Styles I wanna Check out...HELP

[colleentigerpants]

Ok...

Can someone tell me about- Shito-Ryu style of JKA?

And Bushido-Kai

And chito-ryu...

I watched the Shotokan- but I didn't like it. It seemed really wooden and such. (no offence, not my cup of tea).

I heard some styles of Karate are more relaxed or more circular and stuff. I really dont like the ridgid, low stance I like it more fluid.....HELP MUCH APPRECIATED LOL!!!!!

[andym]

www.martialsource.com/shitohistory.htm

google is your friend

[colleentigerpants]

LOL. Thanks Andy. I was actually all over Google last night. But it's soooo confusing. It seems like every other guy takes a style- changes it a bit- then has a new one. I even phoned one guy up, but he seemed fairly weird!

I just don't want to keep re-starting like a did from the Tae Kwon Do (which although fun, I don't feel is the best thing for me)

PS; I looovvvee your Tiger (lol)

[andym]

Thanks!

I Shito-Ryu is a Shotokan variant anyway.

[colleentigerpants]

I like that they mentioned a more upright stance in the Shito-ryu. I watched a tape of the Sabaki Challenge my friend has (- he loves Georges St. Pierre! {from theUFC}b/cuz of his Karate style/ background).

I enjoyed watching it. It seemed really fast and fluid. The shotokan I wayched was reallyyyy pronounced? Like I said reaallly rigid, seemingly more suited for a bigger guy?

[andym]

I don't know about being suited for bigger guys, we have all shapes in my class. It's just very traditional, deep long stances etc

[Sionnagh]

Shotokan is the 'style' descended from Gichin Funakoshi's teachings. Generally it could be said the emphasis is on physical fitness.
Goju-ryu was founded by Chojun Miyagi. There tends to be an emphasis on applications and physical conditioning.
Shito-ryu was founded by Kenwa Mabuni. Mabuni was a kata collector and so this system contains a large number of kata.
Wado-ryu was founded by Hironori Ohtsuka. Ohtsuka was a jujutsuka who trained for a time with Funakoshi and so the kata resemble Shotokan kata but there is an emphasis on tai sabaki (body shifting - evasion) and movement.

These are, of course, gross generalisations. I don't know enough of the others to comment, but Chito-ryu is not Shito-ryu with different spelling.

All in all it depends a lot more on the teacher than the particular 'style'. There are good clubs everywhere, but there are also bad clubs everywhere. The best way to find out where some good ones are located is to give your general area and ask on fora like this.


Mick

[Mr. Precision]

colleentigerpants said:

I heard some styles of Karate are more relaxed or more circular and stuff. I really dont like the ridgid, low stance I like it more fluid.....

There's really 2 main styles of karate. Shorin and Shorei. They grew up a few miles apart in Okinawa.

Goju Ryu is Shorei

Shorin Ryu, Matsubayashi and a few others are mainly shorin.

Shotokan, Chito Ryu, Wado ryu, Shito Ryu are mixtures of Shorin and Shorei. It basically comes down to the kata or forms that they teach.

There are some little differences between them but they are more similar than different. Shotokan in particular tends to have harder stronger more emphasised movements with deeper stances than the others, at the beginner level anyway. It tends to make it slower and appear more wooden, it does make it easier to develop good stance and technique.

When it comes right down to it though, whichever you choose you're learning the style your sensei is teaching, his or her style. And 20 years down the line, the style of karate you will know will be your style. There can be significant variation in style between senseis within a club never mind within a "style" of karate. Having watched a few training and doing kata, I have a sneaking suspicion that the older the sensei, the "softer" the style.

And if you're just looking purely for self defense then don't do a martial art like karate/judo/aikido/tai chi/kung fu. It'll take you about 2 years of regular training to become competent enough that you won't get your arse handed to you by any common or garden street thug. Do a pure self defence class instead, they'll teach you maybe a dozen basic but effective techniques that you should practice daily. The regular practice is vital, you have to get it down into your subconscious for it to be effective.

If you're looking for self defence and a bit more then pick a traditional club nearby and go more than once a week.

[kyokushinphil]

come down to kyokushin colleen i'm sure you'll like it!!