Cobra Kai Season 3: Are the karate scenes prohibitive to series reality?

Cobra Kai Season 3: Are the karate scenes prohibitive to series reality?

While some bemoan the excessive violence of Cobra Kai‘s third season on Netflix, with Miguel getting snapped in half like cheap, boxed spaghetti, and Tory inserting new orifices into Samantha LaRusso’s appendages, there may be a bigger issue.

Perhaps the focus is being unduly placed on the violence, and more should be placed on the quality of the fighting? Is the karate itself, the actual stunts being done, is it good enough for the epic nature of Cobra Kai?

Cobra Kai: The fighting

The beauty of the Karate Kid is simplicity. Wax’a car, simple arm movement, blocks an opponent’s strike. Only a few blows were landed outside of the confines of tournaments and Bon dance.

With Cobra Kai, however, there are all-out brawls. Absolute riots going on at the local high school, with unbelievably only two expulsions. Then they tore through a strip mall and held a Royal Rumble at the local laser tag joint. The Cobra Kai dojo served as yet another site of a clash, with legit, prosecutable assault included.

Last but not least, the LaRusso house served as the coup de grâce. The living room, the walkway, the hallway, to the windows, to the walls! Family heirlooms smashed. Miyagi’s framed picture desecrated. The volume of fighting is almost distracting because of the quality.

Example 1

Watch THIS video and look closely at the right-cross Mitch supposedly lands on the walkway. It’s not even close. Shortly thereafter is the slowest left hook in fighting history, just slow enough to look like it’s thrown underwater and Demetri can duck under. A minute or so later, Samantha kicks a downed opponent softer than a vet would pet a newborn puppy.

Example 2

Take a look HERE at the hilariously herky-jerky approach from the dude with dread-locks. He looks like a dysfunctional Rock’em Sock’em Robots. That’s clearly not the paint’a fence technique. Maybe it’s shake’a soda can?

Example 3

I appreciate Mary Mouser’s athleticism, but in no way, shape, or form does is that a roundhouse kick that would land on anyone other than a blind person. It’s just a little ridiculous considering she’s supposed to be A) Skilled enough to be a black belt, and B) Easily beating up multiple boys in succession.

I love the Karate Kid series and love the legacy being built by Cobra Kai. The fights with Johnny, Chozen, and Mike Barnes were all so polished. The contact looked realistic. The choreography was clean. The same can’t be said for all of the Cobra Kai fighting scenes. That strains credibility and tarnishes the legacy.

I’ll watch Cobra Kai until they stop making episodes, but the fighting is weak at times. Do you agree? More importantly, will they improve in Season 4?