World’s Strongest Man Tries Karate and Nearly Gets Knocked Out by a Spinning Kick He Never Saw Coming

In a recent YouTube video, karate black belt Jesse set out to answer a question every martial arts fan has wondered about: can a lifetime of technique beat raw, record-breaking strength?

Standing across from him was Eddie Hall, former World’s Strongest Man and owner of a punch he says is the hardest ever recorded.

Along came katas, kicks, brutal forearm drills and a sparring session that turned heated.

One single strike left the strongman checking his own pulse.

Want to know who actually won? Keep reading, because the ending includes a booby-trapped board.

The Warm-Up That Wasn’t: Eddie Hall vs. a Karate Kata

Jesse opened with the hardest kata he knows, packed with blocks, front kicks, sumo stances, double strikes and a jump kick landing in a tricky position.

Hall followed along better than anyone expected, including Jesse himself.

It’s pretty much that but in the form of Breaking Faces. Pretty cool.

Hall, meanwhile, admitted this style of warm-up sits far outside his comfort zone, since he normally loosens up on a heavy bag.

Kicks, Mobility and a Black Belt Bet

Hall hits hard even without gloves, but Jesse spotted a gap: almost no kicks.

Time for a crash course, starting with a classic front kick and a side kick built on one cue: heel, butt and shoulder in a straight line.

The Three-Kick Toolkit

• Side kick: Throw a few, and opponents start covering up.
• Hook kick: Slower and easy to catch, yet handy as a feint to drag a guard down.
• Wheel kick: Add a spin to the hook kick for one of karate’s most powerful strikes.

Jesse then raised the stakes: land any of these three on him in sparring, and he hands over his black belt.

You can be the biggest bulldozer in the world and a bit of skill can put you on your ass.

Hall noted that a kick like Jesse’s hook would simply get caught on someone his size. Skill and size both matter.

The Power Cube Claim: How Hard Does Hall Really Hit?

Next came the main event, the punch.

I’ve got the hardest punch ever recorded at the UFC Institute on the Power Cube.

Hall says UFC star Alex Pereira ranks second with 190,000 units, while he logged 215,000.

Context matters here. Those figures come from Hall himself, and Power Cube readings are device-specific units, so treat the comparison as bragging rights rather than a lab-grade ranking.

Taking Hits From 20% to 100%

Jesse volunteered to feel it, with Hall climbing from 20% power upward in steps.

• 30% to 40%: Manageable, though Jesse began feeling it.
• 50% to 60%: Solar plexus shots threatened to steal his breath.
• 70% to 80%: Tensing his core made absorption easier, but nowhere near easy.
• 100%: A diaphragm hit that left Jesse thankful it missed the solar plexus.

Woo. That was different. That was hard.

Practical takeaway: bracing abdominal muscles before impact softened Jesse’s experience, a basic principle worth learning in any striking class.

Forearm Conditioning: Karate’s Old-School Secret

Before sparring, Jesse introduced a traditional drill that swaps pure strength for durability.

The old karate masters knew that strength without conditioning was useless.

Idea: block so well that an attacker cannot punch again with that arm.

How the Drill Works

1. Pair up and trade ten strikes per block type, one arm at a time.
2. Rotate through upper, low and inside-to-outside blocks.
3. Keep the passive hand on the hip, as tradition dictates.
4. Finish by chaining every block together.

Hall felt the burn quickly. “I’m starting to hurt,” he said, adding that blocks were bruising even his heavily muscled arms.

Worth noting: bruising is part of this tradition, so beginners should build up gradually under a qualified instructor rather than copying it cold.

Sparring: Precision Meets Bulldozer

Then came the live rounds. Hall asked to keep things light, which suited Jesse, who argues karate prizes accuracy over force.

Jesse nearly connected with a head kick from close range, thanks to mobility that lets him strike without needing distance. At that range, the shin bone becomes the weapon.

Sparring for me is really hard. So, for me to be fast, I have to bulldoze. And that’s where I’m in my element.

Standing toe to toe against someone so fast, Hall said, put him well outside that element.

The Kick That Rattled a Strongman

One late strike landed at the top of Hall’s rib cage, and the effect was startling.

Honestly felt my heart just like skip beats. It hit me in the chest that hard.

Jesse put it at 30% power at most, while Hall estimated under 50%. Hall also reflected on where a similar kick could have landed.

If he landed that kick on my chin, I’d have been out.

Jesse admitted Hall’s size brought risk of its own: a grab-and-smash approach could have flipped the script.

The Board Break: Skill Gets a Second Chance

Hall never landed a kick on Jesse, so the black belt stayed put. Even so, a final challenge awaited: a board breakable only with a spinning hook kick.

Tips from Jesse: strike with the heel, move the foot fast, scream on impact and aim accurately. First attempt: close. Jesse then raised the board, and Hall smashed through.

That’s awesome. And that’s my first board of every breath.

Jesse summed up the day with a simple line about the union of both worlds.

Turns out strength and skill can coexist.

What This Strength-vs-Skill Showdown Teaches

• Accuracy beats power: a modest, well-placed strike rattled the world’s strongest man.
• Mobility unlocks options: flexibility lets kicks fly from unexpected distances.
• Conditioning builds resilience: progress slowly to protect joints and muscle.
• Body shots hurt less when braced: tense your core before contact.

Hall left impressed, noting how karate masters could knock anyone out with one clean chin shot. Jesse left with a quip about his win: he drew blood, and in fight world that basically means victory.