Shorin Ryu vs Goju Ryu

[Master Jules]

Before Naha-Te, Higoanna studied with Ru Ru Ko, a Fukienese master of white crane, as well as Pakua, and Hsing-I

[brickman]

I am not certain that blanket comments should be made about either style...it is up to each teacher what he decides to teach.....OR more likely what he is good at. We do not (for instance) block with our palms inward all the time in Shorin ryu....in our bunkai we do grab....etc. So P.A.L.'s comment would not apply to the style we do...apparently it does to his.

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I am not certain that blanket comments should be made about either style...it is up to each teacher what he decides to teach.....OR more likely what he is good at. We do not (for instance) block with our palms inward all the time in Shorin ryu....in our bunkai we do grab....etc. So P.A.L.'s comment would not apply to the style we do...apparently it does to his.

 

Agreed. We will have palms facing in...or out, depending on what we're doing.

[Shorin Ryuu]

Shorin Ryu and Goju Ryu are simply two paths arriving at the same destination. In the "old days", many masters did both "Shurite" and "Nahate". If you look on a map, Shuri and Naha are pretty darn close to one another. Chibana Chosin, the founder of the Kobayashi branch of Shorin Ryu was known for correcting a Goju Ryu master on his Goju Ryu kata once (ask Skeptic2004 for more details on this one). This isn't to say Shorin Ryu is better or anything, but just to show you that the distinction nowadays wasn't really there back then. And Chibana died in 1968 (the term "the old days" is pretty relative).

 

If you ask me, both Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu utilize hard and soft techniques, sometimes at the same time. They both are heavily influenced by Chinese methods to varying degrees. There have been Naha te kata that have influenced/appeared in Shuri te styles and Shuri te kata that have influenced/appeared in Naha te styles.

 

As far as Shorin Ryu being "linear", I've always found such claims to be a bit strange. Certainly there are some linear technique. Every style has linear techniques. However, like in Goju Ryu, there are varying degrees of "tightness" (not referring to tension but the curvature of the arc) to the circles employed in Shorin Ryu. Many so-called linear techniques are circles that are deceptively tight.

 

As far as hard and soft goes, that really depends on the practitioner. There are certainly both hard and soft methods and principles in Shorin Ryu and Goju Ryu. Comparing either of them in "hardness" to something like Shotokan would be a complete fallacy, however.

 

Saying one style is better at in-fighting or getting in close is ludicrous. From what I've seen, both styles emphasize getting in close and grappling with a culmination in the takedown. My instructor says (and I've had this opinion before I met him) that Shorin Ryu is centered specifically on the takedown at which point the fight should be over. I've seen nothing in Goju Ryu that would indicate it is any different in this respect.

 

The best book you can buy in terms of Karate history in English in my opinion is John Sells' Unante: The Secrets of Karate.

 

http://www.martialsource.com/Unante.htm

 

Pricy, but worth every bit.

 

So what's the bottom line? You shouldn't be comparing Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu head on. They certainly have some differences in approaches and techniques, but the underlying principles are much more closer between them than many other styles of karate or martial arts out there.

[unknownstyle]

shotokan is based off of shorin ryu, taught by bushi matsumura to chotokan kyan i belive

[Zaine]

I dont know, its like Shorin Ryuu said, its almost the same save a dozen or so forms and styles of fighting

[Goju_boi]

well in myh dojo there is this one guy that came from shorin ryu,and he transisted easily over to goju-ryu

[syberghost]

So, what about Goju-Shorin? I studied that for about a month many years ago, then parted ways and haven't run across it since, so I don't know much about it. What is its historical place in relation to Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu?

[Goju_boi]

sounds like a style that may have been invented by your instructor or somebody in modern times.

[syberghost]

sounds like a style that may have been invented by your instructor or somebody in modern times.

Yes; Bill McDonald in North Carolina, modern enough that he's still teaching it.

However, unlike with American Kenpo, there's not a lot of information out there about the philosophy of its derivation and how specifically it differs from goju ryu and shorin ryu. I know that in the yellow belt requirements it very much resembles Kenpo, and from that assume that he was trying to do the same thing Ed Parker did and working from similar roots (since Parker was working with Shorinji Kempo and shorin ryu derives from that as well) and thus arrived at some of the same places, but as I had so little exposure to it and there's not much about it on the web or in any books I've seen, this is not only speculation on my part, but very uninformed speculation.

I was hoping somebody out there knew more. I guess I might have to load up and go ask Sensei McDonald.