# Practical real-world shotokan self-defense



## dave753 (Dec 28, 2022)

I have been reading about Shotokan Karate which appeals to me.  In terms of real world scenarios e.g. ;

An attacker..

grabs your collars  
he throws a punch to your stomach
he throws a punch to your face
he knees your crotch
he throws a backfist to your face
he kicks your crotch
he's in your face and goes to headbut you
he grabs you from behind in  a headlock
he grabs your testicles
he pulls out a knife waving it about
he grabs your hair
he gets in your face and pushes you with both hands
he kicks your shins
he grabs you from the front getting you in  a headlock 

How would a knowledge of Shotokan Karate deal with such attacks?


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## O'Malley (Dec 28, 2022)

dave753 said:


> he grabs your testicles


The traditional karate response is to scream very loud.


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## Dirty Dog (Dec 28, 2022)

There are at least a hundred different ways of responding to each of those attacks. Which one you choose depends on your knowledge, experience, and the specific circumstances.


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## Bill Mattocks (Dec 28, 2022)

dave753 said:


> I have been reading about Shotokan Karate which appeals to me.  In terms of real world scenarios e.g. ;
> 
> An attacker..
> 
> ...


Rule #1. Don't get hit.


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## Flying Crane (Dec 28, 2022)

dave753 said:


> I have been reading about Shotokan Karate which appeals to me.  In terms of real world scenarios e.g. ;
> 
> An attacker..
> 
> ...


With some exceptions, most martial arts do not structure their curriculum or training in such a way as to script specific defenses against specific attacks, or if they do it, it is very limited and done as a crutch to give a beginner something to work with while their understanding is still limited. 

May I ask: what inspired you to ask this question?  Is there something that caused you to believe this is how Shotokan structures it’s curriculum?


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## punisher73 (Dec 29, 2022)

If you would like a pure "Shotokan" response to those scenarios, you might want to pick up the 6 book series "Practical Karate" (also available on Kindle for $2-3 each volume).  It was written by Masatoshi Nakayama and Donn Draeger.

It goes through many of those scenarios you asked about and gave ideas on how to respond to them with techniques pulled from Shotokan.


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## dave753 (Dec 30, 2022)

Flying Crane said:


> With some exceptions, most martial arts do not structure their curriculum or training in such a way as to script specific defenses against specific attacks, or if they do it, it is very limited and done as a crutch to give a beginner something to work with while their understanding is still limited.
> 
> May I ask: what inspired you to ask this question?  Is there something that caused you to believe this is how Shotokan structures it’s curriculum?



No, I am just drawn to Shotokan but ultimately I'd like to think it was training me for real world scenarios and it isn't just a sport or a cardio work-out session.


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## Flying Crane (Dec 30, 2022)

dave753 said:


> No, I am just drawn to Shotokan but ultimately I'd like to think it was training me for real world scenarios and it isn't just a sport or a cardio work-out session.


Fair enough.  My experience with the more traditionally-minded methods, in which I would include Shotokan, is that they are really a form of physical education, teaching you how to move efficiently and powerfully, how to connect your body to move as a unit and deliver technique with the power of the whole body, and how to apply various types of techniques.  But when it comes to applications of those techniques, while examples are typically given, it is the student’s responsibility to develop a vision for what is possible instead of expecting scripted solutions from the curriculum.  Those examples are not THE solutions.  Rather, they are functional solutions and ideas, meant to help you develop your vision.  You might be able to use them as they were taught to you, or you might use the concepts and principles found within them to respond intuitively with something unique.  Either way is functional, but you should not expect scripted solutions.  

While it can take a long time to develop that kind of vision into a high level of skill, if you are reasonably dedicated to the training and if you are reasonably physically talented, functional skill could develop within six months to a year, if you are getting quality instruction and training. And in the meantime, the training should offer you a good workout.  Ultimately, much of this comes down to having a skilled teacher who can guide you down the path so that you genuinely learn some skills and some knowledge and don’t simply mimic what he/she is doing.  You could have a vastly different experience between two different teachers of the same art.  So there is no simple answer that “Yes Shotokan will teach you how to handle those scenarios,” or “No, Shotokan will not.”  The real answer is “it depends.”


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## _Simon_ (Dec 31, 2022)

Flying Crane said:


> Fair enough.  My experience with the more traditionally-minded methods, in which I would include Shotokan, is that they are really a form of physical education, teaching you how to move efficiently and powerfully, how to connect your body to move as a unit and deliver technique with the power of the whole body, and how to apply various types of techniques.  But when it comes to applications of those techniques, while examples are typically given, it is the student’s responsibility to develop a vision for what is possible instead of expecting scripted solutions from the curriculum.  Those examples are not THE solutions.  Rather, they are functional solutions and ideas, meant to help you develop your vision.  You might be able to use them as they were taught to you, or you might use the concepts and principles found within them to respond intuitively with something unique.  Either way is functional, but you should not expect scripted solutions.
> 
> While it can take a long time to develop that kind of vision into a high level of skill, if you are reasonably dedicated to the training and if you are reasonably physically talented, functional skill could develop within six months to a year, if you are getting quality instruction and training. And in the meantime, the training should offer you a good workout.  Ultimately, much of this comes down to having a skilled teacher who can guide you down the path so that you genuinely learn some skills and some knowledge and don’t simply mimic what he/she is doing.  You could have a vastly different experience between two different teachers of the same art.  So there is no simple answer that “Yes Shotokan will teach you how to handle those scenarios,” or “No, Shotokan will not.”  The real answer is “it depends.”


Excellent post, very well said.


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## Gyakuto (Dec 31, 2022)

O'Malley said:


> The traditional karate response is to scream very loud.


We were taught to suck them up deep into the abdomen when fighting. A stomach punch was particularly devastating under these circumstances 😳😉


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## Gyakuto (Dec 31, 2022)

I view specific ‘self-defence’ movements as taught in some classes, with some suspicion, especially when they are complex and ‘intricate’: “you’re grabbed here and he tries to pull you down, so your take hold of his fingers pressing against his thumb joint with the heel of you hand, then you twist under his arm, spin around, jump in the air, whip his arm _up_, leap backward by 0.79metres, toppling him, squeeze his nuts with your free hand whilst simultaneously questioning his mother’s virtue when she was a teenager.”

I think having good punches/kicks/head butts with excellent shifting of the body and doing so intelligently and without fearful hesitation will protect you better than ingrained, complex sequences that rely on your attacker grabbing you here there and everywhere.… in other words, all the things taught by the martial arts. In the confusing moments of an unexpected attack, the mind tends to go blank and assessing the attack-type, accessing the appropriate intricate ‘self-defence move’ appropriate for the attack is unlikely.

If you were a thug, would you rather attempt to mug Mike Tyson or an experienced self-defence teacher?


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## GojuTommy (Dec 31, 2022)

Well depends on how far a long into training the individual is, and where they’re training.


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