darkhoogan

everyone thanks for all the advice ill start researching the differences between the heian and pinan katas but its probably going to be hell to change because i have literally done each of the heian katas hundreds of times and my body is so use to doing them. i don't know whether i will stay with wado ryu or go back to shotokan after uni, as i haven't actually done any wado ryu yet, ill try it and see which one i like better. pity there is no shotokan club near me buts its wado ryu or nothing and i really like doing karate.

Hello I have been learning shotokan karate since 2002 and managed to acheive a black belt (1st dan) 2 years ago. However I am now off to university where the only karate style taught is wado ryu. Can someone help me understand the differences between shotokan and wado ryu? I understand it is "softer" but don't really get how much of the basic moves are different. Also what is the system for belts when changing styles, would i need to start over at white, or could I stay 1st dan? And if i did have to startover at white is it possible to skip grades/advance fast through the new style, because I am only at university 4 years and it took me 7 years to get a black belt in shotokan. Thanks in advance for any replies