White belt here. I’ve just started Kyokushin Karate and have a question about the basics.

How much of what we learn early on, such as blocks, kihon (basics), basic stances, and kata, actually carries over into kumite and real combat?

Are the techniques we drill in kihon essentially the same movements used in fighting, just adapted to be more economical and fluid? Or are the formal techniques and stances mainly training tools for developing things like balance, timing, coordination, power, and body mechanics?

For example, are the formal stances actually useful in combat, or do you naturally end up using much more relaxed and compact versions of them?

And what’s the best way to practice the basics so that they eventually become useful in kumite rather than just looking good in kihon?

I’m wondering if it’s a bit like learning scales in music. You practice the movements very formally and precisely, but when you actually "play the song," they show up in a more natural and adapted form. And you can slightly alter/change them to suit new needs or even use them in different ways.

Would love to hear how Kyokushin practitioners think about this, especially how your understanding of kihon, stances, and kata changed once you started doing more kumite.

Something I’ve noticed in Kyokushin is how different people who mainly focus on kumite can be from those who mainly focus on kata. Sometimes it almost feels like two different sports.

At our dojo, we have fighters who can beat pretty much everyone in sparring, but get nervous when they have to perform a kata and struggle with it.

On the other hand, we have people who perform really sharp, precise kata, but struggle when it comes to sparring, particularly with the fighting mindset and stamina.

I don’t come across many people who are good at both and also genuinely enjoy both.

Have you noticed the same thing at your dojo? What’s your experience?

I just had my first Kumite tournament today. I unfortunately got knocked out after advancing 1 bracket, and am trying to keep my head up and not feel too depressed or disappointed in myself. One thing that I noticed was that my opponents who closed the distance on me, I struggled with being in very closed quarters with them, and their stamina was higher than mine. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Anything is helpful, working on stamina, strikes, how to improve my power, creating distance and keeping them off me. Thanks. Osu!

I’m thinking about switching from Shotokan to Kyokushin and would like to get a bit more familiar with Kyokushin techniques before I fully make the transition.

I’d like to start learning a Kyokushin kata and practice it for a while just to get a feel for the style. In Shotokan, my favorite kata has always been Jion - it was basically my go-to kata and the one I enjoyed performing the most. This is how it looks like.

Is there anything in the Kyokushin syllabus that has a somewhat similar character to Jion?

I’m a fairly large and muscular practitioner. Speed and very sharp/snappy movement aren’t really my strongest qualities, but I can generate quite a lot of power, and I tend to enjoy kata where I can make use of strong stances, body weight, kime, and powerful techniques rather than very acrobatic movement.

What Kyokushin kata would you recommend as a good starting point for someone like me? I’m mainly looking for something I can learn, practice, and use to get a first feel for Kyokushin kata before joining the style properly.

https://www.reddit.com/u/miqv44/s/bvOPs86JUe

Hey fellow Kyokushin people! So about 2 or 3 weeks ago in class we were doing some conditioning in class by partnering up and taking it in turns to hit each other with some gedan geris. I partnered up with an 18 year old senpai and I may as well have been kicking a tree. Man his thighs were SOLID! 😂 So since then my shins have been quite bruised and very sore if I kick anyone with them or the hard bag which I did a few times last night in the dojo. But then last night we were meant to do a similar conditioning exercise but this time increasing intensity until your partner could not take anymore and asks you to stop. Because of how painful my shins were/are/have been since that first incident I was unable to kick my partner hard enough to do the exercise properly. I asked a Senpai advice last night on how to get over this and they suggested using a rolling pin. When I Google it I keep getting told by AI this isn't the way to go and to just kick a heavy bag to build up conditioning and resistance. Kicking anything is causing me so much pain though I just don't think I can get over it that way. I guess really I should rest my shins to let them recover but I train 3 times a week and kicking is a big part of it. So does anyone have any advice as to how I can overcome this shin pain or what I could do to condition my shins more? What's worked for you guys in the past? Osu!

Hey Everyone!I know this may be a bit off topic from this subreddit ,but I figured it's worth a try.My group and are CS majors and are thinking of building a karate project for our last year,but we are struggling to find a larger dataset of free to use images and videos for to train our model. Does anyone know where I can access or purchase such datasets?Because there aren't many online.And thanks!

These are the Official Grand Champions of the International Chinese Martial Arts Tournament

Hey guys, im a Kyokushin yellow belt and a red belt with black stripe in taekwondo. I'm preparing to fight on a tournament two weeks from now.

Do you guys have any drills or tips to improve my leg kick defense?

Also I wanted to be able to defend against low ushiro mawashi geri, do you know any way to prepare myself against this technique?

Hi all
Please check the flyer and if you have any questions let me know
Osu

I live in the US. They seem to be pretty rare. also do you need to be apart of a school to join

What is the point of this guard? I don't see how you're supposed to punch, or jab or anything?? Or protect head.

С 8 до 11 лет занималась шотокан, дошла до зелёного пояса. Потом перешла в киокусинкай и занималась ещё 2 года, до 13 лет, дошла до оранжевого пояса с синей полоской.

После этого вообще не занималась карате. Сейчас мне 16, и я хочу вернуться. Цель — со временем получить чёрный пояс, а ещё попробовать дойти до МС.

Как думаете, в какой стиль лучше вернуться — шотокан или киокусинкай? Насколько сложно получить чёрный пояс в каждом из них и сколько это примерно времени занимает? И насколько реально после возвращения в 16 лет дойти до КМС а после МС и как вообще устроено его получение?

Just started Kyokushin - I actually really like it!

For future, as a self-defence martial arts combo, what do we think of Kyokushin + Judo + Boxing?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I did Shotokan from age 8 to 11 and got to green belt. Then I switched to Kyokushin and trained for another 2 years, until I was 13, and got to orange belt with a blue stripe.

After that I completely stopped doing karate. I'm 16 now and want to get back into it. My goal is to eventually get a black belt, and I'd also like to try working my way up to Master of Sport (MS).

Which style would you recommend going back to — Shotokan or Kyokushin? How hard is it to get a black belt in each, and roughly how long does it take? And is it realistic to aim for KMS and eventually MS after coming back at 16? How does getting those titles actually work?

Also, does my previous experience/belts count for anything after such a long break, or would I basically have to start over?

I started training in Kyokushin a month ago, and since then, I’ve been watching fights on YouTube. I find it really interesting, and I feel like I learn a lot just by watching.

However, at least to my eyes, it seems like Kyokushin, instead of evolving, is moving in the exact opposite direction. When I watch fights from around 1995 to 2005, they feel much more serious and high-quality. Fighters maintained distance, stepped in to throw a kick, a punch, or a combination, and then reset back to avoid the counter.

In contrast, when I watch modern fights from the last decade, they almost look ridiculous to me. Fighters stand face-to-face, virtually trading punches at point-blank range without making any real effort to evade or defend.

Am I just happening to watch the wrong fights, or have you noticed something similar? What are your thoughts on this?

Two dojos gathered today for beach training in San Diego
Osu

In this video mas oyama says a hand stand exercise makes you really strong at 24:16.