Enshin Karate "The Sabaki Method"

[KenJeet]

Just wanted to get some feedback about what you guys think of Enshin Karate? I bought the book a while back and I must say that it seems like a pretty simple, straight to the point Japanese Full Contact Karate system. It uses simple parries and focuses on exposing the opponent's blind spot. It is an offshoot of Kyokushin Karate and Ashihara Karate.

[John Bennett]

I've seen instructional tapes on "The Sabaki Method". I like the theory ...leap to one side and attack the blind spot.

But still you have the age-old problem of trying to use standing strikes to disable a guy who is bigger, stronger, thicker, and with a longer reach than you.

If drilled regularly their combinations and movement strategy could certainly help a guy, but I wouldn't rely on it as a last resort. The combinations were a bit heavy on the head kicks for my tastes.

It looks a lot more like Taekwondo than Shotokan but the Sabaki punching was hard and very Shotokanish. Not much elbows and knees. Very linear strikes after the initial evasion.

[Qkfx]

Kenjeet-
do you ever check your mail dude?

[Maxximus]

First of all let me say that I know next to nothing about the finer points of Enshin Karate, but i've seen some Sabaki Challenge tapes so i'm basing my opinion of the style simply from seeing it in action. To me it seems like a poor attempt to create full contact traditional karate. First of all, they don't allow head punches in their competition. In one of the videos I saw a little japanese Enshin guy whose technique was looking pretty good under the rules, but the second his opponent accidentally tapped him in the jaw with a straight punch he cringed away holding his jaw like a fool who has never taken a punch before. The way those guys position their bodies doesn't properly prepare them for taking a good headshot at all. As per usual among Japanese karate styles, the Enshin guys' punches are way too predictable. They seem to always be throwing straight punches aimed at the midsection, solar plexus, etc. The majority of the matches i saw with the Enshin guys simply consisted of several rounds of walking straight into each other, grabbing gis and punching each other in the chest repeatedly. Despite so many full power reverse punches landing on the body, i never saw anyone go down or appear to be significantly hurt by the attacks (this is a perfect example of why I am suspicious about any karate black belt who thinks he can bring an opponent down immediately with one reverse punch to the solar plexus). i wasn't impressed by their kicking. they throw way too many head kicks without effectively landing any of them. They love going for sweeps and throws. They basically grab each other's gis, punch each other in the chest a bunch of times and then try to throw or sweep (their clinch skills are pathetic). I'd guess that a decent judoka who'd learn basic defense against strikes could go in and clean house on all the Enshin guys. A decent kickboxer would treat those guys like punching bags...and if he knew the thai clinch well he'd make extremely short work of the Enshin guys.

[Tim Mousel]

I don't know the specific differences between Enshin and Ashihara Karate but I did study privately with 2 of Ashihara's black belts for a little over 3 years from 1984 - 1987.

I really enjoyed it and it taught me a lot of things. The training was very tough. We'd spend the first hour and a half working techniques and drills and then for the next 30 minutes we'd spar. It was bareknuckle and even though there were usually no punches to the face it still taught a lot about how to block and deliver leg kicks, knees and body punches. Sometimes we'd put on boxing gloves and let everything go.

Those guys were super tough from the years of hardcore training they did with Ashihara.

Tim