[sirdarksol]

My issue isn't that they limit many styles' abilities. My issue is that they do so, and then people say "Well, Guy #1 beat the tar out of Guy #2 in UFC, and Guy #2 is an awesome fighter, so no karate/tae-kwon-do/kung fu practitioner could beat Guy#1."
This is seriously the line of thinking that people follow. I've had the conversation dozens of times, and every person I've had it with has failed to admit what is being shown here. This type of grappling/submission is most useful when the opponent has very limited techniques and targets. For example, karate targets the weaker points of the body with the specific purpose of hurting or possibly killing the target.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for these rules. In the heat of a fight, small joint manipulation can easily turn into a thumb that's been torn out of its socket. Eye gouging can lead to permanent blindness (unlikely, as it usually just irritates the lid, but it can happen). Groin kicks can lead to permanent impotency.

On a different note, I'm amused that some of these fouls are set up to make the matches more interesting for the average person to watch. "Timidity...including avoiding contact with the opponent..." See, that's the kind of thing that I use, waiting for the opponent to leave an opening. Far better to not be where your opponent is striking than to try to block, in my opinion. The problem with this is that they'll see a person "running away" for a few minutes, then move in and either finish it quickly or get finished quickly.