KOO KARATE

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My experience at Koo Self Defense.

I consider it the most progressive martial arts in the world!

This is an open letter to all those considering karate lessons:

I'm 54 years old and live in Cartersville, Georgia.

I took 15 months of karate lessons and got a red belt from another karate studio in Cartersville, Georgia, which has now closed.

In June of 1998 I started back with Koo Self Defense International, also in Cartersville, Georgia. Master Koo was gracious in allowing me to enter at the red belt level.

I noticed that the rigid formalities and stances were gone. How refreshing...I could finally focus on hitting and kicking.

The next thing that was evident was how hard his lower belts could hit.

Nobody that I'd ever worked with at the other studio (including several black belts) could hit anywhere near as hard. I wish there were some way that I could put into print how hard these low-belt Koo students hit. I couldn't believe it...newbies hitting harder than many of the other studios' black belts.

Recently, a white belt teenager that had just started and was attending his second class was working with me. He was hitting incredibly hard, just from the training he'd gotten at his first class. He had zero martial arts experience. I'm impressed with Koo.

After 9 months with Koo, I earned my second degree brown belt and am looking forward to earning my black belt.

There are several major differences in almost all other karate disciplines and Koo. Although I really did learn a lot at the other studio, in every case, Koo is superior.

Koo doesn't use rigid stances which in the real world, on gravel, for example, may not work.

Koo doesn't waste time on precise form since hitting hard is far more important.

Koo teaches advanced kicks and hits at lower belt levels than most other studios. Koo doesn't hold back on giving you everything you need.

Koo never does air kicks & punches. All punches and kicks are done on focus mitts or shields at full power, throwing your full body weight into the punch or kick. In my opinion, this is one of the main things that separates Koo from all other disciplines. The problem is that when you kick or punch air, you have to hold back and not throw your weight into the kick or punch, or you'd fall forward onto the floor. So holding back becomes an ingrained habit. Thus when you are in a real fight, you instinctively hold back and don't kick or hit as hard as you could. This would never happen with Koo as all punches and kicks are done with full force, throwing all your weight into focus mitts or shields. This is the reason Koo low belts hit much harder than many black belts from other disciplines.

Koo may look sloppy compared to other styles. But the cost of the apparent precision is loss of real hitting power. KOO has rhythm and it flows. Many other disciplines teach awkward and rigid movements, and the focus is on precise form and not on hitting power.

Koo doesn't waste time teaching arm blocks since they're rarely used in a real fight. Koo teaches dodging and shielding which do work.

Koo uses jumping kicks in which your body weight is thrown into the kick. Additionally, you travel, so in case your opponent moves back while you're kicking, you'll make contact with him and not end up kicking air.

Koo doesn't waste time requiring memorization of forms which no one would ever use in the street. Class time is better spent punching and kicking focus mitts and shields at full power with full body weight thrown into it.

Koo starts the workout with 20 minutes of Master Koo's famous Kick Boxing Aerobics to music. He mixes and matches movements as he goes, so the moves are never the same. After the 20 minutes of aerobics there's 20 minutes of stretching and balancing. (I can easily put my hands flat on the floor.) The 1 hour session ends with 20 minutes of punches and kicks, all into focus mitts or shields at full power, throwing all your weight into the punches and kicks.

Koo doesn't spar. Sparring teaches the bad habit of not hitting with full force, because you can't or you'd hurt your sparring partner. So when you're in the street in a real fight, you automatically hold back, just like you did when you were sparring. Whatever you do in training is exactly what you'll do in a real fight. That eliminates as viable all types of karate that teach sparring and have tournaments.