1st knockdown karate tournee

need help getting ready for my 1st knock down karate tournament, http://www.uskyokushin.com/tournament.htm

I will be fighting the semi-contact black/brown belt division.

I started training with these guys about a month ago, I only go to there fighter's class.

I have over 2 years of thai-boxing training, and some boxing.

In class I hold my own, and give the brown and black belt a hard time.

But I find the set up different, since I can't punch, to the head or face, and you can't clinch to set up me knees,

Does anyone have any Knockdown karate advice you can give me.

On thing I've been caught with several times is the Axe Kick. When I am in giving body shots, and thai kick.

I am 5'4" 138 lbs, so lot of the guys I am fighting are taller than me.

I have great hand speed, and good thigh kick.

thanks
zeerebel

mong@zeerebel.com

when they start punching you in the chest, kick thier lead leg out from underneath them.you can use your lead leg and sort of kick/sweep around thier lead ankle, or use your rear leg and kcik the shit out of the outside of thier lead calf.

I relied on my thigh kicks too much. since most of my opponent or at least 3" taller, some of them get frustrated, but the really flexible fighters throw axe kicks like crazy.

K1 Francios Fihlo's Type of Kicks follow with Axe kicks

Thanks for the advice.

knock down karate is a real war of attrition. Conditioning is the key, as you will have to fight alot of rounds most likely.
You might want to do some training where you go intensly 15mins and then relax, cooldown for a while and go again as this is the conditions you will face in the tournament.

That's awesome advice bro,

any others.

I have 2 weeks left to train. I am going to take my conditioning higher, laterly I have been busy, just got married, moved into a small new town. Got a low paying manual labour job.

I am planning to take 1 day off from work to rest my body before the day of the event.

do you have any advice on preparing for this.

I have experience competiting in Judo, BJJ, and Thai Boxing,

But never karate, so I am not sure how to get my self prepared mentally.

any advice would be helpful

Thanks

you want to remember to take alot of ice for shins between fights as well.
Find a quiet spot away from the rest of the fighters if possible, and have a corner man that watchs the fights and tells you how it is progresing, so you know when to get ready.

Menatlly. I think it is important to have ques for when it is time to be "on" and time to be "off". Because you might be fighting 5 or 6 times (?) you really need to relax between fights, or risk getting over agitated and burn.

Maybe a signal like putting in your mouthguard means that it is time to do the buisness and when you take it out, relax again and recover.

Its actually quite funny watchinn the rituals and routines people do before each fight at a Knockdown tourny :)
You need to train this way if it is to be useful though. Only be training hard with your maouthguard in, don't relax or f**k around with it in.
Just an idea.

Mong good luck with the tourney bro...let us know when it is for sure maybe a few of us can stop by to watch.

chris

Thanks for the Advice Tball. They are invaluable.

Chris Thanks for the encouragement, sure miss training grappling with you guys, with my busy work, and karate training schedule.

Hope to get back to training with you guys after the tourny.

The Tournament is on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2004.
At the Rochester Convention centre. I will be fighting in the afternoon or evening with the knockdown event, if there is not enought knockdown competitors.

"I know that many times when I structured a linear ladder attempting to peak, I would plan my day of rest as the day before the event. However, many of those times I found myself sluggish and experiencing only what can be described as energy 'jits' (in other words, I felt the biochemical ‘rush’ of the event, but couldn’t channel the energy into my performance.)"

Straight from this Article by Scott Sonnon:

http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/25/sonnon2.html

I very much recommend you read it :)

Thanks for the head up Nosleep

Zeerebel

Dude what is your problem ?

Kyokushin Karate Tournament are not a pussy semi contact TMA like you would implied, is one of the hardest style around, K1, Seido Kan, etc. came from it.

It's full contact, the only difference is that you get to wear head gear (if you chose and Shin Pad)

In the full contact knock down division, no protection of any kind is allowed.

I my self been doing Thai Boxing for a long time, but I thought it would be interesting to take tried competiting in another style. I should post up some pixs of my bruise that I have, These guys are open minded and take from whatever stand up style that work.

