gojukai or shotokan

[evildead]

i have 2 dojos by my place and trying to decide which 1 i like . shotokan is really offence but does not have alot of defence in it . i read at higher belts they train some jiu jitsu but to what extent .also is the style high stances or low. and how pratical is it for self defense on the street. gojukai suposed to be hard and soft . i read it is a close combat style were you fight your oppenent at close quartersand not from a distance.the jiu jitsu is suposed to be really good.also does shotokan do alot of low kicks from waist down. and is there any elbows and knees in the style.gojukai do more high kicks and use elbows and knees. sorry guys im a newb and need help lol. did some reading on the 2 styles but couldnt find wt i wanted to know.

[tallgeese]

There are plenty of guys around here that do Shotokan that can give you a better heads up than I can. I can say that the ones I've been on the mat with hit very hard and are tough to move. The style is pretty hard and the blocking schemes are rigid.

Gojo systems, which I have more expeiance with and h ave been on the mat with alot more guys from, do encorporate softer movments in their defensive aspects. I tend to like this better from a blocking stand point. It allows you to flow away from power more prior to initating your own attack.

As for the use of elbows and knees, you'll probibly get about the same out of each would be my bet. Outside of MT, the use of these weapons is really predicated more on the range preference of the instructor rather than style.

[evildead]

thanks for the reply tallgeese do you know were i could download any training gojukai videos found some on you tube but were lots of katas.i found lots of shotokan but no gojukai.not to popluar i gues

[tallgeese]

Might be hard to find...I know that shotokan is pretty popular in comparison.

I have to be honest, most goju I've heard of or been exposed to is Goju Ryu. I'm assuming that the -kai suffex dnostes some kind of shared heritage.

You might try searching for the -ryu suffeex and see if there are any cross-references.

[bushido_man96]

Like tallgeese alluded to, much of the what you want to know is going to based more on the personal preference of each instructor. So, you would probably be served best by going to visit each school, asking these questions to the instructors, and watching a few classes of each.

I think Goju will work more standing locks into its blocking system, a la the more soft aspect, like the Jujitsu techniques. However, Shotokan will have some of these as well. I do think that Shotokan practitioners do work in sweeps with their stand-up work as well.

I would visit each school, if I were you. Then, decide what you would like to try. Good luck, and welcome the KarateForums.com and the Martial Arts!

[kansascityshuffle]

Like any martial art, there are good Shotokan and bad Shotokan dojo, the same goes with Goju. Goju kai means a "more Japanesized"(more or less) Goju than Okinawan. Whereas most goju is "more Okinawan". You might even get a taste of knockdown style sparring(iru kumi) in the goju kai, it just depends on their ties to N. Gosei Yamaguchi which they should have. As a beginner it doesn't really matter if something is "Japanese" or "Okinawan". Often, many Americanized styles claim to be Okinawan and aren't even close to even being Japanese style(different thread sometime, I guess).

I'd probably go with the goju kai if I was to choose between the two but check 'em out to see what you like the most...most importantly, have fun and train hard.

Ossu

[Stlthofnight]

Yeah, I agree with Kansascity here, personally, if I had to choose based on what I know from the styles, I would train Goju, but that's simply personal preference. They are both quality styles that are effective overall. But only you can see which school will work for you and help you reach the goals you want (sport, self defense, fitness, etc.) whatever they may be. Search youtube with Goju Ryu, and you'll find plenty of videos of katas. here's some sample kata from Goju:

Sanchin

Tensho

Saifa

Seiunchin

Shisochin

Sanseiru

Sepai

Seisan

Kururumfa

Suparimpei

Gekisai Dai Ichi

Gekisai Dai Ni

Gekisai Dai San

Taikyoku Jodan

Taikyoku Chudan

Taikyoku Gedan

Taikyoku Kake Uke

Tiakyoku Mawashi Uke

Tenchi

Seiryu

Byakkoi

Shujakku

Genbu

I got this list from wikipedia, so that school may or may not use the some of the ones listed here. Have fun!

[Mokuso]

I would go with Goju. I have been practising Gojuryu (not the USA variant), genwakai and wadoryu for 20 years and because of a move to a remote area, I had to switch to Shotokan, in order to keep connected to a Dojo.

Shotokan is quite different, since it is sports orientated, whereas Goju was arts orientated. Many "handy" techniques in Goju, like using a lock after for instance a jodan uke, are not allowed in Shotokan. Last week, I did an "ancient" geri, which is only seen in Shitoryu and Gojuryu. My opponent was quite stunt, I must say.

I would do with Goju, if I was in your position.

[tori]

Not all shotokan is sports oriented. Our instructor is very traditonal. He does not promote sport oriented martial arts. He also does not condemn them but feels training only to tournament/compete does not provide a student the means to truly defend themselves. I have on my own, gone to tournaments and competed against a sport oriented style shotokan and was surprised in the vast difference. I did well and met alot of great other people from all styles. Also learned how much I appreciate my instructors teachings and also my style. Tournamenting is fun, once in awhile, but I prefer just traditional training.

[white owl]

Not all shotokan is sports oriented. Our instructor is very traditonal. He does not promote sport oriented martial arts. He also does not condemn them but feels training only to tournament/compete does not provide a student the means to truly defend themselves. I have on my own, gone to tournaments and competed against a sport oriented style shotokan and was surprised in the vast difference. I did well and met alot of great other people from all styles. Also learned how much I appreciate my instructors teachings and also my style. Tournamenting is fun, once in awhile, but I prefer just traditional training.

I agree here with tori, as to does my instructor we are traditional school not a tournament school. We go to 2 or 3 a year that are close to where are school is located and the other is our instructors, instructors tournament that he fills that we should make a good showing to represent our school. we do well at them when we go even though we train traditionally. I know one thing do well when we hit you know we hit.