Different styles of karate

[IIrene]

Hey there!

I have always had a large admiration for martial arts.

A couple of years I practised Tae Kwon Do, but unfortunately I stopped. Since a couple of months I practise the karate style " Wado Ryu".

I think karate is a splendid sport and I want to become very good in it. However, I keep wondering about one thing.

If I want to switch between karate styles in the future (I really admire Kyokyshinkai), then do you have to start with a white belt again? Or is there the possibility of doing an admission examination?

By the way..excuses for my bad English language, I'm coming from Holland.

Greetings,

IIrene

Edited July 15, 2008 by IIrene

[Zanshin]

Hey there!

I have always had a large admiration for martial arts.

A couple of years I practised Tae Kwon Do, but unfortunately I stopped. Since a couple of months I practise the karate style " Wado Ryu".

I think karate is a splendid sport and I want to become very good in it. However, I keep wondering about one thing.

If I want to switch between karate styles in the future (I really admire Kyokyshinkai), then do you have to start with a white belt again? Or is there the possibility of doing an admission examination?

By the way..excuses for my bad English language, I'm coming from Holland.

Greets,

IIrene

Hi IIrene,

Welcome to the forum. In fact you are new here today along with another dutch person, as AJ hails from the Netherlands as well I believe.

Perhaps you know him?

[IIrene]

Hi IIrene,

Welcome to the forum. In fact you are new here today along with another dutch person, as AJ hails from the Netherlands as well I believe.

Perhaps you know him?

Hey Zanshin,

Thanks for welcoming me!

And I think I don't know the other Dutch person.

[bushido_man96]

Different schools have different protocols when it comes to admitting students from other styles. Some will make you start over, and then demonstrate what you know, and allow you to test to a level that they may feel you are at. Some will let you keep your rank, but make you test on their material. It just depends on what you step into. And it varys from organization to organization, school to school, instructor to instructor. The bottom line is you will just have to ask your prospective new school's head instructor what they would do.

[Wado-AJ]

Hi IIrene,

Welcome to the forum. In fact you are new here today along with another dutch person, as AJ hails from the Netherlands as well I believe.

Perhaps you know him?

Hey Zanshin,

Thanks for welcoming me!

And I think I don't know the other Dutch person.

No, you do not indeed

[Lachrymosa]

In my school you can keep your previous rank if its a similar style but you will need to catch and learn everything for your rank as all other normal students.

One student at our school was awarded an orange belt in another school / style that was giving belt quite easily. When he started at our school he was able to keep his rank but it took him a bit less than 3 years to catch up and meet my sensei's standard and be able to test for the next belt.

From style to style and instructor to instructor rank can vary a lot.

[Wado-AJ]

In my school you can keep your previous rank if its a similar style but you will need to catch and learn everything for your rank as all other normal students.

One student at our school was awarded an orange belt in another school / style that was giving belt quite easily. When he started at our school he was able to keep his rank but it took him a bit less than 3 years to catch up and meet my sensei's standard and be able to test for the next belt.

From style to style and instructor to instructor rank can vary a lot.

3 years to become orange belt???? That is usually the second belt and should be working as a stimulance in training. When you get to 4th kyu it should become more serious. Well, my opinion anyway.

And about style.. when I'm playing Chess, it's not the same as Checkers? I can't imagine having the guts to even ask if I could keep my belt. I once trained in a Dojo from an other style, I wore my white belt. As well for a seminar in Daito ryu when I still did aikibudo, I wore my white belt. I just can't understand such mentality.

[Dobbersky]

Welkom IIrene aan het forum, hoop ik u van uw tijd op hier geniet. er zijn vele uitstekende karatevaklieden die vele jaren van ervaring hebben.

Welcome IIrene to the forum, I hope you enjoy your time on here. There are many excellent karate practitioners who have many years of experience.

Regard to switching styles I would stick to one at least until Blackbelt. Wado Ryu is an excellent basis to work from, it teaches you Tai Sabaki from the beginning whereas other styles don't teach this until the higher grades.

I know you say you like Kyokushin, it is an excellent hard style but I would recommend Ashihara or Enshin instead as this will fit in more with your Wado training.

Whenever you 'switch' styles you will always have to begin at white belt.

IIrene please stick to Wado Ryu until Shodan at least, you will be surprised what Wado has to offer

Osu!!!

[IIrene]

Hay everyone,

Welkom IIrene aan het forum, hoop ik u van uw tijd op hier geniet. er zijn vele uitstekende karatevaklieden die vele jaren van ervaring hebben.

Thanks for welcoming me in Dutch, I really appreciate it!

In my school you can keep your previous rank if its a similar style but you will need to catch and learn everything for your rank as all other normal students.

Thank you all for your good advice. It really helped me out.

It is understandable that you may not keep your rank if you switch between two very different styles such as Tae Kwon Do and Karate or something like that. But if it's a similar style I understand that it varies a lot if you may keep your belt or not.

IIrene please stick to Wado Ryu until Shodan at least, you will be surprised what Wado has to offer

I have learned a lot in this short time I do Wado-ryu. And I'm very enthusiastic. So I will keep up doing Wado-ryu and I hope that I may wear a blackbelt in the future.

IIrene

[Lachrymosa]

3 years to become orange belt???? That is usually the second belt and should be working as a stimulance in training. When you get to 4th kyu it should become more serious. Well, my opinion anyway.

When the student moved to our dojo he was an orange belt (3rd belt for us) already, but my instructor would have grade him lower. Not too long after he switch from child to adult classes. (In our system, child belt does not have the same required kata and proficiency as adult belts)

So he had to first learn all the required "adult orange belt" stuff he did not learn and then learn his normal orange to green belt. He was doing one class per week. I do not know how much he trained at home.

He had a lot to work on and he managed to do it.