MMouse Posted October 29, 2003 Posted October 29, 2003 This post is not meant in any way to be a flaming post. I am inexperienced with Karate in general and have a sincere question. How is Shotokan effective for self defense? It seems so rigid, so slow. This may be due to stereotypes I have heard and said, but if so please prove me wrong. I mean, boxers are so alive, quick and flexible in fighting. The same with kickboxers and alot of grapplers. How is a reverse punch useful in a real fight? Like I said, no flame intended, just looking for real answers.
monkeygirl Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 You might want to try watching a few Shotokan tournaments on ESPN2, they show them late at night sometimes. Those guys are really brutal! I don't really know anything about the style, but I know rough fighting when I see it!! 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.
Hybrid Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 You might want to try watching a few Shotokan tournaments on ESPN2, they show them late at night sometimes. Those guys are really brutal! I don't really know anything about the style, but I know rough fighting when I see it!! Really? I didn't know that. I always check ESPN/2 and sometimes I can find Muay Thai/Boxing fights but never other arts. hmm... any idea what time about? *checks tv guide* “Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through forging, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion.” ~Morihei Ueshiba
MMouse Posted October 30, 2003 Author Posted October 30, 2003 That would be great to see. Like I said, I sincerely would like to learn about it's effectiveness.
aznkarateboi Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 what time is shotokan aired? i'd love to see karate fights
fireka Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 i mean, something im starting to learn is that, really, your first style you learn needs to kinda center to you. If a style was just bad it wouldnt survive, every style, even the arts i say i absolutely dispise (TaeKwonDo) have a usefullness to somebody, it all depends on you. I practiced Shotokan for a while and it didnt work for me but Isshinryu did, im good with verticle fist and i even discovered that in Shotokan, now every tournament my feet move em' into position and my hands defeat them, its just my style. I was not very affective with Shotokan but the persoan who was teaching me, she was hard core, and if your intrested in breaking, dude i swear thos eguys are tuff. "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
Pacificshore Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 Shotokan can be as effective for self defense as any other art out there. It all depends on the instruction you receive in the art, as well as how much time the student practices. I've taken Shotokan in the past, and found that it only enhanced my previous training in Kenpo. The one thing I will say about Shotokan which in no way is meant as a negative, but they did not have self defense techniques like I was used to in Kenpo. Many of their self defense comes from the interpretations of the katas. Otherwise, if you ever get a chance to watch a traditional tournament, not the open tournament, you'll be surprised as to how fast and effective a Shotokan fighter can be. Also, don't believe everything you hear about the style. Don't fall into the falsehood that all they know is a front kick/reverse punch combo. Although it is a main staple of the style, I've seen the upper ranks throw just about any kick as well as the open tourney competitior. Remember, the fun really starts once you've reached your 1st degree black belt. Everything up to that is all foundation, the real work begins after that Di'DaDeeeee!!!Mind of Mencia
aefibird Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 I train in shotokan and some of the fights I've both seen and taken part in have been pretty brutal.Blood-splattered gi's ahoy! LOL Sometimes shotokan can seem a bit slow or lacking in techniques but if you look carefully at the style there's a lot more to it that reverse punching and a couple of kicks. My sensei is a 5th dan in shotokan, 3rd dan in goju-ryu, 1st dan in kyokushinkai and has also trained in isshin-ryu, wado-ryu, judo, aikido and jyu-jitsu, as well as starting his own style of freestyle self-defense. (How he managed to find time for all of that I don't know...) He says that he thinks shotokan is one of the hardest forms of karate to understand, as everything is 'hidden', especially with kata. A lot of the techniques within shotokan katas can be hard to see how they'd be useful in a real fight situation, until they are broken down and studied carefully, which is what my sensei has been doing for the past 30 years! Other people may disagree, but (even though I only have limited MA experience, about 3 and 1/2 years shotokan) I can see that shotokan is an effective form of self defence, just as much as other martial arts. It's just that some arts suit certain people and not others. You have to go with what suits you best. "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
fireka Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 yea, its to bad the good shotokan fighters often dont spar with other styles cause that would be a sweet match. "i could dance like that!.......if i felt like it...." -Master Betty
shotochem Posted October 30, 2003 Posted October 30, 2003 HI All. IMO, people get to wrapped up in the term self defense. All martial arts were developed for self preservation in one way or another. Some people believe that Shotokan is not good for self defense, block, reverse punch ect... I believe it can be quite effective. In most real life situations you will block or evade then hit back then if you are grabbed you will then proceed to the ground. I believe in finding a strong foundation in one art then crosstraing in another to have a good balance. I believe that grappling is good but it is not enough, you need striking as well. And vice versa. My personal philosophy is if I take the attacker out as fast as possible before he can grab me and take me to the ground all the better. For me grappling is plan B. ( I also come from a wrestling backround BTW) I prefer not to be caught on the ground as it presents a greater difficulty in escaping. Pain is only temporary, the memory of that pain lasts a lifetime.
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