Karate Bashing

On many different forum site sites I have read a lot of Karate bashing. It's too rigid, it's too this, it's too that.

This is not a style over style question but answer if you will.

If Karate was the only martial art on offer, which sub-style would you choose and why.

It would be interesting to see what the non-karateka populus would choose if they really had to.

 

I have never studied karate in any real depth but I have seen Enoida and Kanazawa anyone who suggests that they are not effective is baddly mistaken.


regards koyo

 

I've been out of Karate for a couple of years now, but having had the honour of being able to see and train with the likes of Sensei's Enoeda, Kato and Ohta, anyone who thinks Shotokan can't be effective would be mistaken.

Disclaimer: as a JKD guy, you didn't hear me say that.

 

The ones where you get to hit other people as hard as you can in competition. Preferably in the face.

 

I've done quite a few styles of Karate over the years, but the one I really want to spend some time studying is Kyokushin.

 

Whichever's closest to my house and has a good instructor.

I would like to give kyokushinkai style a go, not because I'm a "OMG TEH D34DLY FULL C0NT4CT0RZ!!!" whore but because it looks like a powerful style, a good physical workout and teaches some funky kicking techniques.

Pretty much that or shotokan.

 

If all that was on offer was Karate then I'd go with (no order) Shotokan, Uechi-Ryu, Kyokushin or Shorin-Ryu

love this clip btw! (sorry if repost)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v38XQJgK7W0"]Enoeda kuzushi waza - YouTube[/ame]

 

The problem with karate is that it runs a gambit from strip mall dojos and non-contact sparring to the headbutting groin-kicking good time of Daido Juku. Recently, especially after seeing Lyoto Machida's successful use of Shotokan striking and footwork in MMA, I've come back to appreciate the better parts of my Shotokan training. I still think kata is mostly a waste of time, and I still find point break in kumite obnoxious, but it's definitely a step up from Final Fu style pointfighting.
I feel like when you get rid of the more stylized movements, and strip it down to it's applied form, karate can be quite a respectable fighting art.

 

Awesome clip and a beautiful example of changing direction and intention mid-flow, which is a skill we covet in JKD....funny that JKD was in part developed to take out classical Karate types!

I remember training with Sensei Enoeda at a seminar in the '90's. I was a kid and had never seen anyone like him, the guy just blew me away.

 

Unfortunately I think Karate is a very misunderstood martial art. And often very badly taught.
For example - instructors teaching the application of the first move of "Kihon" as a stepping in gedan birai against a kick, rather than say a groin strike. Instructors who interpret every block as a block and every attack as an attack without realising the deeper meaning which is that attacks and blocks are quite interchangeable.
To me over my years of doing Karate - it is a very "layers of the onion" martial art. Things aren't necessarily the way they seem at first.
Another example - the rigidity thing. This is only to train good definite technique. My instructor always makes a point of saying that in the later part of your Karate career, the object is for the moves to become more flowing, a common misconception is that Karate is robotic.
Another misconception is that Karate is linear. In the katas are contained every type of punch a boxer uses, roundhouse kicks, even moves that are similar to a wrestler's "lariot". These are all most circular moves. The basics may be a touch more linear, but again, that's only training.

Having said that, sure there are what you might call "gaps" in Karate - but so there are in every martial art. No one art alone covers absolutely everything. They all have gaps. Just in different places.

 

One style that include Sanbon Kumite,Kihon Kumite,Idorigata,Ohyo Kumite,Tantodori ,Tachidori - Shinken Shirahadori and much more..
Meaning Wado Ryu..
Not a style with only Kata and ippon or gohon kumite

 

I don't think that any Karate style ONLY has ippon and gohon kumite & kata does it? They must be missing bits out in those particular classes.....

 

eh? You like sanbon but hate gohon kumite? Do the two extra steps make all that much difference?

 

I don’t hate anything..
I just say NOT ONLY gohon kumite
And there is a big difference between step back,do jodan uke and counter attack with gyaku zyki like Shotokan’s gohon kumite (lol) for example and Wado’s techniques...

 

Shotokan

 

Funny - I must be doing Shotokan with loads of extra stuff invented by my instructor then

You're seriously telling me that you think that Shotokan has only Kata, Ippon kumite, and Gohon kumite?

 

I would choose kyokyushinkai if it was the only one we could have. But I would like people to bear in mind that shotokan used to be and in some cases still is a lot closer to my ideal of full-contact traditional karate than the general perception.

Besides, I kind of like kata.

 

Of all the Karate styles, i would choose Dragon Warriors Nunchaku Karate Club.

Its close to my home, they have 15 instructors, colorful outfits, free first lesson, guarantee black belt within 2 years, no-contact sparring (i have work in the morning!) and we get a choice of free crisps, chocolate and liquid refreshments at the end of every class!

 

They're as good a reasons as any