Note that I said 'relates to a real fight', and in that place did not say 'handle in a real fight'. I agree that a trained karateka will have a significant advantage against an untrained opponent in any sort of fight.
That said, I disagree with the rest of your point. Naihanchi does not in any shape or form prepare one for any sort of fighting, be it on the ground or standing up. Of course when one does kumite 3 times a week, that does train one as a fighter, even if not maximally efficient; but it's far-fetched to say that because the movements of limbs in kumite sort of resemble the movements of limbs in a kata, that the kata adds significantly to the training for kumite-style competition (or 'actual' fighting, for that matter).
I also did not say that I was disappointed in my training. I got a lot out of it actually, and if I had more time I would still be training; but I no longer pretend that I learned effective fighting from it. I see it more as a fast paced yoga, and fun mix of medium-intensity cardio training and flexibility exercises. Which is fine. Also without actually doing it, I wouldn't have been able to draw the conclusions about its place in martial arts that I do now.
Finally, I'm not saying that the theoretical parts can't be fun, just like in the software cases that we started with. I have spend numerous hours toying with non-practical examples or test programs, for aesthetics or a minute performance enhancement or whatever. Similar in karate - I spend many hours in front of a mirror getting my side kicks perfectly level, for merely aesthetic reasons. Many people do - which is why I said the things I said, that the original goal has largely been forgotten. I mean seriously, kata competitions are seen as the 'noble' form of competitive karate, and kumite is just for youngsters with too much testosterone and roughnecks; does that make sense?
> Naihanchi does not in any shape or form prepare one for any sort of fighting
What makes you so sure? I don't think karate is like the Karate Kid movies, where you spend all morning painting the fence and all afternoon doing some ridiculous-looking kata, and then end up applying those moves exactly in a fight.
But I do submit that these kata are designed to teach precisely the kind of movements one would apply in a fight.
I have not ever actually been in a streetfight, and I confess my argument smells a little bit like "I've been doing this ten years, I refuse to believe that I've been wasting my time". Still -- are you prepared to argue that kata training definitely does not teach one fighting skills? Seems like that's an extremely difficult point to argue.
That said, I disagree with the rest of your point. Naihanchi does not in any shape or form prepare one for any sort of fighting, be it on the ground or standing up. Of course when one does kumite 3 times a week, that does train one as a fighter, even if not maximally efficient; but it's far-fetched to say that because the movements of limbs in kumite sort of resemble the movements of limbs in a kata, that the kata adds significantly to the training for kumite-style competition (or 'actual' fighting, for that matter).
I also did not say that I was disappointed in my training. I got a lot out of it actually, and if I had more time I would still be training; but I no longer pretend that I learned effective fighting from it. I see it more as a fast paced yoga, and fun mix of medium-intensity cardio training and flexibility exercises. Which is fine. Also without actually doing it, I wouldn't have been able to draw the conclusions about its place in martial arts that I do now.
Finally, I'm not saying that the theoretical parts can't be fun, just like in the software cases that we started with. I have spend numerous hours toying with non-practical examples or test programs, for aesthetics or a minute performance enhancement or whatever. Similar in karate - I spend many hours in front of a mirror getting my side kicks perfectly level, for merely aesthetic reasons. Many people do - which is why I said the things I said, that the original goal has largely been forgotten. I mean seriously, kata competitions are seen as the 'noble' form of competitive karate, and kumite is just for youngsters with too much testosterone and roughnecks; does that make sense?