Why are people saying that karate sucks and is a wussy style?

Question

Hello, I've been doing karate of several years and enjoy it very much. But recently, I've read a lot of comments by various MMA fighters and other fighters claiming karate as a "useless style" or "wussy style". I really don't understand... Some of the comments claim that Karate's rule of no head contact is stupid and is a "wussy rule". Many believe that only martial arts that have knockouts will "work" and are far superior. Do people really think that martial "arts" is really about kicking each other's ***? Or is it showing respect with each other without knocking teeth out?

Answer 1

Because they know nothing of the art and its both passion and beauty. it has just as much to offer as any other art form does.

Karate is a wonderful art. After all isnt ALL Martial Arts without weapons the "Way of the EMPTY HAND"?

Answer 2

Keep in mind that Karate is not defined by it's tournaments. The tournaments and it's rules have only developed over the past few decades. Even when Chuk Norris did it, there was contact... it was much closer to what MMA is than what some of the tournaments I've recently seen have been. I am a traditional karate practitioner, and I don't particularly like the tournament format. I enjoy watching MMA, but am smart enough to understand that even this isn't 100% realistic. I don't think I'd want to watch realistic fights as entertainment. As a fan of MMA, I am so because of the entertainment value. But, I train in Karate for mind, body and spirit. (3 conflicts)

Answer 3

Full contact karae (even if you cant hit to the head) is very tough and i doubt any of the people who talk bad of it have ever been in a full contact tournament. If you want to compete in mauy thai or kickboxing or MMA and you have done a full contact style you dont have far to go, however...

Non contact, and point sparing karae does not prepare you for fights, you have to learn how to take a punch as well as give one out and most karate styles do not prepare you for it but if they ever did a style like kyokushin they will change their mind, yeah you cant punch to the head but you are no wearing gloves either, in my opinion its just as tough only its a different style unique to karate

+ there is also a much deeper side to karate, although sometimes schools sway TOO much to the deeper side, soemtimes spending all class learning history and stuff, I think thats wussy, i mean karate was created to fight not to stand around the whole class doing practicaly nothing

Answer 4

Yeah, wherever you read those comments, just stop reading it. People will talk a lot of crap for no reason.
I started Karate when i was 3. It's saved my butt a couple times. Just because there's no head contact in practice, doesn't mean that you can't kick their head in a real fight.
Just don't listen to them. If you really enjoy it, stick with it. Personally, if i were you i would also find some BJJ instruction. Then you would be good on the ground, too.
But to each his own.
Martial Atrs is to teach you a way of life, anyway. Not just how to kick other peoples as%$'s.
You sound like you have the right attitude. Stick with it.

Star 2.

Answer 5

MMA brought in a totally new mentality to the world of martial arts. Now, people who have never entered a school before are commenting on styles, apparently believing that the ultimate goal of all arts is to measure against other arts for the amusement of the public. Perhaps they would care to explain why some people still practice traditional zen archery. Most zen archers don't carry their bow around to use in case of a street fight. (The sane ones don't, anyway).
Also, they apparently don't know the difference between a bar brawl, which you get into by choice, and a criminal assault, where your prime purpose should be survival if you have any brains.
MMA critics also ignore the reality of MMA as a sport. This means, first of all, that the athletes are professional and that they can dedicate their time to learning skills and develop conditioning full-time. Not so for your average martial artist who has an actual job and/or school, perhaps a family and other obligations. What makes sense for a full-time athlete does not necessarily make sense for your average practitoner. Furthermore, of course MMA is a sport, with rules. And of course these rules influence what works and what doesn't.
Also, as an athletic pursuit, MMA favours the young. Some arts weren't meant to be learned in two/three years. Most internal arts require at leat 10 years of commitment. This is not realistic for an athlete to train in, because he needs his skills to be fully functionnal while he/she is young and at peak condition. Just because those arts aren't adapted to the reality of MMA, doesn't make them useless.
But what bothers me the most about MMA is the way they market it. They are doing a big disservice to the martial arts and encouraging very bad attitudes about what it's all about. Most of the fans are too youg and naive to realize this is all economics: They are selling an image that the fans buy into. But the attitude they're putting forward is exactly the kind of attitude that attracts the wrong people to martial arts. Thankfull, these are precisely the people who can usually not stick it out because of their character (or lack thereof), but it's the kind of publicity the arts don't need.
So don't worry about what they have to say. If you enjoy what you're doing, keep enjoying it. If you don't go looking for trouble, chances are it won't go looking for you. And if you're ever assaulted, that training will come in handy. I doubt your average mugger is that obsessed with developping his ground game.
That's all I had to say about the traditional martial arts/MMA issue and I'm going to keep quiet about it in the future.
Cheers.

