As we're building up the kb sets we take more complex drills from the arts of boxing, karate, savate and thai - primarily punches and kicks
Thai of course has knee and elbow strikes, but these are not used in sparring and rarely in partner drills
we develop these sets on impact pads and bring them out in freestyle sparring wearing our PPE, boxing gloves and shinpads
we punch the head and body
we kick the leg and body - and sometimes the head
we practice defences and defensive combinations - defend the opponent's blow before executing our combination
With our Kempo and Street Karate we look into more complex techniques and concepts
Kempo takes us "beyond sparring" - we no longer just use the clenched fist and it is not inside a padded protective glove it is "empty hand"
we use a variety of "ken" striking "tools" or "fists" to different and more lethal targets - shuto knife hand to neck and throat, finger strike to eyes, knee and kicks to groin and knee
we cause direct and deliberate damage
Form 3 of karate was all about grappling defences - various grabs
Form 4, using the attributes and reflexes developed in sparring, takes us Beyond Sparring to defend against more complex attacks from the opponent, combinations of kicks and punches - and with more variety behind our responses and strike combinations
So when you are developing your boxing and thai sets you are developing the attributes and reflexes that go Beyond Sparring to make your Form 4 Karate even more lethal
