Challenged by a 3rd-Degree Female Blackbelt in Shotokan karate

shotokan is one nasty form. not a lot of theatrics, but very econmical, precise and potentially deadly. you might be real tough and all, but your nuts could very well wind up between your lungs if you don't defend yourself well. also, i am sure she could split your trachea in two.

Depends on what you mean my challenged. If you mean a real fight, you have a chance. If you mean a sparring session where you don't really try to beat the crap out of each other, you'll probably lose.

I think the going entirely beserk method would prove successful for you.

First of all, why did she challenge you? Were you making fun of her or something? Anyways....you are twice as big and I'll assume twice as strong. So i'd say you'll have a fighting chance if you nail her in the face one or two good times. But here is the thing -- I'd be willing to bet that you'll hold back quite a bit because she's a female, and a small female at that. You might not mean to, but you will. Add to that the fact that she is highly experienced in a no-frills martial art and I'd be willing to bet that you're toast. She'll know the quickest ways to disarm your size and strength. She'll probably be going for the throat, nuts, or various other pressure points.

whats the difference between sparring and fighting? why would i have an advantage in one and a disadvantage in the other?

redmeansdead wrote:

First of all, why did she challenge you? Were you making fun of her or something? Anyways....you are twice as big and I'll assume twice as strong. So i'd say you'll have a fighting chance if you nail her in the face one or two good times. But here is the thing -- I'd be willing to bet that you'll hold back quite a bit because she's a female, and a small female at that. You might not mean to, but you will. Add to that the fact that she is highly experienced in a no-frills martial art and I'd be willing to bet that you're toast. She'll know the quickest ways to disarm your size and strength. She'll probably be going for the throat, nuts, or various other pressure points.

Well, we're talking a real fight here, very deep issues between us. She's also 35, im 21.

Sparring is points based. You perform moves trying to score, not so much trying to hurt/incapacitate your opponent. You don't get any credit for random ass self-defense street survival moves, which, given your size differences, would be the most effective for you (aka just running full speed and attempting to body slam / restrain her)

I'm completely sure she'd outspar me, given her training. I was talking streetfighting though, given her training, how much does Shokotan (which is non-contact) prepare you for actual streetfighting. A

A more general question is how often is karate practical in real streetfighting situations, where people go berzerk? Aside from Muay Thai, i cant think of any other discipline that prepares you for that. Can anyone think of others?

It is rather shocking how poorly karate experts often fight when they are put in a real fight position. They get very upset if you don't do what they expect you to(behave like a sparring partner). Many women will enroll their daughters in self defence courses thinking that karate and other martial arts will win every time. My brother was actually challenged by an expert once. She was helpless in slightly less than 5 seconds. If someone is bigger, stronger, faster and can take more abuse, they will pound you. Watch an ultimate fighting contest sometime. There are many martial arts experts out there but they never rely purely on their specialty.

If it is indeed a real fight and you're not afraid to beat her ass, then I'd say you've got a good chance of giving her a severe beatdown. Unless she is an experienced streetfighter (which I assume she isn't) she's probably not gonna know what to do with herself when you come swingin' like a wild ape. Just remember, you are fueled by testosterone and that will give you a great advantage in a streetfight. Go apeshit and WATCH YOUR NUTS. Also, try your best to intimidate her before the fight by looking relaxed and confident. Let her hit you a couple times and laugh about it (even if it hurts). Then, proceed with going off like an A-bomb. She will learn not to pick fights with large men anymore.

They teach in martial arts that size and strength do not matter. But that's only if you are experienced in REAL fighting and you know what the hell you're doing. If she's never been in a real fight with someone your size, it doesn't matter how black her belt is.

(Please let us know how the fight goes).

if he fight, i will. The thing I'm most wary of are pressure points, as karate people are skilled at those. I would think that her 3rd Dan (3rd degree blackbelt) would account for something, even in a streetfight.

i took shotokan for several years. your best bet is to turn it into a grappling match. karate is all about striking and blocking, she will probably have no more experience than you in a wrestling match. plus your superior weight and strength will be most advantageous on the floor.

She would be forced to come in closer to me given my reach advantage. That should allow me to get a hold on her without getting too damaged. What dan are you, if any, in shotokan? How significant is it to get through the first 3 dans? Examples of tests would be appreciated.

former karate kid wrote:

i took shotokan for several years. your best bet is to turn it into a grappling match. karate is all about striking and blocking, she will probably have no more experience than you in a wrestling match. plus your superior weight and strength will be most advantageous on the floor.

you will kill her if you have any kinf of athletic ability.