Answer 6

Lots of MMA fighters say that kind of stuff because they have an emotional stigma on anything they do. If they liked finger painting (I bet some do) they would get on your case for using a brush, saying "You can't get it exactly like you want it with a brush!". It's mostly pride in what they do and ego. But not all MMA fighters are so bad. I'm trying to be one for Pete's sake!

Don't think there is actually fact behind what they say. Just roll it off your shoulder, don't take it to heart. As a BB in WTF TKD, i get a lot of crap from nobodies who think they know something cause they say a few fights on YouTube or because they've been doing there martial arts for some time.

The fact is every martial arts is effective if trained to the right person. If Steve Eurkel was a BB in BJJ, Maui tai, karate, TKD and Ninjitsu, I'm pretty sure I could still take him. unless he really really wanted to win. What I'm trying to say is.....
I'M CALLING YOU OUT EURKEL! It's time!!!!!!!

You get my point. hopefully.

Answer 7

Well, as you said, the people who are trashing Karate are the MMA and ultimate fighting people. As you know, Karate, aside from being a lifestyle and not just a fighting style, is very structured. There are Katas and techniques that are called for in many situations. If one knows Karate, one knows the Katas and the techniques, and their counters. It is a disciplined style, which can be it's downfall in the eyes or the MMA types. When one fights MMA, one can draw on many different reactions to specific techniques and, when there are many different possibilities, counters are harder to throw. I prefer K-1 fighting to any of the others. Some MMA, "ultimate fighting and PRIDE fighting, are all out brawls. I prefer technique and finesse. Take Sanshou and the like. Unfortunately, fighters like Cung Le are going into MMA fighting, which, in my opinion, caters to the lowest common denominator.

Answer 8

This is where the closed minded people start to think their art is THE ONE. They have tunnel vision and don't care to look at the other arts. Every martial art has something to offer and you won't find many other people willing or maybe able to keep an open mind.

I've been in TKD for around 12 years. I've had people say that it doesn't work or it's useless in a street fight or no one in the UFC uses it.

All I can say is that they are all wrong. The UFC uses it and quite effectively. Just because many of the kicks are fancy and spin, doesn't mean that all of the kicks are. TKD is known for having powerful kicks. A leg or a knee kick would stop many attackers.

My best advice to you is to ignore them. Think of them as grapplers. Grapplers think they are the best. I still think that JJ is one of the worst arts to know when it comes to street defense. I definitely wouldn't want to go to the ground being attacked. That concrete looks hard. But, no matter what you say their blinders are on. Ears are closed. Their minds are like steel traps. Nothing gets in,nothing gets out.

Answer 9

people feel that karate has not earned its merits, i personally love the sport aspect of karate but i do enjoy full contact as well so i can see both sides. respect is not taught through a martial art, it is taught through society. I believe their is a certain insecurity in all martial artist, otherwise why would we want to be able to kill someone. i love beating the crap out of people and i also love moderated contact. to say one is better than the other is ignorant. Karate= control and speed MMA= power

Answer 10

i used to do a traditional style of karate and the reason i stopped had nothing to do with the sparring its cause i thought most of the blocks where not effective and because the foot work seemd poor compared to other things i dont think karate is "wussy" i could never get the hang of it personally i train in boxing now and freestyle karate (based on boxing, muay thai etc)

Answer 11

First of all your talking about competition. All competitions have rules, some more, some less. MMA competitions tend to be more full contact, with ground fighting. Most karate tournaments are point sparring. As far as that goes, point sparring is a game of tag, it's not very realistic.

There is nothing wrong with karate as a martial art, when you start point sparring though, you make karate look like a game for children.