hey, new to karate

[OneAndOnly]

hey guys, well i'm 19, turning 20 in july (not that my age matters)...anyways, I have done a little bit of martial arts in my time, Tai Kwon Do, Judo, Kung Fu, but none of them really "clicked", well I'm kinda in love with Japanese tradition and everything else Japanese, including the women ...anyways, so i decided to try another Japanese martial art, so I did some research, read online, bought some books, and it seems like karate has really clicked, and feels like something i could do for a long time. Now enough with my life story...

There's 2 dojo's that arnt too far from my house, (most are in the suburbs, i live downtown), theres one thats sorta far but reachable, it teaches Goju Ryu, the other is like a 5 minute walk from my house, so id rather go there, but on there website they dont say what style they teach, and Im a little nervous its a "McDojo", it seems legit, looks nice, but you can never be too sure. Now I was hoping to train a style with a little more kicking, i would love to train Kyokushin, but the only dojo is way too far from my house.

So i guess what I'm asking is

1) what do you think of this place, http://www.northernkarate.com

2) what are your thoughts on Goju Ryu

all help is greatly appreciated

[joesteph]

No matter what, always observe a class, maybe even two. Contracts? See what might be offered to you to try out first, such as that the first two weeks are free, and then you can make a decision. If there's no contract, even better.

[Soheir]

I'd go to the one that doesn't seem like a McDojo. And still... I'd say Goju-ryu

[RJCKarate]

This is coming from a view, which has not been able to see the quality of either school, therefore you could consider it somewhat uneducated.

However, from viewing NKS website, I would chose Goju-Ryu. Not saying that NKS wouldn't be a good karate school, however from what I can see you want traditional Japanese-style Karate, even though Goju-Ryu is Okinawa, I think it would suit your needs better.

This is providing that the Goju-Ryu school is quality, it could be the total opposite to a 'traditional school' and, NKS could be better. Maybe explain what you're interested in more, do you want to do competitions, get a black belt in X years?

However, go see a class at both.

[nanook660]

I would watch a few Classes first. Ask questions. If they offer Gree Classes try them out then decide. One sounds like a McDojo so I'd say Goju Ryu

Good Luck

[mr_obvious]

It's been said many times on this forum -- content is less important than who's teaching it.

....and where, and who else is there, vibe, etc.

[OneAndOnly]

thanks a lot guys i'll take all that into consideration, and i dont think fitness is an issue, although i cant bench 300 lbs, i'm no where near that but i do lift weights 3 times a week, and would consider myself in good shape

[nago]

I agree with all above. I would watch some classes up front. The style of Karate in this case is not as important as the instructor. I bad instructor can ruin any style so I would concentrate on the instructor when coming to a decision. Cheers.

[GeoGiant]

I agree with the above but I would add - take note of the students. You will be training with these people so make sure you will comfortable with the average age / weight / height.

[JohnASE]

This thread is a little old, but I'll throw my 2 cents in anyway.

I can see why you might be concerned that NKS might be a McDojo. They have a bunch of locations, and their website seems pretty slick. I wouldn't assume anything without checking them out. They look pretty successful, so a lot of people must think NKS is right for them. I'm not sure it's right for you though.

You say you're interested in Japanese tradition. The head instructor lists NASKA and NBL competition among his credentials. I could be stereotyping incorrectly here, but the more traditional dojos tend to shy away from open competitions like these. NASKA and NBL events have all kinds of non-Japanese styles involved. The more traditional dojos typically stick to the traditional Japanese competition circuits if they compete at all. Traditional Japanese events tend to be more formal and structured. Judging tends to be more consistent with what they're teaching. Again, even if I'm right about tendencies, you don't know for sure unless you check them out.

Oh, and like you, I couldn't determine for sure what style NKS teaches. It seems to be a Japanese style of some kind since they use Japanese titles. The head instructor wrote a book on Shotokan, but researched and edited a book on Okinawan arts. My guess would be that he teaches a version of Shotokan karate with a mix of Okinawan kobudo (weapons).

I guess I didn't really add much. Everyone else had it right. Check them out in person. See if it's what you want.