Is Shotokan any good?

I've found a shotokan school that is close to where (school link---> http://www.uskl.org/ )I live and I was wondering if the art itself was any good. I really want to start taking a traditional karate and that is the only one that I could find in the Pomona California area (all the others are Red Dragon studios ) and it seems like a great art.

I just wanted to know; how linear are the blocks and does Shotokan need adapting to be used?

Thanks for your help!

 

every school is different, and whether or not it's any good depends on your metric. shotokan has produced a few good fighters, and lots of good kata people. not so many that can fight well and make it look like kata, though.

i can't think of anything more linear than shotokan offhand.

 

In summation, you should really look into doing kyokushin.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XT8D2MOBl5s

 

I reckon the best thing you can do is go along and see if it suits you. Thing is that everyone on here has their own biases (ie I nearly replied to this post telling you how amazing Shotokan can be if you find the right club but rsobrien put me off doing that) and so you're gonna get the same stuff over and over again.

But, if you want information on Shotokan, you can PM me. And I'm sure Moosey, hollyheadjch and Bassai among others won't mind having a chat about it either.

The one thing I will say is that if the club near you is a crap one, don't let that give you a jaded view of Shotokan. If it does start to do that, search for the Elwyn Hall vids on Youtube and read up on people like Terry O'Neill and obviously the Japanese greats like Enoeda, Kanazawa, Nakayama etc.

 

Alternatively ignore trolling on a thread that specifically asks about Shotokan in comparison to the Red Dragon studios in your area and look at this video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=292RJFjGCKA

 

Seconded.

Watching back over both of them, I got bored with the Kyokushin so much quicker than before.

But watch the skill of the Shotokan guys!

 

that was some hardcore sparring, it was like a whos who of british shotokan legends.

 

I'm gonna add to the people saying Shotokan is a good style. I've enjoyed training in it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a good "hard style" karate. As you said, it is very linear compared to a lot of martial arts and the emphasis on big solid attacks can make you feel a bit "clunky" at first, but once you're body's conditioned into it, you'll be hitting like a steam train.

PS. The technique at 00:30 on that shotokan video is my favourite tournament video moment of all time. Frank Brennan shoots in with a front hand punch and thumps the other guy in the face before he knows what's happening. That's some impressive motor speed.

 

that video should become the link that is provided everytime someone calls shotokan a point sparring style.

 

i take it you missed the fact that whenever someone gets hit they stop then.

 

Fair point! The thing I object to is that the phrase "point sparring" usually makes me think of [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlfQ430VRqA]this[/ame] which isn't the ways that shotokan people train to fight.

 

apart from the flashier style of fighting they dont look a great deal differant to me.

 

That's mainly because if you look at the hits, if they weren't pulled then you would have blood all over the mat and a fair number of broken bones (which in many instances there are, even with the pulled technique). In several instances you see the other guy has been knocked down by the semi contact.

At least in these competitions they hit to the face; no matter how many techniques you know the ones you are most likely to be able to use in any form of real confrontation are the ones you are most experienced in using under stressful conditions, so if you take part in competitions where headshots are not allowed there is a flaw in your training regime from the word go.

 

you miss understood but thank you for pointing that out also.

I was pointing out that when a person successfully executes a technique, the fight stops then restarts.

i.e that makes it point sparring.

edit:alas, indeed no punching to the face is indeed a flaw in kyokushin, however punching bareknucke to the face is against the law.

 

Shotokan in the UK is a valid, established and respected karate style.
Nobody here is going to warn you off and say it's rubbish.
If you do take it up and then decide you want something more hard-core, then whatever you have learned in Shotokan will be transferrable.
Your muscles will have learned how to work in the karate way.
I trained to 3rd kyu in Shotokan in my 20s, and then gave up.
Incidentally, I had my ribs broken, and my nose broken in sparring at Shotokan (on separate occasions), and also come out of class nearly in tears from the pain of repeated ashi-barais (leg sweeps), so I would be disinclined to say it's a poncey light-touch points style!
I started another style of karate in my 40s, and am very happy with that.
(Again I've had my share of injuries!)
I occasionally have a couple of hangovers from the Shotokan training: (a) my fist drops to my hip when I lose concentration, (b) my kokotsu-dachi is rather long.
But, as ever, the particular club and instructor(s) are what matter.

 

Punching to the face is a valid self defence technique and is perfectly legal reasonable force if it is your honest belief you were about to be attacked or if you are fighting to defend yourself.

 

against the law in sparring, not on the street.

 

Whoa!! That's awesome. Thanks for the link.

 

You had me confused there for a moment.

I occasionally teach in St Albans and Welynn so I'll give you a shout if I'm over your way.