Transition from Shotokan to Kyokushin

[JohnnyB]

First of all I'd like to thank you all for you input.

I am still troubled and have not decided what to do yet.

All the Kyokushin Dojos are >10km from my house and gasoline prices are very expensive nowadays.

If i choose to stay with Shotokan I'll need to find a sparring partner to practice out of school. I feel confident in my stances and techniques and i should test them under real opposition. With the use of protective gear i don't see how is that gonna do any wrong.

I could try to find another Shotokan Dojo that practice full contact kumite but i don't have my hopes high really. Most dojos in Athens take the traditional way of Shotokan way too soft and this forces me to look at the Kyokushin 'other' side of Karate.

Ideally i would be looking for a school identical to the one evergrey is so lucky to have. Full Contact with strikes to the Head (protective gear on) but also focus on the Traditional side of Karate with practice of Katas and Kihon.

If only i was so fortunate...

[Harkon72]

If full contact is the way you want to go, and you want no compromise Kumite, then go for it. I hope you have no injuries and you gain experience and satisfaction! Osu!

[evergrey]

OSU! I drive 45 minutes to get to the dojo.

Finding a dojo that feels right to YOU is the important thing. Sometimes it does involve sacrifices, and sometimes money is too tight, when there are more practical needs in your life.

So the question is how bad do you want it, will you find a dojo out there that you really fit with (in whatever style) and can you afford the trip after all your basic needs have been taken care of?

Many people do change from one style to another at some point, because they find something that suits them personally better. Sometimes a Kyokushin person will switch to Kung Fu, or even Aikido. It's no good taking it personally. Everyone has free will, and each person's path is entirely their own. Their choices are entirely their own. You can't walk their path for them, or take their path on.

As an aside, my instructors have all cross trained in a number of other styles over the years... including some Aikido for our 5th dan. Just for fun every once in a while, if I charge like a reckless bull too much, he'll grab me as I charge him, and say "HAVE SOME AIKIDO!" as he sends me flying to the mat. Hah! I wish I'd gotten that on video. ;}

There's something worth learning from any style. Granted, there are a couple I've seen on the internet that I'm mostly learned what not to do from, but those usually tend to be created by some young guy who watched too much anime. ;}

Early on as a white belt, I made fun of a certain style in front of my Sensei. He then used a famous technique from said style to drive me all the way across the yard we were in until he got me up against the fence, haha. He laughed when I yielded and then reminded me that a martial artist must have humility, and behave with honor and respect, as we represent not only ourselves, but our teachers and our lineage as well.

OSU!

[sensei8]

OSU! I drive 45 minutes to get to the dojo.

Finding a dojo that feels right to YOU is the important thing. Sometimes it does involve sacrifices, and sometimes money is too tight, when there are more practical needs in your life.

So the question is how bad do you want it, will you find a dojo out there that you really fit with (in whatever style) and can you afford the trip after all your basic needs have been taken care of?

Many people do change from one style to another at some point, because they find something that suits them personally better. Sometimes a Kyokushin person will switch to Kung Fu, or even Aikido. It's no good taking it personally. Everyone has free will, and each person's path is entirely their own. Their choices are entirely their own. You can't walk their path for them, or take their path on.

As an aside, my instructors have all cross trained in a number of other styles over the years... including some Aikido for our 5th dan. Just for fun every once in a while, if I charge like a reckless bull too much, he'll grab me as I charge him, and say "HAVE SOME AIKIDO!" as he sends me flying to the mat. Hah! I wish I'd gotten that on video. ;}

There's something worth learning from any style. Granted, there are a couple I've seen on the internet that I'm mostly learned what not to do from, but those usually tend to be created by some young guy who watched too much anime. ;}

Early on as a white belt, I made fun of a certain style in front of my Sensei. He then used a famous technique from said style to drive me all the way across the yard we were in until he got me up against the fence, haha. He laughed when I yielded and then reminded me that a martial artist must have humility, and behave with honor and respect, as we represent not only ourselves, but our teachers and our lineage as well.

OSU!

Solid post!!

[brickshooter]

First of all I'd like to thank you all for you input.

I am still troubled and have not decided what to do yet.

All the Kyokushin Dojos are >10km from my house and gasoline prices are very expensive nowadays.

If i choose to stay with Shotokan I'll need to find a sparring partner to practice out of school. I feel confident in my stances and techniques and i should test them under real opposition. With the use of protective gear i don't see how is that gonna do any wrong.