I drive over an hour to train with these guys. They may not have the power kick of a thai boxer, but they have killer axe kick, and whole bunch of arsenal that I never develop while doing Thai boxing.

At the end of the day is not about style but what you can draw from it.

So I wouldn't really group Kyokushin Karate as TMA. But if you think so, maybe you should come and spar with some of their black belt.

By the way I am not a full member of this school, just an affiliate fighter.

Yeah Man. This stuff is for pussies. Real men do stick fighting, no protection. If you are out of commission for 6 months or more due to an injury, you know you're doing something right. If all of your fingers aren't broken and misshapen by age 25 I don't even want to talk to you.

(Seriously - much respect to the dog brothers).

Have Fun Mong, I won't wish you luck cuz I don't think you'll need it

here you go man
http://www.kyokushin.ca/kyokushin/training.html

good luck.

I wont be there this year, but took fighters in
2001 and 2002.

The link above is not one I wrote, but it is very
good. I will get you some of my stuff too.

This is likely stuff you are already doing.
but also follow the link to the next page
http://www.wcnet.org/~thorese/workout.html

hope this helps, please feel free to ask
any questions.

Paul

Thanks Knockdown

I knew about the Canadian kyokushin Site, I actually download that info about a year ago

But I wasn't aware of the other one.

Thanks so much

I am just going to stick with what I know and that is mostly Thai Boxing,

Shihan Monaco said is too late for me to change my style of fighting , he said I need to give him at least 6 months, He thinks I will do really well.

Last week I brough my video camera to tape my sparring session, and my fellow karate-ka

I was studying weekness and strenght in my game, and in there game, Also I am trying to develop a strategy to exploit it.

If you have done thai boxing before , or has fought against Thai Boxer,

Give me some observation of what work and what doesn't work,

What are some of the strenght and weekness of both style when they face each other

thanks
mong

Sticking with what you know is smart.

If you have had a couple years of good Kickboxing training
plus you are getting used to knockdown rules, you will do fine.
Just try not to punch people in the face
:-)

videotaping is an excellent training tool. good call on your part.

You have gotten good advice so far. As long as you are training
to fight within the rules (I.e., no clinching, and no elbows) you will
do okay. Kyokushiners tend to move in a lot, your movement may
throw them off a little. Try not to keep to much weight on back leg.
The earlier advice is really good to use the inside low kick. it is quite painful
and if timed correctly can really throw the opponent off of balance.

One thing, a lot of Fighters in knockdown rules will drop their hands
Since they don’t have to worry about punches to the head. Keep
Your guard up at all times, as it will help you to avoid the High round kicks
and the Axe kicks you were talking about. Remember you cant push, or grab
(Grabbing will get you quick warnings in Rochester) so work your distancing
Well, as you cant rely on some of the normal Kickboxing tactics for distance.

Since you are in the division with pads, this means you will not have official
weight classes. Hopefully if there are obvious classes of weight they will divide
Like 4 guys who weight 210 and above, and 4 guys who weight below 200.
But they do not have to as there are no weight classes in Semi Contact. :-(

best of luck!

Say “Hi” to Shihan Monaco for me. I wont be there this year, maybe next year.

Paul

P.S, do not be afraid to use your low kick A LOT. assuming you are well conditioned,
Really punish with low kicks. You do not have to worry about eating a jab, or cross
So use it to your best ability. There ae other counters, most not as fast.

Thanks for advice Paul

What's you full name, and what dojo are you training out off. Are you a sensi or higher ranking.

I am going to See Shihan Monaco tonight, to pick up my IKF, and Kyokushin Patches.

I will pass the message on.

Zee-Rebel

My last name is Thoresen.
until very recently I was in Ohio.
here is my wwebsite www.kyokushin-karate.com

2 years ago, one of my blue belts won his division.
It was hard for him to adjust as he is a good high
kicker, and in his division he could not kick to
the head. You are lucky, as you will not have
this problem. One of my green belts came in 3rd
in the Knockdown division that year too.

have fun!
:-)

Paul

Good luck at the tournament Mong! Wish I could be there with you.

Lautaro