Don’t Sign Up for Those Karate Classes Just Yet

Lyoto Machida has taken every chance that he’s gotten to attribute his success to his karate background.  While all of us who have watched his performances are in awe of what he’s been able to do, some have taken his performances as undeniable proof that karate is a relevant fighting style in real-life situations or in MMA fights.  Others predict a resurgence in interest towards traditional karate classes.  Are they right, though, or is karate’s ability to relate to a real fight overrated?

First of all, I don’t want to take anything away from Machida’s family history or art.  If Machida believes that his family’s karate background is the key to his success, who am I to disagree with him?  I’m definitely not going to say that Machida would be just as good without having practiced karate.  However, I think that karate is not as great a factor in his success as others would claim it to be.

When you watch Machida fight, the one thing from a karate perspective which stands out is his stance and footwork.  He stands much more “sideways” than most fighters, who are either coming from a boxing/kickboxing background or wrestling background, both of which have their own way of standing.  Also, his footwork, like that of most top-level karate (and tae kwon do) practitioners is very quick, which is the real key to his elusive style.  He doesn’t bounce on his toes in an over the top way, but he moves in and out very quickly to either evade attacks, initiate them, or both.

Other than that, is Machida really using karate in the octagon?  It’s hard to say.  I’m not an expert on karate, and there are very many different forms of karate, as well.  His kicks really do not appear to be any different than the roundhouse kicks or Thai kicks that any other fighter throws.  You rarely see him (or other fighters, for that matter) throw other types of kicks, besides the occasional push kick or side kick.  When Machida rocked Rashad Evans, he was throwing punches similar to the ones every other fighter uses.  Sure, they’re not textbook boxing punches, but definitely not textbook karate punches, either.

Does karate teach Machida to defend takedowns?  How about to straddle an opponent and continue firing haymakers at their head after they are hurt, as he did when he first rocked Evans in their fight?  The truth is that Machida just as Machida would not be the same fighter without his experience in karate, he would also not be where he is today without his ability in the other fighting arts, including jiu jitsu and others.

The real question here is whether aspiring fighters or even those who want to be able to defend themselves should re-think the philosophy that Muay Thai kickboxing, boxing, jiu-jitsu and other staples such as wrestling and judo are the only martial arts that are applicable to real fighting situations.  Is it worth your time, in other words, to spend some of the time that you would normally spend training in those areas in a karate dojo?

I really don’t think so.  For one, you have to look at the fighter who is using the techniques successfully.  Should we believe that any of us could become a great fighter by following Machida’s blueprint, even if we don’t have his speed, agility, timing and quick reactions?  Of course not.  It’s not as if Mark Coleman could take a few years of karate and suddenly become impossible to hit.

If done early in your life, I think that traditional martial arts can provide a lot of benefits.  They can teach you to become comfortable with a lot of aspects of training, such as sparring (even when done lightly) and the repetition needed to perfect specific techniques.  Of course, there are also a certain number of techniques within any fighting art that could probably translate to a real-life situation.  However, when you’re looking at whether or not you should train in a specific art, you must look at the amount of techniques in each respective art that can translate.

Are you better off spending your time in a karate dojo, learning a number of katas, punches and kicks which will never be of any real use to you in a self-defense situation, or on a mat learning the dozens of submissions and thousands of intricacies of jiu-jitsu, which is an art grounded on finding what works and using it to perfection?

Part of the problem is that most traditional martial arts are just that; they are grounded in tradition.  No one is going to throw techniques that have been around for hundreds of years out of karate, tae kwon do, or kung fu.  Other fighting arts, such as Muay Thai kickboxing, measure your growth specifically by what you do in competition, so only the best techniques end up being used in the end.  Also, the type of sparring that you do in these arts is typically not the most effective way to see if the techniques are working properly for you or not.

In all fairness, the same is true for any particular art.  It’s not as if a boxing instructor is going to show you a stance that will help you be prepared to sprawl in the event of a takedown.  Wrestling coaches aren’t going to show you how to check a leg kick or escape a triangle choke.  However, the advantage that these arts have over karate and some others is that overall, their techniques are more applicable to fighting situations.

I’m not saying that karate has no place in this world.  As Machida has proven, elements of it can even translate to mixed martial arts.  Also, many people love the tradition involved in it and other similar arts, and enjoy doing the katas and techniques.  Many people have no intention of ever stepping into a cage, and that’s fine, too.  However, to imply that Machida is using karate in its purest form to dominate the best fighters in the world is extremely disingenuous.  Similarly, you should not expect that if you step into a karate dojo and take a few years worth of classes that you will become the next Lyoto Machida.

by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com

Tags: Lyoto Machida, Mark Coleman, Rashad Evans