Well we hear a lot of ripping up of Shotokan schools and their members, and I don’t know anyone outside of the Karate camp that’s been impressed by them at tournaments. But could it be that they are simply a victim of their own success? That it is actually a great style, just that it’s so popular that you get the watered-down mcDojo effect, underqualified instructors and dilution of the athletic pool/less serious participants?
5.4
This is a spin off? Where’s the original?
check out 24fightingchickens.com
If a shotokan guy fought a TKD guy who would win?
The audience would win… the site would be too funny NOT to enjoy
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I bet it’s a pretty good style because otherwise, it probably wouldn’t be so popular. And it was well-regarded enough by the Koreans to take it and modify it into TKD. I have studied TKD, I don’t think it’s the best way to learn because the fighting is not the same as the forms. However there are plenty of formidable practicioners of both styles.
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most people have not witnessed real shotokan. Check out JKA Shotokan-Japanese Karate assn. They are the real deal. Real shotokan has great structure-very much like Hung-Ga,a killer reverse punch,destructive blocks, simultaneous block/strike, interception of opponent’s intent, and aggressive footwork.Trouble is, most of what you see here in the states are guys who when stationed over in Japan, or whatever, took it for a year or two and came home and taught. Then people played ‘telephone’ and the rest is history.
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agreed when i used to train shotokan (from JKA as well) we used to do a lot of application stuff and not so much competition sparring - but that was just my sensei…
We covered a lot of stuff, not the usual bouncing around and backfisting either 
I used to find it hard to compete because i was used to fighting differently, but it was fun 
Really helped me get a good grounding in MA as well as saved my @ss on numerous occasions.
dawood
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One of my teachers best buds was a Royal Marine Commando gent and a lot of his system from what I understand is stripped down old-school Shotokan karate.
The little I saw was nasty.
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most people have not witnessed real shotokan
Isn’t this the case with most arts?
lol
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I train in Shotokan… It aint flashy but belive me if you **** anyone off who knows it.. your gonna seriously get your ass handed to you.
Really I kid you not. My Sensei is like in his 60’s, but because he did shotokan everyday of his life for the past 40 years he is fast as lighting and has a huge amount of power.. he’s a 7th degree
Not to bad!!!(for 60)
So dont mess!!! hehehe
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Uh, surfer dude, you smoke weed right? Us bud-heads can often distinguish our own…
My comment to you is, uh that’s a hell of an achievement for your instructor. But if he isn’t at least 7th degree at 60 years old, then something is wrong. My sifu is 6 years younger than yours and he’s no less than 9th Dan in 7 different arts But that’s just me talking s-h-i-t.
But what we want to know - or what I want to know - is given Japanese and Korean disciplines’ predisposition to linear attacks, how would Shotokan deal with a CMA like Pa Kua, or therefore any animal style, especially Dragon or Snake? It’s awfully hard to hit something that doesn’t move in a straight line!
Having studied TKD and Shotokan both (very briefly!), I can’t see how they could possibly match up to the CMAs.
The one thing about many run of the mill Shotokan people is they don’t work on tai sabaki. While the strikes in Shotokan and older TKD is linear (aka efficient) the footwork and body positioning is what makes it work.
I’d think they’d hold up well AT.
I think that the fact that Shotokan is probably the most widely practiced and best known style of Karate on the planet is what draws people to it’s practice. It is also what turns people away and makes them critical of it.
It has completely useful and simple techniques the same as many other arts. Perhaps it’s just not mystical enough for many? Maybe some mystify it too much?
I know and have know many a practitioner and sensei of this style of Karate. They (the sensei) are all quite good at the style and very capable of handling themselves in a confrontation.
I wouldn’t sell it or any martial art short. they all have something.
Well…except for that whacko fake ninja stuff! hahahahaha
cheers
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I have a good friend who did 10 years of Shotokan before joining our school. While he prefers our style he tells me that Shotokan is a good style of Karate.
Horses for courses methinks.
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as an addendum:
the 24fightingchickens sight is actually quite funny and makes some good observations in regards to the “peddling” of a martial art.
I think there is just a tiny bit of bitterness in the spirit of that site however and that the site owner was in some way taken as a rube in his experiences with the JKA. Probably more from a personal relationship gone bad with his instructor or some such event.
fwiw.
cheers
p.s I have also met some Kyukoshin folks who got their grounding in Shotokan and those guys are bad a.s.s.
Originally posted by African Tiger
[B]
But what we want to know - or what I want to know - is given Japanese and Korean disciplines’ predisposition to linear attacks, how would Shotokan deal with a CMA like Pa Kua, or therefore any animal style, especially Dragon or Snake? It’s awfully hard to hit something that doesn’t move in a straight line!
Having studied TKD and Shotokan both (very briefly!), I can’t see how they could possibly match up to the CMAs. [/B]
Footwork, man, footwork. When I was trainin karate, I trained with a Japanese friend of mine who was born, raised and trained in Kumamoto. He called his style “Traditional Japanese Karate”, but he seemed to know all of the shotokan katas and a few okinawan ones also. he was awesome at sidestepping and is easily the fastest man I’ve ever seen. He’s also one of the hardest kickers that I’ve met, and he’s only 5’5 and about 155-160.
As far as training went, he was big on fighting. We did alot of sparring - hard contact and bare knuckle. For that reason though, we’d pull strikes to the face. He was also a stickler on forms, but he only really emphasized a few - taikyoku shodan (I know it’s not one of the originals, but he found it very helpful for teaching beginners power generation), sanchin and a few others. He used to have friendly challenge matches in Japan - he’d veisit clubs and ask them to play, not just other karate schools, but judo and kickboxing clubs also - he encouraged me to do the same, and is the reason why I had my challenge match. I was supposed to have another, but the opponent backed out. From my experience with him, good karate is awesome. He’s back in Japan now, but every few years he comes to visit and we train. I’m hoping to get there some time in the future so we can train again.
Shotokan
Traditional shotokan karate is very good and a real MA. Tradional TKD is also good. Depends a lot on the instructors though, we all know this.
However, There are some good organizations
Last time I was really into Karatedo, Kyokushinkai Karate was the premiere psycho school of pain. Them boyz was CRAZY!!!
Talk about “Beat downs-are-us!”
They had some huge cans of whoop azz!
Anybody ever deal with that organization?
Think your tuff?
Go fight in one of thier tournaments.
I think you have to break a baseball bat with your shin just to get into one of thier tournament.
I could be wrong about breaking the baseball thing but I thought I heard that. Anyway, Kyokushinkai Karate is way to tuff for my whimpy azz
I’ve never heard the baseball bat legend, but kyokushin is a rough system.