karate to kung fu

[shotokanwarrior]

Do you think changing to a kung fu style would be hard for a karate guy?

[granmasterchen]

it all depends on the individual. If you have had a long back ground in the art of karate. let's say over 10 yrs, then you should be accustomed to the higher levels of the karate art form to see the similarities to those of kung fu. If you have only trained in karate for a short time frame, less than a year it should also be easy to move over to kung fu since you have not mastered any levels of karate yet and have not been in a routine long enough to be completely confused. But say you have been studying karate for roughly 2-5 yrs you may find yourself confused at first because everything will appear to be quite different.

[xingxing]

i have to agree with granmasterchen... when i was a kid i began training in shotokan karate but after a few years i switched to taekwondo and even later started a kung fu/gong fu. the shotokan/taekwondo transition i did not find too difficult, because even though the stances/forms are different the basics are the same. the taekwondo/gong fu transition i found more difficult for several reasons: shotokan/taekwondo is rather linear and 'broken' in comparison with most styles of gong fu, which tend to be more fluid. the stances and movements are very different, they generally require more flexibility and harmony of the body. yet punching and kicking fundamentials are very similar. it depends a lot on the style of gong fu you choose to practise.

i hope that helps a litte

[Goju_boi]

well yeah I guess it depends. for example I guess people from my style (goju-ryu karate) wouldn't have that much of a hard time because our style has strong kung fu roots

[Zaine]

well yeah I guess it depends. for example I guess people from my style (goju-ryu karate) wouldn't have that much of a hard time because our style has strong kung fu roots

And because Goju Ryu is a softer style of Okinawan Karate. And it didn't actually get roots from every type of kung fu, that would be the only way it would be easy for a Goju Ryu person to join any kung fu. And Goju Ryu has Shaolin Kung fu roots, a harder style of kung fu. So it might not be as easy as you think.

[Gaoguy]

More importantly which style of of wushu? Goju would have a difficult time going into many of the northern styles, particularly the IMA.

[mik]

Id say depents to which kunfu style.

[Traditional-Fist]

Do you think changing to a kung fu style would be hard for a karate guy?

In my opinion one of the most, if not the most difficult aspects could be the ability to adapt to the "softness" of kung fu, when one changes from karate, specially a hard and linear style such as Shotokan.

The Chi Kung aspect of kung fu is present in all kung fu styles even the so called "hard" systems. This will reflect in techniques and sets which, to the uninitiated, will look soft. This kind of softness is not generally associated with karate, eventhough some styles may be softer and more fluid than others, such as Shorin Ryu when compared to Shotokan.

There are other concepts and principles that, to my knowledge, do not exist in karate. One significant one is the fact that you do not go back to defend yourself. All training is based on moving into the opponent when he attacks, jamming and destroying him. I.e. The concept of the karate three step sparring does not exist, in at least some kung fu styles. This means one does not step back and block and eventually counter attacks. Not in partner practise, including chi sao. What I have said here holds true for my Wing Chun training when I lived in Brazil and it also holds true to my current training in kung fu (another style) here in the outer reaches of north London.

You can appreciate the difficulty experienced by a practitioner who is used to going back and defending, in being told that he needs to move into the attack (in an angle usually).

So I believe that depending on one's karate experience and even character, it could take years to adapt to kung fu, unless of course the person is an extremely flexible and adaptable martial artist.

[KF Dude]

Do you think changing to a kung fu style would be hard for a karate guy?

Your root style is so ingrained that it will leave a distinct mark on new movements. Extra effort needs to be taken to correct 'tics' that might be considered bad habits in the new style. Ultimately, the difficulty of transition depends upon an individuals willingness to learn.

[jaymac]

It is not going to be easy, but you can do it. I switched from Kung Fu to Shotokan and it was a difficult transition for quite awhile. There are definitely differences. Good luck. You will enjoy your training.