Mitlov

I think the reason we don't see more Kyokushin folks in Karate Combat is because they're focused on Kyokushin competition or K-1 kickboxing. I'm not sure what Karate Combat would offer them that those two established competition venues wouldn't. WKF didn't have a full-contact division or anything like that, and so Karate Combat is basically filling that void.

Well if course full contact karate can end up looking like kickboxing sometimes! That's literally how the sport of American kickboxing was born. The first kickboxing league in the USA was called the Professional Karate Association. Bill Superfoot Wallace came from Shorin-Ryu Karate, Joe Corley from Tang Soo Do, etc. Bill Wallace versus Joe Corley (starts at 6:20):

I made a transition from taekwondo to Shotokan, and years later from Shotokan to Tang Soo Do (well, Chun Kuk Do). Each time, it was just like you describe: many similarities, but not identical. Each time, I wore a white belt and progressed through their ranks, though the instructor will typically do this at an accelerated rate because you're not really starting at zero. I didn't hide that I had prior experience, but I didn't go around pounding my chest about it either. When asked to do a technique, I would do it as I knew how to do it, and if there are corrections to how they do it at that school, I would accept the feedback and try to do it as they do it at that school. If I had questions about "why this way and not the other way," I would ask those questions respectfully after class, not interrupt the class with them, because then it comes off as undermining the style.

I think it depends on why they created their "own" style, what their background is, and whether they are a talented teacher. If someone claims to teach secret techniques that nobody else has, or "rediscovered" an "ancient" art, I'd be very wary. But if there were ugly politics in an organization, or someone can clearly articulate reasons that seem fair ("I trained in X organization, but I wanted to incorporate more padwork or ground work than they were doing, so I went my own way to allow myself the flexibility to do that," I'd be much more open to it. My current organization is a relatively recent creation. Chuck Norris trained in Tang Soo Do and then in the 1960s went and created his own organization (which definitely still feels rooted in TSD but has also evolved away from it in certain particular respects). "Evolving" isn't inherently good or bad, and likewise "staying traditional" isn't inherently good or bad. You have to look at the total package and see if it's a good fit for what you want and what you're looking to get out of it.

Thanks everyone! So I got through the 4th gup test last night! I'm not someone who inherently cares about rank--it's a very imperfect way of measuring ability--but for me, I've always had some reason to leave a school around green belt level, to the point where it almost has become a mental block. Each time, there was a legitimate reason (leaving the area, injury, etc), but still, with both TKD and Shotokan, I never got beyond this point. Now I'm beginning to start training toward red belt (testing at least six months out, but at least training for it), and it's nice to have the stability to stick around with one school for long enough to push through to higher ranks.

Hi everyone, New to the forum, not new to martial arts. I did taekwondo in college a couple decades ago, and Shotokan for a few years after that. I've also spent probably around seven or eight years fencing (FIE-style epee), and dabbled in Yang taijiquan for a year or two while rehabbing my knee. After a significant hiatus due to work and parenthood and said knee injury, I got back into karate at the school my two boys were training at. It's a Chun Kuk Do school (Chuck Norris's offshoot of Tang Soo Do), and I've been having an absolute blast...though for the record, this all would be A LOT easier if I was as flexible and skinny as I was in college. Right now I'm a 5th degree green (5th kyu/gup), though I'm testing for 4th in about eight hours from now. Anyway, I've been looking for a respectful, positive martial arts forum, and this place seems to fit the bill. Thanks!