isshinryuaaron

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How have you enjoyed Isshin-ryu? We have some new students in our dojo from the Isshin-ryu system. They could not find a suitable dojo in the area and so they decided to switch styles. I'm interested in some of the differences in technique, ie the use of the vertical fist punch. Respectfully, Sohan I am perhaps not the best person to answer this question since I have not been doing isshin ryu for very long, but I will do my best to give you my insights. The vertical punch did take some getting used to, but I now do it correctly *most* of the time. One of the other differences that I am still adjusting to is the quick, snapping kicks. In isshin ryu, they really focus on kicking and then whipping your kick back immediately. In tae kwon do and kenpo (the other two styles I did, albeit very briefly for kenpo), the focus was on putting a lot of power into the kick and kicking "through" the target (in kenpo, even pushing the person back) and not so much about whipping it out and back really fast. As my sensei always says, "In isshin ryu, we want the person to collapse in pain where he or she is standing... not go flying across the room." We also use a very high chamber for our kicks, although I remember one of the tae kwon do places I studied focusing on that too, so I'm not sure if that is a style difference so much as a school difference. Perhaps the most difficult thing for me to get used to with isshin ryu (and kenpo before I switched to isshin ryu -- I studied kenpo very briefly and then had to switch due to class times) as compared with tae kwon do is the groin kicks. I think tae kwon do did me a real disservice teaching me to do high, fancy kicks without ever having to worry about protecting my groin. No offense to the tae kwon do folks, but it took me a little while to break the old habit.

I've been doing isshin ryu karate for a little under a year and a half now (green belt). Immediately before that, I did american kenpo karate for about 8 months (got to yellow belt), but then switched to isshin ryu because the class times for kenpo just didn't work for me. A long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), I studied tae kwon do for about two and a half years (got to purple belt).

Everyone here is so supportive! I must be a really bad person, but I think its a mistake to only box. Don't get me wrong. I think its great to master punching ability, and I somewhat agree with the earlier post that said that any golden gloves boxer is the equivalent of a 3rd degree black belt in terms of how much respect I have for good boxers. However, I do think its a mistake to ignore the other two limbs we have. Our leg muscles are stronger than our arm muscles, and kicks can be delivered from a different range than punches, at different angles than punches, etc. I think that, in order to be a complete fighter, you need to know how to use all of your weapons. Cross said that self-defense was one of the reasons why he started studying traditional karate, and that it just was not cutting it. Perhaps that style was wrong for him, or that particular dojo. And, of course, I hope that what he has learned from his training in traditional karate combined with what he will learn from boxing will be sufficient for him to defend himself in a real life situation should he ever need to do so. Yes, I know. I'm a bad person. I should be talking about how great it is that Cross figured out that he likes boxing better, and that he wrote a letter to his sensei. However, my guess is that at least some part of Cross posted the message because deep down he knows that it is mistake to completely stop training in martial arts and only do boxing. To that part of Cross (if I am right), I hope you keep doing boxing but I also hope that you start training in the martial arts again (be it another style, or another dojo) sometime soon. If I am wrong, I apologize. Either way, I wish you all the best.

Now there is a surprise! Someone with the nickname "lowkicker" who prefers the low kick.

my favorite kick depends on the target... head: roundhouse kick chest: roundhouse kick or side kick stomach: side kick or front kick groin: front kick or spinning back kick But, yeah... whoever said it earlier was right... any kick that lands well is the best!

When I get distracted, I am usually thinking about a work-related deadline or what I'm going to have for dinner afterward.

We use the vertical punch in isshin ryu. I think it works just fine, but I'm having a hard time training myself out of the horizontal punch (since tae kwon do was the first style I did, and they use horizontal)

Other than work on my katas, I think stretching is a good thing to do while not in the dojo. Then again, I'm really inflexible, so maybe just I need to do that.

Welcome to Karate Forums. I would also like to take up that drinking challenge. My major in college was debauchery!

Welcome to Karate Forums! And thanks for all the information about yourself! That was a good introduction, and now we all know to pick on you for being accident prone and what not. Hehe. By the way, my friend Dorothy has a shirt that says "Powered by Tofu" and it has this cute picture of a smiling Tofu. If you're interested, I can ask her where she got it.

Welcome to Karate Forums!!

Welcome to Karate Forums!

Yeah, what he said. That was my second guess.

Welcome to Karate Forums!