A few similarities, matchhead Jack? Every single one of those savate kicks we've done in Isshinryu, and I'm sure other styles can say the same. Although we don't allow leg kicking in sparring. "Stop kicks", yes, but certainly not shots to the knees.

I have to agree with you, Speedy. I have great respect for Kyokushin and really enjoyed watching some of the training at the various dojos. But I thought the fighting was lame and a poor representation of the art. It came down to punching the chest and leg attacks which is probably only about 5% of what the style is about.

I'd have preferred body armor and a full contact match.

I practice savate, and, watching the clips online, there is just no way the savate guy was going for it. His kicks and punches all looked like assaut level of contact [i.e. semi-contact/light-contact]. There is just no way he was fighting full-contact. I've seen people sparring harder under semi-contact rules.

Also, Ironfoot, no disrespect to your karate style but I'd be very surprised if you actually did kick the way savateurs kick. Or if you have some of the standard savate kicks in your repertoire.

Savate has evolved from day one around kicking wearing shoes and the kicks, as a result, are very different from karate style kicks -- they tend to land with the toes not the instep and they tend to be more extended than karate kicks. You'd break your feet trying to kick savate style with bare feet. Some savate kicks, like the coup de pied bas, you just couldn't do in bare feet.

Savateurs practice kicking legs all the time and the body mechanics of a low roundhouse to the opponents thigh, while wearing shoes, are just different to karate kicks.

This isn't to be negative about karate kicking -- which I'm sure has it's own advantages in the right context -- it's just different, that's all.

As far as I can tell he, Cissoko, was runner up in the 2003 championship. I can't really talk about the shape he was in [he's in much better shape than me!] but I was struck by how he was just tapping a lot of the kicks and his punches in the clinch were just light contact, not full.

Okay I have mixed feelings about the Judo episode

The historical and cultural facts (which is really what the show is about despite the dojo visits and training) were skewed and sometimes just deceptively wrong. However, I don't think it's the History Channel's fault as much as it is the people they interviewed and talked to lying or being deceived themselves.

For example, the history of Takenouchi-ryu was probably a result of misinformation, misinterpretation/language barries and/or pride of the dojo. I.E. claiming to be the first style with jujutsu (Tatsumi-ryu for example is older) and being the father of all jujutsu in all Japan.

Also, trying to emphasize Judo's link to "samurai," I can't blame the History Channel for that because that is really the legacy of the militarization of pre-WWII Japan and the former government's nationalistic propaganda, but really they didn't give Dr. Kano enough credit for basically developing his own techniques.

Saying that "Judo beat Jujutsu" when competing for the police endorsements is waaaaaay too open ended and misleading. And the statement that Judo is endorsed by "the Japanese police" is much to open ended; for example the Tokyo Riot Police have their recruits take the one year Senshusei program in the Yoshinkan Aikido Hombu Dojo.

BUT, but, I did like the oponent they chose for the Judo match. This was a very good example - he dominated BUT at the same time was in control of the situation and did not use physical advantages (force, speed, etc) to bully around or pulverize the guy, but at the same time showed that his experience in Judo and his techniques were the things that gave him an edge. Very good example of the balance control and stability of his art.

I definitely agree with the historical facts of Judo
and they didnt seem to explain much about Kano's reason of Judo development too

Jujutsu practice at the time, from what I know, was very brutal and dangerous. Many students suffering problems and such as it was a Jutsu (used for battle). JuDO shows a more gentle approach to the art? So that students can practice safely and such without dying in the dojo, haha. I might be wrong but is that how it goes?