That is too much size to overcome.

A medicore male boxer of that size would have difficulty with a man of your size.

Can you grapple or tackle or wrestle at all? If it's a match with rules, your chances are above 90% if you just dive in there with lightning speed, tackle that chick and pin those arms down. Try to take about two seconds total to do all of the above. Use a groin cup to protect your goodies and just be pure aggression and your sheer size advantage will probably be overwhelming. Most people who practice Asian martial arts don't see non-stop, full-fledged aggression in training and are shut down by the adrenal dump it brings on. They either forget everything they ever learned or they try to respond defensively to moves (many of them unfamiliar ones) that are already in progress and are never able to fight back effectively. Many martial arts stances are very wide, solid stances, so when your opponent is just about to get into a stance, shooting in and tackling catches the Shotokan stylist rooted to the ground and makes a takedown easy. It won't be easy if you think about all the what-ifs and hesitate, but your warp-speed total aggression is what makes it possible. Once on the mat, if you can apply strong pressure with your forearm to the side of the neck or can land a few moderate shutos (chops) to either or both sides of the neck, the match should be over. Of course, there's that other ~10% chance your opponent can deal calmly and effectively with your "rhino" attack and will make a fool out of you! But if you must fight, you must never think of anything except taking out the opponent. Never consider any scenario or any possible outcome. Don't even think. Just take them out.

If it's a real "anything goes" fight where there's nothing to stop that chick from trying to drive your kneecap into your mid-thigh or take your eye out, I think you'd still be on at least even ground if you just use that total aggression, but you definitely risk getting seriously hurt yourself. It's a no-win situation for you fighting a little girl, so just avoid it and say nobody wins a fight (I hope that's the only time I'll ever quote a line from that bloody awful movie "Roadhouse"). If you have to fight for real, do what I said and take it to the opponent and finish it before they even have time to realize the fight's started. But remember, standing trial for manslaughter is a bad alternative to avoiding the whole mess.

You can also use that "no-win" concept to avoid a fight with a guy who's waaaaay bigger by just standing up to him. I've done it before. It catches him off guard a little if you're confident but not pushy. As long as it's done in such a way that doesn't make him feel like he has to prove himself, somewhere in the Neanderthal's brain, he knows he can't possibly come out of it in a positive way. If he kicks my @$$, he's a bully who's too chicken to fight anybody but a guy half his weight. As in, "Oh, you're real tough pounding that little guy!" Worse yet, if he loses, he's a bully for fighting a guy half his weight and got beaten by a guy half his weight. So maybe Patrick Swayze was right. No-win.

with a few months of trainin in the same discipline you would kick her ass...without the training she'd probably catch you and kill you.

Your chances are good.

If you have any wrestling experience I'd suggest shooting in and ground-and-pounding her.

If not, here's my suggestion: Wear a cup. See if you can knock her out standing up. Don't be too eager to over extend yourself and open up. Go toe to toe for a couple seconds and you might just land a good shot on her face. Aim for her chin. If you can get a hold of her collar with one hand and rain heavy blows with the other, hockey style.

If that doesn't work, takle her and stay on top. Go for the mount (you'll likely end up in her guard) and punch her in the face until she submits.

But remember, many of these martial arts are defensive. This means that her main attack might be a counter-attack. So when the fight starts, don't do anything stupid too early. Give some space and let her try to kick you (she wont land a head shot considering the height difference). Close in and exchange boxing shots.

The only other advice would be to wrestle and spar with a buddy with some martial arts experience before the main event.

Lastly, get it on video.

You better get it on video.

My advice is this: DO NOT TRY TO KICK unless you want a ruined knee. Run in close so her attacks will be less effective and just try to get a grip on her. If you pick her up, that will neutralize most moves because she'll need to push off the ground to put any force into her puches/kicks. Then just ram her head into a wall. She is way too small to beat a man of your size unless you are tentative or fail to protect your throat and nuts as other posters have mentioned.

Just spear her ass like a linebacker and she'll go down. Wear a cup and watch your throat and eyes and you'll be fine. If you don't know what you're doing don't stand around like you do, that's what she's counting on. Just charge at her and grab her and toss her around some.