Totally agree

Hi KarateStylist, Thanks for stopping by and giving this a read. Agree about Machida – but my fist love is sport karate. That was my first proving ground and what I have always excelled at.

Hey Dr. J!

I’m with you on the low kicks… MMA is not perfect but it the best equalizer we have right now.

Hey Matt!

I like you do not thing Seagal brings anything new to MMA but I do think he is the flavor of the month… fresh insight is always good to shake things up.

Hi Jason – Yep I agree more skills are better than less. If the MMA guy can keep it on his feet – multiple attackers can work too!

MMA is supremely practical for the street as it makes you strong as an ox, able to fight for a long time, and as tough as nails. You only need to look at the ground n pound to see its practicality. We have added it to our syllabus. As an instructor, I dive right in with the guys and do it. I love it! Granted at 52, I don’t recover as quick as the young guns.

As there are rules, guys from backgrounds such as Kenpo are at a big disadvantage. No tiger claws, eye rakes and gouges, groin kicks, etc. I like having the streetfighting background of Kenpo with the physical toughness that MMA develops. As for Aikido, not sure why there have been no champions from that background in MMA. It would be great to see if someone could emerge to prove its value in MMA.

I believe that Muay Thai reigns supreme for MMA preparation, due to its powerful knees and elbow strikes, although the modern Dutch version shows me alot. Wrestling is fantastic for the takedowns and ground n pound, while BJJ is the best on the ground. We are learning all of them. I have never been so fired up in my martial arts career.

I think Seagal has walked the walk as a martial artist, but I don’t believe he should take credit for two kicks that have been around forever; the crane kick and the teep or front snap kick. However, both fighters seemed to support Seagal’s assertion that it was his idea. Go figure.
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At this point, I still choose to believe that, within reason, the fighter is more important than the fighter’s style.

As for MMA, I like it, yet there are obvious defensive holes as illustrated with no blocking of below the belt kicks and the frequent time outs where the fighter has to recover from this oversight.

As a karate stylist, I think your article shows a lot of depth that the sport boxing & MMA crowd are missing. There’s an enormous amount of criticism out there on Seagal; on his personal habits some rings true.

As a teacher, however, he is well regarded by those who know him, though far from perfect. I myself would NEVER laugh off the man or his ability.

My view on Machida is that, as you have observed, he is very caught up in the Shotokan Kumite, point-fighting style. After browsing around your blog, your personal tournament style seems to be the exact opposite of Lyoto’s.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Regards,

KarateStylist