodan and Nidan tests this year! :)