List of Full Contact Karate Styles

This page provides details for those Karate styles that concentrate on full contact sparring. While many Karate styles practice light contact or point sparring, there are number of styles that practice a more physical type of sparring that includes minimal padding and powerful strikes to most areas of an opponent's body.

While there are a variety of full contact Karate formats, one of the most popular formats is knockdown sparring or knockdown Karate. This type of sparring focusing on knocking out or knocking down an opponent. There are a number of different styles that practice knockdown sparring but probably the most famous is Kyokushin Karate.

According to United States Kyokushin Karate, "Legal fighting techniques include any leg techniques (kicks, knee strikes, etc.) to the legs, body, face or head, and any hand techniques (fists, elbows, etc.) to the body… A Knockdown fight lasts two minutes, without stopping, and is won by a single point (Ippon 一本), which is awarded when a technique sufficiently stuns the opponent so that he is unable to resume fighting within five seconds. A half point (Waza Ari 技有り) can be awarded for a technique that momentarily stuns the opponent".

Full Contact Karate Styles - Excludes those styles that only infrequently use full contact sparring

• Ashihara Karate or Ashihara Kaikan
• Chidokwon Karate
• Enshin Karate or Enshin Kaikan
• Kyokushin Karate
• Ryukyukan Karate
• Seido Karate
• Shidokan Karate

Reference Sources

1. United States Kyokushin Karate, http://uskyokushin.com/tourn.htm, Added - 09/21/16