I could try to find another Shotokan Dojo that practice full contact kumite but i don't have my hopes high really. Most dojos in Athens take the traditional way of Shotokan way too soft and this forces me to look at the Kyokushin 'other' side of Karate.

Ideally i would be looking for a school identical to the one evergrey is so lucky to have. Full Contact with strikes to the Head (protective gear on) but also focus on the Traditional side of Karate with practice of Katas and Kihon.

If only i was so fortunate...

Don't get so caught up in what one style does and another style does based on videos.

Look at the make up of the students. If they're mostly young, athletic men in their 20s, you're going to get more kumite. And more contact kumite. If the students are made up of a mix of old, middle, and young then you're going to get less kumite with less contact.

And there's a big difference in tournament contact versus club contact. At a club, you'll likey fight friends. You will likely apply almost full contact to body shots. But you will likely pull your punches to the head. This is even truer the less protection you wear.

The truth is that no one really trains in full contact. We may fight full contact tournaments versus strangers. But we don't actully do that to our friends day in and day out.

This applies to MMA gyms and kick boxing as well.

[Harkon72]

I have only fought in two styles, semi-contact points and Ippon Jui Kumite. In the latter, as you say the contact to the body can be quite strong. To the head, all that is allowed is a touch. An ippon can be scored to the head, but it has to be perfect, and therefore, quite rare. If an opponent suffers multiple strong attacks or is taken down and scored upon, then an ippon is scored and the bout is over.

[JohnnyB]

Don't get so caught up in what one style does and another style does based on videos.

Look at the make up of the students. If they're mostly young, athletic men in their 20s, you're going to get more kumite. And more contact kumite. If the students are made up of a mix of old, middle, and young then you're going to get less kumite with less contact.

And there's a big difference in tournament contact versus club contact. At a club, you'll likey fight friends. You will likely apply almost full contact to body shots. But you will likely pull your punches to the head. This is even truer the less protection you wear.

The truth is that no one really trains in full contact. We may fight full contact tournaments versus strangers. But we don't actully do that to our friends day in and day out.

This applies to MMA gyms and kick boxing as well.

My doubt in my Shotokan Dojo started after studying lots of articles about Karate training and reading the views of many respected martial arts forums members.

Yes the techniques taught are highly effective if mastered and performed by a reasonable athletic person, but really do you believe that the average person needs 3+ years to master the ~10 most common punches+kicks you would use in free sparring?

There is a mix of athletic and non athletic people in my dojo but that is not the point. The point is that the dojo does not spar at all except once a week in what they call 'Competition Class' that is light point sparring and only black belts allowed from what i guess.

I wouldn't mind going full contact on a friend as long as he is too and we both wear prot. gear.

In kick boxing they start sparring usually after the 3rd month.

Why in Shotokan we have to wait 3+ years?!

[Harkon72]

Free sparing is allowed in our club on reaching 5th Kyu. When you need control and maturity for Kumite, this is a good idea.

[brickshooter]

Don't get so caught up in what one style does and another style does based on videos.

Look at the make up of the students. If they're mostly young, athletic men in their 20s, you're going to get more kumite. And more contact kumite. If the students are made up of a mix of old, middle, and young then you're going to get less kumite with less contact.

And there's a big difference in tournament contact versus club contact. At a club, you'll likey fight friends. You will likely apply almost full contact to body shots. But you will likely pull your punches to the head. This is even truer the less protection you wear.

The truth is that no one really trains in full contact. We may fight full contact tournaments versus strangers. But we don't actully do that to our friends day in and day out.

This applies to MMA gyms and kick boxing as well.

My doubt in my Shotokan Dojo started after studying lots of articles about Karate training and reading the views of many respected martial arts forums members.

Yes the techniques taught are highly effective if mastered and performed by a reasonable athletic person, but really do you believe that the average person needs 3+ years to master the ~10 most common punches+kicks you would use in free sparring?

There is a mix of athletic and non athletic people in my dojo but that is not the point. The point is that the dojo does not spar at all except once a week in what they call 'Competition Class' that is light point sparring and only black belts allowed from what i guess.

I wouldn't mind going full contact on a friend as long as he is too and we both wear prot. gear.

In kick boxing they start sparring usually after the 3rd month.

Why in Shotokan we have to wait 3+ years?!

Most dojos I've been to start sparing around 6 months. But it depends on the individual. If you have enough control on your techniques, they start you earlier. If you don't, they start you later. Sparing is generally done every class, and it takes up 1/3 of every class.

It's not the style that limits sparing. It's your particular dojo.

[judobrah]

kyokushin all the way

there is no fear in this dojo!