>> ONE NORTH CAROLINA TEEN IS 
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF AS A 
CHAMPION IN THE COMPETITIVE 
WORLD OF FULL CONTACT KARATE, 
BUT MANY ARE SURPRISED WHEN THEY
LEARN WHERE AND HOW HE TRAINS 
FOR HIS SPORT.
HEATHER BURGISS TAKES US TO THE 
COMMUNITY OF ESSEX NEAR THE 
HALIFAX/WARREN COUNTY LINE, 
WHERE HARD WORK IS CAUSING 
TOP-TIER COMPETITORS FROM AROUND
THE WORLD TO STOP AND TAKE 
NOTICE.
[KARATE COMMANDS]
>> JUST DOWN THE ROAD IN RURAL 
WARREN COUNTY IN WHAT YOU MIGHT 
CALL AN UNSUSPECTING DOGO, YOU 
WILL HEAR THE SOUNDS OF SERIOUS 
KARATE TRAINING.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
>> I JUST SAY WE'RE FROM RURAL 
NORTH CAROLINA, WAY OUT IN THE 
COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, AND THAT THE 
AIR IS REALLY FRESH. 
>> 13-YEAR-OLD CHRISTIAN 
BUFFALOE IS ONE OF THE BEST FULL
CONTACT YOUTH COMPETITORS IN THE
WORLD IN A STYLE OF KARATE 
CALLED KYOKUSHIN. 
>> YOU DON'T KNOW IT WORKS OR 
NOT UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY DO IT.
THAT'S ONE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN
KYOKUSHIN AND A LOT OF STYLES.
WE ARE ALWAYS FIGHTING EACH 
OTHER AT ALL TIMES.
BECAUSE THAT KEEPS YOUR 
TECHNIQUES PRACTICAL AND USEFUL.
BECAUSE A LOT OF TECHNIQUES WILL
NOT WORK IN A REAL SITUATION. 
>> KYOKUSHIN IS FULL CONTACT 
KARATE AND IS MOST POPULAR IN 
JAPAN, RUSSIA, AND MANY EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE. 
>> WE JUST LOVE THE STYLE AND 
JUST WANT TO DO OUR PART TO 
CONTRIBUTE. 
>> WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE IS 
CHRISTIAN TRAINS MOSTLY WITH HIS
SENSEI, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DAD.
AS A BLACK BELT, KENNY BUFFALOE 
TRAINS HIS SON IN THE KYOKUSHIN 
DISCIPLINE.
>> WHEN HE FIRST STARTED 
FIGHTING, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE 
SURPRISED, BECAUSE EVEN AT 8 
YEARS OLD, HE HAD A LOT OF 
POWER, BECAUSE THE REASON WHY IS
THE WAY THAT I TRAIN HIM IN AN 
OLD-SCHOOL WAY, THAT IN THE 
OLD-SCHOOL WAY, SPIRIT AND POWER
WERE STRESSED OVER A LOT OF 
THINGS, AND THAT'S HOW I TRAINED
HIM, BECAUSE I FIGURED IF HE 
DIDN'T HAVE THAT, HE WOULDN'T 
HAVE MUCH OF A CHANCE AGAINST 
THESE WELL-SEASONED COMPETITORS.
HE HAD TO HAVE SOMETHING GOING 
FOR HIM, AND I DECIDED POWER 
WOULD PROBABLY BE THE WAY. 
>> THE WORKOUTS ARE GRUELING, 
BUT THE DETERMINATION OF THIS 
YOUNG MAN TO BE THE BEST IS 
EVIDENT SINCE STARTING HIS 
TRAINING AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 
2 1/2. 
>> IT'S VERY HARD.
EVEN THOUGH YOU GET REALLY TIRED
SOMETIMES, YOU STILL HAVE TO 
PUSH THROUGH AND FINISH THE 
TRAINING.
JUST KEEP PUSHING.
>> SO THAT'S HOW YOU BUILD UP TO
THE CONTACT.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
HAVING STRONG LEGS IS NOT 
ENOUGH, OR ARMS IS NOT ENOUGH.
YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY GET USED TO
BEING HIT.
SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME 
CONDITIONING TO GET HIM USED TO 
THAT. 
>> I KNOW YOU HEAR THIS, BUT DO 
YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, 
YOU KNOW, FULL CONTACT.
