Shikata Shotokan Karate

[Orion]

I do Shotokan,

Our belts are;

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green (Me)

Blue

Purple

Purple and White

Brown

Brown and White

Brown and 2 white stripes

Black

I'm attempting to learn Heian Godan at the moment but keep getting confused.

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

I have thought about starting Goju. What is it like?

[TigerDude]

I can only tell you about my Goju Ryu school, but it is:

Lots of physical training (I believe this is typical). I like paying for a lot of physical stuff, but some do not, preferring to get this at another place.

Basics I think are not too different from Shotokan, mid-level basics move to soft blocks (wax on - wax off).

Kata are important, & my favorite piece.

Every other class is almost entirely sparring, mostly light contact. Our sparring is entirely out of the "fighting" stance, or what mostly looks like a boxer/kickboxer's stance, with the front foot turned in for groin protection.

You can google wiki Goju Ryu & get the background. GojuRyu.net also has a lot of information.

[Eugeu_Ryu_Stylist]

I like Kata as well, but I would have to say that sparring is my thing. The only problem is that I don't have anyone to spar with anymore.

[Shotokan-kez]

Orion, your belt system is exactly the same as mine, only our orange comes after white then red. How long do you have to wait between the stripes on the brown belt? Ours is six months, then it's at the senseis discretion for the dan grade.