One thing that is nice about Karate is that a lot of schools do engage in full contact sparring. That's my gripe with most traditional martial arts schools, along with too much emphasis on forms.
If you arent sparring whats the point. You wont be punching air when some animal is trying to eat your face off. I dont think schools that only practice forms can really prepare an individual for the kind of monsters that exist in the world. Compliant drills, soft contact make you a compliant and soft fighter. When the pressure is put on it makes you resort to fighting like an animal. Wild haymakers and just a lack of thought, control and patience in your art. Ive seen many a black belt get smacked in the face and just throw technique out the window. This is why its important to spar so you can not only be prepared among your peers but against people who may actually be trying to knock your head off in real life.