I MEAN, JUST FROM THE AMERICAN 
VIEWPOINT OF THIS, THEY'RE JUST 
LIKE HOW CAN YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD
DO FULL CONTACT?
>> WELL, I -- I SAW IT AS A 
GREAT CHALLENGE, AND THAT'S MY 
INTEREST, IS IN HIM GROWING AND 
DEVELOPING.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, FULL CONTACT 
IS ACTUALLY SAFER SOMETIMES THAN
LIGHT CONTACT, BECAUSE FIGHTERS 
GO IN THERE TOTALLY PREPARED, 
YOU KNOW.
SOMETIMES IF YOU'RE DEPENDING ON
THE RULE AND SOMEONE REALLY HITS
YOU AND YOU'RE NOT CONDITIONED, 
YOU CAN REALLY GET HIT. 
>> AT AROUND 100 POUNDS, 
CHRISTIAN HAS FOUGHT AND WON 
MATCHES WHEN THE ODDS SEEMED 
STACKED AGAINST HIM.
CHRISTIAN'S DETERMINATION, 
SPIRIT AND POWER ON AVERAGE WIN 
OUT AGAINST MOSTLY LARGER 
COMPETITORS. 
>> HIS KICK HAS ABOUT MAYBE 150 
POUNDS OF PRESSURE.
>> YOU'RE JUST DOING IT.
YOU CAN'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING.
YOU'RE JUST OUT THERE IN THE 
MOMENT AND JUST INTO IT TO THE 
POINT WHERE YOU DON'T THINK 
ABOUT ANYTHING OUTSIDE.
YOU JUST FOCUS ON THE OPPONENT 
AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. 
>> IN A MAJOR COMPETITION, 
CHRISTIAN EVEN WON THE 
PRESTIGIOUS FIGHTING SPIRIT 
AWARD, WHICH IS USUALLY NEVER 
GIVEN TO A YOUTH COMPETITOR. 
>> I'M VERY HAPPY, NOT JUST TO 
BRING CREDIT TO NORTH CAROLINA 
AND THE UNITED STATES SO PEOPLE 
CAN RECOGNIZE THAT WE DO HAVE 
STRONG COMPETITORS. 
>> BUT EVEN WITH HIS EXTREME 
FOCUS, CHRISTIAN SAYS HE DOES 
GET TO RELAX AND DO THE THINGS 
KIDS LIKE TO DO, ALTHOUGH 
WATCHING THIS MAKES IT HARD TO 
IMAGINE A CHILLED OUT BOY. 
>> AWAY FROM KARATE, I'M PRETTY 
MUCH A NORMAL KID.
BUT WHEN I DO KARATE, EVERYTHING
HAS TO BE SERIOUS AND FOCUSED.
BUT AWAY FROM IT, I RELAX. 
>> WITH FULL CONTACT, THE 
KYOKUSHIN STYLE OF KARATE IS 
VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER 
FAMILIAR STYLES PRACTICED IN THE
U.S. THAT USE A LIGHT TOUCH 
POINT VERSION.
BOTH KENNY AND CHRISTIAN HOPE TO
RAISE MORE INTEREST FOR 
KYOKUSHIN IN AMERICA, ESPECIALLY
HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
>> THE STYLE ISN'T THAT WELL 
KNOWN IN THE U.S. AND I REALLY 
WANT IT TO SPREAD MORE THAN IT 
HAS, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN 
STRUGGLING A LOT IN THE UNITED 
STATES, AND I WANT PEOPLE TO 
RECOGNIZE IT MORE SO WHEN THEY 
THINK OF KARATE, THE KYOKUSHIN 
IS ONE OF THE MAIN ONES THAT 
THEY FOCUS ON. 
>> BUT UNTIL THE NEXT 
COMPETITION, YOU'LL FIND 
CHRISTIAN WITH HIS FATHER, 
HARD AT WORK, PERFECTING SKILLS 
FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE AND HIS 
GOAL TO BE THE BEST KYOKUSHIN 
YOUTH COMPETITOR IN THE WORLD. 
>> I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF
THE HARDEST PARTS ABOUT THE 
STYLE, IS TO -- WHEN YOU REACH 
YOUR LIMIT, TO PUSH PAST YOUR 
LIMIT AND KEEP GOING.
>> THIS FALL CHRISTIAN IS SLATED
TO COMPETE IN THE WORLD YOUTH 
KYOKUSHIN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NEW 
YORK.
