Proposal to add forearm strikes in the ruleset as legal technique

Good morning guys.

5 years and 5 months have passed since the first Karate Combat event and the ruleset has evolved quickly in those years.
With the add of knee strikes, the ruleset is getting way more complete and with a traditional touch.
There was a debate on adding elbow strikes to the ruleset that made me came up with a proposal.
Personally I do not agree with elbow strikes, since the audience age is relatively young and could be too much goreful to see cuts and blood spilling, so I thought that adding forearm strikes might be a good alternative.

For those who don’t know what are the forearm strikes…a forearm strike is a technique which you strike by using the radial and ulnar bone to the face or the sides of the neck.
Okinawan karate styles like Uechi-ryu, Goju-ryu and Shorin-ryu condition the forearms to strike with them.

Allowing forearm strikes to the rulesets will give a more traditional look of the fighting and something original in the ruleset.

Do you agree to add forearm strikes in the Karate Combat’s official rules?

  • Yes, add forearm strikes
  • No, the ruleset is fine as it is

0 voters

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My initial thoughts are I’m not too against it since 2 of the 3 ridge hand KOs were really more with the upper forearm but did still hit with fist. (Which is why they were legal.)

The issues I could see is it becomes a more close range technique. Which Karate Combat traditionally has created incentives for more longer range fighting. Which in turn creates incentives for that more blitz style of fighting that main stream audiences associate with Karate and giving more space for all the spectacular kicks we see in the Pit.

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i think it might lead to some wild ko’s and make it easier to ridgehand which i see as essential.