Now that you are suitably freaked out by the title of this thread (I know...), I came accross this today and so far have found it the most inclusive analysis of the different types (not styles) of karate while not claiming one superior over the other. Ofcourse due to the lenghth of the video a few shortcuts are taken, but I feel the general idea holds.
Good video. Jesse has a wide reach across the karate spectrum, and I can see this video doing a lot of good.
“Does this work?” is a meaningless question unless you also ask, “Works for what?”. Define the goal and from there seek the solution. I agree with the three karate’s Jesse describes, but I’d use different terms. Martial Arts (culture, health, personal challenge, etc) are not Fighting (consensual violence) are not Self-Protection (non-consensual violence). As Jesse says, karate – though its evolution – exists in different formats because of different goals. They all do what they were designed to do. All have value when judged against their own goals. The issue only arrives when people are fuzzy in their thinking and the demarcation between them all blurs.
All the best,
Iain