I Regret Trying Kyokushin Karate

- Today I am

trying

the hardest

karate

style in the world. This is Kyokushin

karate

, a Japanese form of full contact fighting. - Stay nice and light. - And that is Sensei Brian Fitkin, direct student of the legendary Mas Oyama and teacher of Hollywood superstar Dolph Lundgren. - I must break you. -Today I'm going to visit his dojo to see if I can survive a full Kyokushin karate class. - Don't give up, give up, keep fighting, fighting, fighting. - I'm dying. Almost done. Do not give up. But first I have to prepare. -If you don't strengthen your legs, how are you going to absorb some of these kicks that come your way? - Kyokushin is famous for his devastating low kick. - The kicks could go in like this. -Ah. - And then you have those where you use your hips, where you enter slightly downward. - Alright. - And then those appear where you can move on. - Oh, what part of my leg would be perfect? - Well, use this particular part, it depends on how close you are. - I've never seen that one before.

All of these kicks have different angles, right? - Yes. I can come in. I come in with a big one, which is... Ooh. But there are actually many different low kicks. Oh, that, that was already painful. Now it's my turn to try. But Kyokushin also has unique strikes. - Then I can enter your chest. Boom! So I don't have to be like that... - Interesting, no, yes. Something that many people think that karate does not have. - No. - They believe that only boxing has hooks. - No no no. - However, there is one thing I still don't understand.

What is the reason for not punching people in the face? Mas Oyama decided to remove the face punches when he created Kyokushin and I want to know why. - Yes, it's because I didn't want to wear boxing gloves. Then it would be like doing kickboxing. - I guess that also generates more hardness, so as not to - Yes, exactly. I wanted it to be raw, you know? - Yes. Power without pads and things like that. - Yes Yes. And you can't really condition your face. - You can't do that with your head. It turns into a pretty brutal disaster. - Now there is only one technique left to learn, the famous rolling thunder kick. - Front flip and then kick? - Yes. - Is this something you practice or... - Um, well... - Could you show me? - Possibly.

Yes, good. Bam. - But I mean, you have to throw yourself. Not too much. No, too much has happened. Here is the goal. Too far there. - I see. - One more. One more. - One more. - Well, that wasn't bad. - Alright. Let's see if I can do it later. - If I were 21 again, I would show you. - And so it begins, my first Kyokushin class. "Sensei Ni Rei!" "Osu!" "Kamaete!" "Ichi ni, ichi ni san" - Training begins immediately with a few different fighting combinations. Fortunately, a lifetime of karate practice makes it easy to stick to.

But this is only the beginning. - Once the warm-up is finished, it's time to do some stretches. But I have the feeling that this is just the calm before the storm. - And the hands... - Now we join forces and start doing fighting exercises with each other. My opponent is one of the best fighters in the world in his category. And he's tough as a rock. - Yame! Well ok. One two. - Almost all combinations involve low kicks. - One, two, three and four - And my thighs are not used to this. Luckily, I recognize most of the kicks from my private class. - So now we're going to do a little bit of technique here.

So... - After using your body as a punching bag, it's time to use pads. And now we upload it. - Stay nice and light. Light on the feet. -Unfortunately, the champion keeps hitting my legs, because he is preparing for the European championship and I am just his warm-up. But I guess that's what I get for wearing my black belt. Although I am a beginner in Kyokushin. Now we start working even harder on the pads. But that is not all. We got down and started doing push-ups, followed by sit-ups and then even more pad work. At this point, I'm dead tired.

We haven't had a single water break and there is no time to rest. - Don't give up, give up. - I'm seconds away from giving up. - Keep fighting, fighting, fighting. - That's when I suddenly remember something Sensei Brian told me before. - Never give up. Life is not easy. You have a lot of problems, you lose your parents, things don't go the way you want, you lose your job. I mean, what do you do in those moments of crisis, when you need this mental strength? Do you bottle-feed and drink, or maybe take some pills? Not everyone is going to be a great fighter.

Not everyone can kick high, but if they try, that's what you want, for people to try. Or if they are tired and say, can I rest now? Yes, it would be easier to say "Yes, rest." But I mean, no. This is the time when it is challenging. This is when you will show that you can continue. That's what Kyokushin is all about. - Alright. - I'm dying. I'm so thirsty. I can barely speak. Almost done. Do not give up. Now there is only one thing left: Kyokushin style combat. - Jesse, you know the rules, right? - I think so. - Yes.

There are simply no blows to the head. - That's how it is. - And no kicks in the groin, of course. - Luckily, my first opponent is just a green belt. - Hajime, go! - This should be a walk in the park. The fight has barely started and they're already kicking me in the head. Turns out it's a lot harder than I thought to not hit your face, but still protect your head. - Oh. - Luckily, today we won't make full contact because my body is taking a beating. After being kicked in the head for the third time. - Yame! - it's time for my next opponent. "Osu!" - This time I'm fighting a brown belt, and he's not wearing Kyokushin style gloves.

My goal is to remember and use all the new techniques I have learned, including thunder. So far it's not going well, but at least I only have one fight left. The bad news is that this is my opponent. - My last fight is against the black belt champion. And I feel like I can't do anything because they are applying techniques to me that I have never seen before. And my opponent is just smiling. To be honest, I thought this would be the hardest fight today, but it's actually the most fun. And perhaps that is the true secret of Kyokushin.

It's not just about total contact, but about total control. And the tougher you get, the kinder you have to be. I may not have won, but I think I'm a little tougher now.