what type of karate should i take?

[martialartdude]

I was just wondering what style of karate i should take.the only ones in my area are kenpo, aikido, and tang soo do. Anybody who takes these and could help i would definately appreciate it.

P.S. I'm only about 5 foot 1, so if quickness and height matter.............[/i]

[alsey]

well none of those are technically styles of karate, though tang soo do and kenpo have a lot of similarities to karate. i havn't practiced any of them much myself so you might want to take a look at the wiki pages on them before someone else more knowledgeable arrives:

kenpo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenpo

aikido - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

tang soo do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_Soo_Do

kenpo tends to vary quite a bit. from what i have seen of it it seems quite karate like, with striking but also a good bit of grappling. i've done a tiny bit of aikido; the principle is using the opponents movement against them, usually resulting in a throw of some sort. its a very 'nice' art to practice. tang soo do is like a korean version of karate i think. sorry if any of this is wrong, as i said i don't know much about these arts.

don't worry about your size. everyone is different and different size bring different advantages and disadvantages in martial arts. there are little people who can beat big people, and big people who can beat little people. it doesn't really matter.

[martialartdude]

thanks for the help!

[bushido_man96]

Tang Soo Do is a Korean style, and may incorporate a lot of kicks.

I have always been interested in Aikido, but have never had an opportunity to take it.

[legkicker]

Any honest Aikidoka will tell you Aikido takes longer to learn to be able to apply; more so, than an art like Karatedo. I only trained for a year in Aikido and still respect the art a lot but where I live, imo, the Aikido leaves much to be desired.

The only advice I can give you is to go to all of these schools and see which one you like the most. I can't tell you what to like, only you can tell yourself that.

[Jiffy]

It all depends on what you want to get from the art.

Aikido tends to be the most traditional and formalised of the lot. It consentrates on taking the balance of the oponent while maintaining your own. Therefore it has a lot of throws.

Kenpo is a chinese Karate. It is a striking art that works at a close range. It is very fast and they multiple strikes.

Tang Soo Do is more like Japanese Karate in that it is still a stricking art, but they tend to be a little more linier and fight from a further distance. They concentrate on less more powerful strikes than kenpo.

At the end of the day, it will come down to the school, not the style, so visit them and see what you think.

[unknownstyle]

shorin ryu is a very good style to take, i like matsumura seito or the kenshin kan styles

[jaymac]

I'll tell you that I would give anything to train in Aikido. What a magnificent ART. You know you should just try out each style. Most places offer a trial membership. Let us know how it goes for you. Good luck.

[atalaya]

my two cents worth: I have practiced two different styles of aikido and have learned a lot from practicing both. Aikido has a huge emphasis on balance and off-balance (I think of judo as more of a "throwing" style. Aikido is more about balance, distance and timing as a method of removing standing options from your opponent). It does take an intense quality of effort and will require long hours of practice, but I think in the end you will be very satisfied with the result-- all depending on a good school, of course.

[wagnerk]

I'm pre-disposed to quickly say Shotokan However as there isn't one in your area, like it's been said before try all 3. Picking an art for yourself is very dependant on what you like combined with what the school is like. For example, if you like Kenpo (for example) but the school/instructor isn't good, it can put you off the art (and vice-versa).

So try all 3 and let us know the outcome

-ken