Anyone know why Karate tradtionally doesnt allow punches to the head?

[Acronym]

Eh... Traditional Karate, including all modern Karate organisations allow punches the face. Kyokushin branches are the only one that don't.. Even they hold some tournaments with face punching and gloves.

 

[Acronym]

So if traditional Karate does not allow punches to the face, then canadians don't play hockey and Russians never wrestle.

 

[EJC]

In the 1960's and 70's, where GLOVES AND HEADGEAR WERE NOT IN PLAY (even a shin or arm pad would bring humiliation to the wearer), not only were head shots definitely allowed, "kiss" CONTACT WAS ALLOWED for black and sometimes brown belts. "Kiss" being defined as contact not breaking any bones or teeth, cuts not requiring stitches, or causing the head to noticeably snap back.

I can remember the promotions at my dojo in the 80s. It was a rare thing if at least one person did NOT end up in the ER. Hell, for my Nidan test, I ended up on crutches for 2 weeks, and the other person testing had his lower lip punched through his teeth by a (rather vicious) roundhouse kick — and then kicked into the audience). That stopped his sparring timer at 4:35 left of his 5 minutes. At the end of his 5 minutes of kumite, his sparring partner just grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slammed him into a dressing room door .... left a hell of a blood spot on the door. The year before he broke BOTH hands during his Shodan testing.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I can remember the promotions at my dojo in the 80s. It was a rare thing if at least one person did NOT end up in the ER. Hell, for my Nidan test, I ended up on crutches for 2 weeks, and the other person testing had his lower lip punched through his teeth by a (rather vicious) roundhouse kick — and then kicked into the audience). That stopped his sparring timer at 4:35 left of his 5 minutes. At the end of his 5 minutes of kumite, his sparring partner just grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slammed him into a dressing room door .... left a hell of a blood spot on the door. The year before he broke BOTH hands during his Shodan testing.

I'm glad I wasn't around for that mess. Ouch.

 

[EJC]

I'm glad I wasn't around for that mess. Ouch.

It was very "old school". Things changed — even in that dojo — in the 1990s as "karate" became a workout and a sport.

 

[isshinryuronin]

I can remember the promotions at my dojo in the 80s. It was a rare thing if at least one person did NOT end up in the ER. Hell, for my Nidan test, I ended up on crutches for 2 weeks, and the other person testing had his lower lip punched through his teeth by a (rather vicious) roundhouse kick — and then kicked into the audience). That stopped his sparring timer at 4:35 left of his 5 minutes. At the end of his 5 minutes of kumite, his sparring partner just grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slammed him into a dressing room door .... left a hell of a blood spot on the door. The year before he broke BOTH hands during his Shodan testing.

There was something definitely wrong at that school. I trained in the 60's and 70's in two different styles in Los Angeles, so it was definitely old school (pads NOT allowed). Workouts were tough and Shodan testing even tougher, but nothing like you described. There is NO excuse for that extent of lack of control by both the students and instructors.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

It was very "old school". Things changed — even in that dojo — in the 1990s as "karate" became a workout and a sport.

It just sounds too injury-prone for me. Even in my prime, I had too much else going on.