describe your style

[taiji fajin]

Kuk Sool Won -

 

Tries to be a "cover everything" martial art. Uses circular movement with a mixture of hard and soft. Focuses on learning techniques, forms, and weapons over other things (such as sparring, punching and kicking combos, acrobatics, etc, though these things are also practiced).

 

Taijiquan -

 

Yin Yang. Works on developing chi, a good foundation for balance and whole body control. Lets you use your entire body together or to separate it so that you can disappear from a touch. Builds instictive responses to any situation, allowing you to explode or disappear as needed. Lots of emphasis on internal energy, circles, and spirals.

[junker]

now thats what I'm talkin about the last 2 posts were great, Thanks alot!!!!

[Nick_UKWC]

I learn Wing Chun.

 

Wing Chun is a blend of hard and soft techniques with a large focus on redirection, trapping and close range power. It is meant to be effective from a normal self defence range, ie conversation to clinch.

 

Wing Chun contains 3 open handed forms, the wooden dummy form, the 6.5' pole form and the butterfly knives.

[snazzed]

I've practiced for quite a few years and spent my time mostly in two styles. I did Shotokan Karate for 5 years, Goju-Ryu Karate for a couple of months and Hapkido for 2 years.

 

Shotokan Karate:

 

Shotokan is a very direct linear style of Karate. There is little spinning or jumping. Stances and all movements tend to be long and over-exagerated in order to develop technique and power. Shotokan students have strong legs. We are taught that this is for practice only and when fighting in tournament or on the street, use shorter more natural stances.

 

Overall Shotkan has a fighting focus. It has a good even blend of punches blocking and kicks and nothing is more fancy than it has to be. The particular organization I was at also brought in Masters from other styles and schools to do seminars and they would occasionally dedicate an entire class to practical self-defense or streetfighting.

 

The name Shotokan means "Fighting Tiger" and the philosophy is "one strike one kill" meaning you hit your opponant once, and he is out of the fight (not necessarily dead).

 

Goju-Ryu Karate:

 

I only did Goju-Ryu Karate for a few months so I don't feel I can say too too much about it... They use shorter stances than Shotokan and it's movements are shorter and a more circular than Shotokan. This is why I left... I found it very difficult to adapt my movements and I was always running over people in Katas.

 

Hapkido:

 

I did Hapkido for about 2 years. Hapkido is a Korean Art that is very well balanced in theory. They teach blocking and punching, joint locks, ground fighting, submission, and weapons (mostly sword). Most of the basic movements are very similar to Shotokan emphasizing power.

 

Hapkido has both practical and impractical aspects. Their primary emphasis seems to be kicks. We spent a lot of time on kicks, high kicks, spinning kicks, jumping kicks, jumping spinning kicks, flying kicks... I felt this was a little showy and none too practical. The use of the sword, while fun, is also not practical. I don't remember the last time I felt threatened on the street or in a bar and had my trusty sword with me. Joint locks and ground fighting, however, help make up for it. However, the breadth of the art was it's undoing for me.

 

It is my opinion that Hapkido tries to do too much. I did not feel that I was getting good with the sword, only using it for 2 hours a month... and joint locks 2 hours a month and... you get the idea. One provision I have to add is that the school I was at had one hour classes. This may not be as much of an issue for schools that have 1.5 or 2 hour classes.

 

 

 

In Summary:

 

The instructor, or school / organization's philosophy will be the biggest determinant.

 

The Shotokan Organization I was at (CSKA), every single dojo I went to (3), there were multiple black belts and brown belts at every class helping and correcting students. You were well taught and they had high standards. You learned quickly as a result and once you had been there a while, you could guess what belt a guest had just by watching them perform.

 

The biggest reason I left Hapkido was the instructor at my school. I felt the particular studio lacked discipline and students were not corrected or given enough attention. The lack of discipline and instruction left me with a few injuries. Guest instructors left me with the impression that other schools may be better.

 

Hope this was usefull

 

Snazzed

Edited February 5, 2005 by snazzed

[snazzed]

The whole reason I ended up in this forum is I'm trying to find a new Dojo. I've moved and the Shotokan Dojo I used to go to is too far away, and as per my post above, I'm not happy with the Hapkido Studio I was at. I made a choice to stay within a particular organization because I know the calibre of instructor will be high. However, most of the Karate Dojo's in this organization near me are Shito-Ryu. 2 Shito-Ryu (really close), 1 Goju-Ryu (a little farther) and a Shotokan that is a little farther away than I would like.

 

Can anyone give me a decent description of Shito-Ryu and / or Goju-Ryu and perhaps a comparison to Shotokan, Hapkido?

 

Thanks

 

Snazzed

[Kempohands]

I practice White Tiger Kempo:

 

White Tiger Kempo is one of MANY braches of kempo/kenpo in the world today. It's main influences are the late Grandmaster Nick Cerio's Kenpo, Kajukenbo, as well as tons of jiu-jitsu principles and techniques. It is very similar to most Kempo styles, what sets it apart is the amount of jiu-jitsiu and grappling we do. Professor Fescina (the founder) recognized that Kenpo lacked grappling applications so he trained in JJ and added many of those principles to the Kenpo he learned from Grandmaster Cerio. It is a very complete system, and I am glad to call myself a student of the style. The only drawback of the style is the way we train. In my opinion, the training has become softer and easier over the years that I've been at my school (becoming more like a bussiness ). It is really up to the individual to put in 150% and get the most out of the physical conditioning, but the techniques and principles of WT Kempo are still just as effective if trained properly.

[Scand]

Hoijeonmoosool: Led from Korean Hapkido, Hoijeonmoosool blends kicks, punches, minor grappling and fast-to-do throws. The most regognisable feature of Hoijeonmoosool would be wide, circular movements. Many techniques grow into gorgeous circles in order to confuse and break the opponent's wall of defence. When getting contact, Hoijeonmoosool practitioner would punch, kick and use circular movements to unbalance his opponent and so make him fall.

 

Sometimes credited as "short-way hapkido" for it's principle of shorter learning curve.

 

Very much similar to traditional Hapkido while underlining different aspects of fighting. Calmness, principle of water, it's all there.

[drunkendragon]

I practice drunken boxing

 

its a martial art wich uses te reflexes of a drunkard while maintaning a clear mind. some people drink to limber up there body and increase pain tolerance but in the end you will most likley drink to much. drunken boxing is an art of destroying your body so yo must teach yurself to fall as though

 

someone pushed you

[UncleBob]

Karate Jutsu

 

Its a bit of a mix to be honest and as such doesn't really adhere to any one style of karate. The influences seem to be Wado Ryu, Goju Ryu and Ao Denkou Jitsu. Karate Jutsu is just the name the Sensei uses after noting that most of the local karate clubs emphasise the sporting side.

 

We only study six kata and its not enough to simply be able to perform it well, we have to demonstrate a level of competence in the applications.

 

Pairs work is based on counters to HOAV and the drills are derived from the katas we study with great emphasis on correct distancing, body shifting, unbalancing, deflecting, controlling and finishing.

[mikaveli]

What your taught traditionally and you style should always be the same.

 

I use the same basic techniques in very different ways to people of varying degrees of strength, fitness and prowess.

 

I train with another 1st dan in TSD, and he is really easy to beat because he sticks to rigidly to what he has been taught, whereas I use my size and weight more effectively.