Hi folks. Over the Christmas period a friend is going to check out a karate class. It is a Shotokan class that is part of the ITKF. I don't know much about karate but I said I'd watch with him to see if anything stood out (good or bad). A quick google about the ITKF has me slightly confused though... I'm seeing a lot of "ITKF-JKI" results coming up, and people talking about mergers with JKA etc etc.... Can anyone give me the lowdown on what is happening? I know this won't effect the quality of the class, but at the same time if there is a lot of politics going on it's probably best to factor that in to any decision. Thanks for any help.
Had a quick google , all I can find is that there is 1 group called ITKF And another called ITKF new era. There seems to have been a split about a year ago with the new era group pushing for Karates inclusion in the Olympics , I couldn't find much about the JKA. I wouldn't worry too much about the politics unless your friend really wants to compete , just see if the training looks good.
itkf if memory serves was nishiyama's group, which was an offshoot of the JKA, and now that nishiyama died i guess some groups may be in talks about returning to the JKA. it's all shotokan though.
Thanks folks. As you say it's still karate at the end of the day and the atmosphere and quality of the training etc... are the most important factors. The club is part of this group, if it helps: http://kawasoesensei.wordpress.com/jkawf-afro-eurasia-news/about/