More than 1 karate style

[aefibird]

To those of you who do more than one karate style, what did you find the easiest and hardest things about switching to another style?

 

I have a Nidan friend who has offered to informally teach me a bit of his style (Goju-Ryu, although he's done a little Matsubatashi Shorin-Ryu) and I know it's gonna be different from the Shotokan I've already done. I was just wondering what you guys thought about switching between karate styles!

[Sasori_Te]

To be totally honest the foot work screwed me up the most. You don't know how well you know something until you try to override it and do something else. I looked like I was just learning to walk. I never really thought about the easiest thing. I'll get back to you.

[Pacificshore]

With the styles you've listed, I would say it would be the footwork and stances. Because unlike Shotokan, you'll probably have alot more higher stances, your feet pointing outward vs. in, and then transitioning from high to low. Unlike in Shotokan, majority of the time, you maintain that low lined stance throughout many of your katas. At least that was my experience when I studied Shotokan. You will also incorporate many circular movements with your blocks and strikes vs. Shotokan. So I would guess that you'd have to learn to be more relaxed in your execution of techniques.

[equaninimus]

Wado to Shoto: hip rotation, emphasis on driving forward, emphasis on power rather than lightness, emphasis on precition.

 

Shoto to Seibukan: Emphasis on snap rather than rotation, emphasis on higher, more natural stances, 3/4 twist punch.

 

To eb honest, Seibukan in many ways is the form my karate had taken over the years, as I began to concentrate more on bunkai and oyo.