I thought that too. It was mentioned in the colour commentary but I didn't see use of it during the bout. I really liked it over all. Can't wait to see more.
Historically, shobu ippon did indeed have its roots in sword arts. And as a former fencer, its application to a blade is obvious. And for people where their personal goal in martial arts is about "learning to push through hardship" more than "learning to fight better"--the Gichin Funakoshi philosophy of self-betterment through sweat, albeit sometimes a bit divorced from combative utility--shobu ippon is still very beneficial while being a lot less physically damaging than continuous free-sparring. I see a place for both, but I personally prefer continuous sparring.
Well I suppose you have to artificially force the style somehow so the proper kickboxers and Muay Thai guys don't complicate things. This still looks really good though if only because it seems very unpolished, like amateur or early MMA. When there's that variability there are more possibilities and it's always more fun to watch.
Having watched a few of these fights last night I still think it's really cool but the same issues keep cropping up. The boxing, hand work is really poor and the linear single strikes to same level do get a bit repetitive. I't often descends into a chin up swinging fest at close quarters after an initial blitz. I'd be interested to see karateka from other rulesets compete. Deffo want to see slicker combinations (hands, feet, hands etc) and some more circular footwork. The fight posted here has been the best so far.
I want to see some superman's and jumping turning kicks off the slopes With a bit more time I think we'll see practitioners use that slope in their tactics.
I guess it's all horses for courses. I'm torn because although I like that someone has come up with something different but so far this isn't quite what I hoped for. What's with the ban on hooks etc? We had them in the karate system I was in and I know that others did as well. I guess if you just want to encourage a more contact intensive version of the ''traditional'' JKA style karate then this will work. Seems that this format I used to watch guys fight in the early kickboxing circuits 30 years ago and it seemed to flow better. Perhaps having to think about all the techniques/combos you can't use must mess things up a bit. Will have to reserve judgement and see how it goes. :' ) LFD
How are hooks being defined? In that first video posted there were punches looping in an arc to hit targets at more than 45° from perpendicular in relation to the attacker. I'd call that a hook.
Just looked at the official rules. 'Roundhouse' punches are allowed. But it's uppercuts that are prohibited. Also prohibited are low kicks between the knee and thigh... So only calf kicks at lowline. Double leg takedowns are also banned. Rules here- Rules & Regulations - Karate Combat
Interesting ruleset, I wonder how the slopped wall will effect things, Iirc the yamma pit has been done before. Remembering YAMMA Pit Fighting five years later
Love the over all look/feel of it, especially as I think that the aesthetics of competitive Karate are gonna change (and not for the better) post-2020'. The ruleset I am not completely sold on though, as there are techniques found within most Karate syllabi that appear to be prohibited, which as stated above, seems to favour a specific competitive style - I love a good thigh kick me, (giving not receiving) and the idea that they should be disallowed boggles the brain. Travess
To be honest , i'd have preferred it if they'd just had a more open ruleset including more of the techniques that can be found in kata but are banned in "normal" competition (including this one) and kept the full gi to be able to utilise the opportunities it can give.
On one hand it looks really cool and it's very neat to see fighters known for WKF sparring, like Aghayev, going at it. On the other hand, it needs uppercuts, elbow strikes, open hand strikes, knees, and thigh kicks. Also more blocking
One thing I thought was interesting, I’ve seen cleaner karate style combinations in the UFC than with the stricter ruleset here. Very few kicks were thrown at all despite the fact that I’ve seen some great kicks from a few of these competitors in YouTube videos of their WKF fights. Ultimately I kind of chalk it up to putting a bunch of guys who don’t fight full contact in more of a full contact venue. Maybe as time goes on they will get more comfortable with the ruleset and we’ll see more from them. Also, I agree with Fish of Doom, they need to open up the striking, add stuff that is in the art of karate but not the current sport of it.
On the other hand, given the flexibility of how bunkai are interpreted, isn't there a risk that just about every imaginable technique could be found in kata, and so you'd end up with the rules of UFC 1?