Why Kyokushin is the most effective form of Karate in a street fight

Whilst outsiders may believe that Karate is one entity, the truth is that there are lots of forms of Karate. Although they share the same fundamentals, there are also lots of small (and sometimes big differences) in style. As a result, it’s fair to say that some forms of Karate are more effective than others when it comes to self defense.

In other words, learning any form of Karate will be good for improving your fighting skills. However, there’s one variation that stands superior to them all. This is Kyokushin Karate which is not for the feint hearted. The reason for this is that it is best known for its tough and brutal nature. As a result, practicing Kyokushin Karate may not be great for your body – but it is very honest and will get results. So, here are the reasons why Kyokushin is the most effective form of Karate when used in street fighting.

Kyokushin Karate involves lots of Kumite and sparring

Sadly, some forms of Karate don’t involve sparring which means the techniques can’t be pressure tested. Because of this, it’s easy to get carried away and think you’re a better fighter than you are. The reality is that you need to train and test your skills against resisting opponents. This is the best way to learn what works and what doesn’t. Let’s face it, there’s nothing more of a reality check than getting punched in the face by someone with force.

Simply put, sparring is a massive part of Kyokushin and sometimes it’s trained in a bare knuckle environment. This style probably isn’t suited for older practitioners or those worried about their looks. However, it certainly breeds results and will get you ready for street fights. Imagine years of practice throwing hard and fast punches and kicks. Undoubtedly, this would lead to more success in combat. Some Karate disciplines aim for more distance and accurate strikes compared to Kyokushin which is like hitting the opponent like a truck.

This means that it uses controlled aggression to hit hard and often goes through the middle. Against an untrained opponent – this can easily overwhelm them. Combined with technical nuances such as close-range blocks and footwork, it’s fair to say that Kyokushin is almost custom-made for self defense.

It also uses brutal strength and conditioning techniques

As Kyokushin follows an old-school mentality, it has kept parts of its Okinawan roots. In this case, we’re on about its notoriously difficult warm-ups which transform members of the public into tough, conditioned fighters. Sadly, this line of thought has been lost in other martial arts as well as different styles of Karate. Thankfully though, Kyokushin still embraces these warm ups and tough ideology.

Whilst other styles such as Goju Ryu also have famed conditioning techniques, this is yet another reason why Kyokushin breeds strong fighters. Imagine minutes of sprints, then followed by push ups, burpees, and planks. Then, you may be asked to hit the bag for five minutes. The result would be that your body quickly adapts and becomes a well-oiled fighting machine. Here, your muscles would become stronger and harder, whilst your cardio gas tank would also improve drastically.

Even without the Karate moves being taught, stuff like strength and athleticism is always good for fighting. This is is yet another reason why Kyokushin is no joke and will make you physically stronger. Not only this, but it also improves your mind encourages mental toughness. Imagine doing a 10 minute bootcamp in your dojo. You may want to quit, but you keep going. Eventually, difficult tasks become much easier. Now, apply this logic to a fight. You may want to run or feel tired – but you keep going which could be the difference between success and failure.

Kyokushin hasn’t been watered down and stays true to Karate’s fighting roots

It’s fair to say that since its creation, Karate has become less brutal and effective compared to its older days. This isn’t a dig at Karate either and can be applied to most martial arts. In short, most disciplines eventually get less violent with the aim of attracting more people. Sometimes, organizations will also impose certain rules that re-inforce these ideas too.

Luckily, it seems that Kyokushin never became dumbed down and still remains as tough as it ever was. Basically, some Karate rulesets encourage softer punches, points for hitting irrelevant body parts and are based on gaming the points system rather than proper fighting. Although it’s effective, many people criticize Shotokan Karate for adopting this approach.

Kyokushin isn’t like these forms of Karate though and has remained highly realistic. So, as a Kyokushin Karateka, you won’t be taught competition Karate and instead, it is very much based on the hard reality of fighting. This may attract fewer practitioners, but those that stick around quickly become battle-hardened and learn how to fight.

Kyokushin has been used by UFC and MMA champions

Although MMA isn’t exactly the same as street fighting, it’s still an effective form of combat and shows what works and what doesn’t. In other words, it’s the closest form of seeing what martial arts are good and not – whilst still using rules. In this case, there is clear evidence that Kyokushin works effectively against some of the best martial artists on earth. The first big-name example is Bas Rutten. Here, Rutten was an MMA champion in Japan and a true MMA pioneer, fighting in Shooto competitions and PRIDE.

Here, Rutten would use Kyokushin to great effect and famously used its hard body shots to beat his opponents. In one case, he even broke his opponent’s liver with an open-palm strike, which shows just how deadly Kyokushin can be. Similarly, UFC great Georges St Pierre was also a Kyokushin black belt. He would often baffle his opponents by using a Kyokushin stance which made his movements hard to read. Combined with solid takedowns, he proved that Kyokushin had a place in modern MMA.

Combining Kyokushin with other martial arts is the best way to win fights

As we’ve established, Kyokushin alone is a very effective way of winning fights. However, no martial art is ever perfect or truly reliable on its own. Put another way, it would be wise to combine Kyokushin with another style if possible. As Kyokushin is based on striking, it would be ideal to pair it with a grappling art. For instance, something like BJJ or Judo would compliment Kyokushin perfectly.

At the same time, if you trained Kyokushin for a couple of years – you could easily defeat most random opponents. The reason to add to this skill set would be to truly make sure you were even more well-rounded. In conclusion though, Kyokushin has earned its fearsome reputation and is universally regarded as the most realistic, best form of Karate for self defense.

If you want to improve your form – then check out this Kyokushin Kata book.