Is Karate worthwhile?

Discussion in 'Karate' started by Garma, Jul 18, 2003.

  1. Garma

    Garma New Member

    I was thinking of joining a Karate gym, but is this art worth the time I would be investing in it?

    Could anyone strongly encourage the mastery of this art?
     
  2. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    Depend, what do you want out of it? Also, karate gym is a bit vague. What style of karate is it?

    Its funny how your asking about mastering the art, then seem concerned about the time you'll spend training in it. People have dedicated their entire lives to martial arts (not just karate) and don't consider themselves masters. It takes time and effort and a good few years to even get a high grade in any decent art, never mind achieving mastery.
     
  3. MATT_LIQUID

    MATT_LIQUID New Member

    Yeh well worth doing take up tai chi and ballet as well!
     
  4. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    If you're going to rubbish a style, try to form a constructive argument Matt. People who do tai chi and ballet and put a lot of time and effort into it.

    I'll resist making a cheap shot about tutu's for your sake :)
     
  5. Garma

    Garma New Member

    As far as I know it is just plain Karate.

    I don't really intend on follow through to a high degree belt, but I just wanted an intro for the Martial Arts. I was hoping this could prepare me for a more advanced style. I also want to be more disciplined.

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
     
  6. MATT_LIQUID

    MATT_LIQUID New Member

    Yeh it may put you off martial arts!
     
  7. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    There's no such thing as plain karate, every karate has a style. I'll take it you mean Shotokan, thats the most popular style of karate.

    If you just want an intro to the arts, it may well be a good place to start. You'll get taught things like how to do a stance properly, how to do basic kicks and punches, making a fist, things like that. Any art will teach you to be disciplined, but discipline is down to you more than the art you take.

    If you want to get into one particular art, you should go and do it. It seems pointless to spend 6 months in karate learning karate basics, only for them to be wiped out and re-learnt when you join a new art. Some arts are also totally different to karate, so you may not learn anything of use there.

    your profile says you do Jeet Kune Do. Do you still practise that? I'd call that a pretty good grounding in MA already
     
  8. Garma

    Garma New Member

    I have read several of the books of Jeet Kune Do (by Bruce Lee and John Little), but I have not had any actual instruction in the style by an instructor. In summary, I have declared it and I practice it, but I have not actually been trained in the style.

    I was also interested in the fact that Karate utilizes the nunchaku, which I have two pairs of and try to practice regularly.
    But I am not sure if I could be taught this right away, or if I would have to get a certain belt, or even if the instructor could teach that particular weapon.

    Thank you very much for your help.
     
  9. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    In that case, try and find a JKD school near you, you may not have had any formal instruction in it, but you have a background knowledge at the least. Don't worry about having no practical grounding in the arts, everyone has to start somewhere.

    If karate is all that is in your area, go try it out, see how you like it. I don't know about Shotokan or other styles of karate, but Kyokushin Karate (my style) uses nunchuk's. Someone at the club will tell you what style of karate it is. Usually its taught to the higher grades, but thats at the discretion of the instructor. Its unlikely you'll learn this straight away though, nunchuk's can be dangerous to the user if not handled properly.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2003
  10. Garma

    Garma New Member

    Thank you very much. I will probably try karate, since my only other options are Kempo Ju-jutsu and Taekwondo. (In this city and the neighboring one)

    What are the main differences between these styles of karate?
    (Shotokan and Kyokushin)

    I have never seen a JKD dojo anywhere around my area.
     
  11. Saz

    Saz Nerd Admin

    I'm not 100% sure of the differences, I've studied both but only kyokushin to any great extent. The two are both pretty similar technique wise, but the mentality in kyokushin can be somewhat harder. The sparring is focused on full contact knockdown sparring too.

    Maybe someone with more Shotokan knowledge than me can post something for you.
     
  12. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

  13. TheMachine

    TheMachine Valued Member

    Shotokan was developed by gichin funakoshi and is the most popular style of karate. It focuses on wide low stances and linear movements.

    kyokushin was developed by mas Oyama who first studied shotokan. This style is a more hybrid form of karate as low kicks and different punches are used in sparring.
     
  14. KenpoDavid

    KenpoDavid Working Title

    what do you mean " a more advanced" style?

    if you have a Kenpo school in your area, go check it out... very similar to the karates...

    don't try to m,aster an art, try to master yourself.

    "The ultimate goal of martial arts is not victory in battle, but the perfection of the spirit of the practitioner"

    David
     
  15. paul paterson

    paul paterson Valued Member

    Osu,

    Just to clarify something with "TheMachine" about Mas Oyama.

    The late Kancho Oyama was born in Kimji City, South-West Korea in circa 1923. Mas Oyama started his Martial Art career at the tender age of 9 under the man called Lee San, this was for a year. At the age of 16 Oyama took up boxing and judo he also studied Tang-Soo, Soo-bak, Kwonpu, Tae-kwon, Tae-kwanpup and Pakchigi. In Judo he would finally become a forth dan, Slightly before that he became aquanted with karate and that of G. Funakoshi. After training with Funakoshi, Oyama trained under So Nei Chu after the Second World War; So Nei Chu was the founder of Goju-Ryu. It was this man, a master, that inspired Oyama. So Nei Chu was well known for his physical strength and philosphical back grounds in karate. On Oyama's arrival to Japan he trained at the Shotokan under Masters Gichin and Yoshitaka Funakoshi, he obtained his shodan at the age of 15 and Nidan some 3 years later.

    Kyokushin karate was the largest martial arts organisation in the world that functioned under one man before his death.

    The kicks and punches within the world of the Kyokushin fighter can be multi-varied not just low as stated by "TheMachine" .

    Karate overall is worth-while, not only does it help the student with the physical but it also helps with the spiritual, karate is a complete system...

    Osu.
    Paul Paterson.
     
  16. TheMachine

    TheMachine Valued Member

    thanks for the info but when I meant low kicks, I meant low kicks delivered similarly in a manner a Thai Boxer would deliver low kicks. I may not be well versed in teh kyokushin era but I do know that they also use Jodan kicks in kumite and they are probably the most eclectic and brutal style of karate out there.
     
  17. paul paterson

    paul paterson Valued Member

    Osu,

    Yes, we are known for our mae & mawashi gedan geri's to the thighs as well as those jodan geri's. We are brutal when it comes to the hard stuff but gentle when need be.

    Paul Paterson.
     
  18. gutshot

    gutshot New Member

    isnt mas oyama the guy that fought bulls and chopped a bulls horn off once? he seems like a cool guy...
     
  19. paul paterson

    paul paterson Valued Member

    Osu,
    Yes he was very famous for doing such things as well as many others, cool... more like a legend.

    Paul Paterson.
     

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