Hello from New Hampshire

[sniper03]

hi, 32 year old male from new hampshire. I am currently looking to start martial arts and have only 2 schools to attend it's between kenpo and shotokan both instructors are excellent and the schools are just that. i have been asking everyone that i can wich style would you choose to be honest one school is 40 dollars cheaper than the other, my question wich style will help me out more in a "real street fight"

I am not too worried about a street fight most of my marine corp training is based in martial arts, but alot of the strikes and take downs are leaning towards killing and serious injury.

If anyone has any ideas please feel free to shoot me a reply thanks

[Jacob]

Hi Sniper. I can't help you with particular info., but why don't you talk to the instructors and ask them? Or, ask some of the students.

Also, if you are concerned with fighting, you may want to do something more in the area of Krav Maga. Judo and Jujitsu and also more contact-intense. Are you limited as to the number of schools in your area?

[bushido_man96]

I have heard good things about both Kenpo and Shotokan. You could probably not go wrong with either one. View some classes, and see what you think. Ask the instructors about their philosophies and methodologies on self defense to answer that question for you. Also, research the internet, and check around here on the forums...you could try the Comparative Styles and Crosstraining forum.

Good luck on the journey!

[cathal]

Kempo styles tend to focus on hand combinations, etc. Shotokan, IMHO is a more complete style as we train in both leg and arm combinations for attacking.

In most Shotokan schools you fill find no grappling/ground techniques, not sure about Kempo, though.

Sit down and watch a class from start to end, get a feel for the instructor. If you aren't going to respect or get along with him/her then don't bother wasting time/effort into learning their art.

[bushido_man96]

Are you sure about not having ground fighting in Shotokan? There are a couple of threads about Shotokan's close quarters combat and ground fighting. Perhaps it has more to do with individual instructors than anything else, but some of the other posters have pointed out that Shotokan does contain some of these elements.

[cathal]

In our dojo/system we do close quarters yes, but no real ground techniques. Not enough grappling to say we train a great deal in that area.

[ninjanurse]

Welcome to KF! Oorah!!

[Sohan]

Welcome!

With respect,

Sohan

[Fairfax_Uechi]

hi, 32 year old male from new hampshire. I am currently looking to start martial arts and have only 2 schools to attend it's between kenpo and shotokan both instructors are excellent and the schools are just that. i have been asking everyone that i can wich style would you choose to be honest one school is 40 dollars cheaper than the other, my question wich style will help me out more in a "real street fight"

I am not too worried about a street fight most of my marine corp training is based in martial arts, but alot of the strikes and take downs are leaning towards killing and serious injury.

If anyone has any ideas please feel free to shoot me a reply thanks

If you haven't already selected a school you might want to look up Buzz Durken (or Durkin I think). He's a 8th degree Black Belt in Uechi and if he's fairly close someone who you can learn a great deal from.

[alsey]

unless you can find a shotokan school that teaches a combative style that incorporates grappling, its probably not what you're looking for. for self defence you want a system that covers all ranges of combat.