Starting karate. A few concerns. Advice much appreciated

[Jeden245]

Hi everyone.

So after a long time of thinking and researching I have decided to take up Karate this year and have a few wuestions I'd like to ask if possible.

First off I have been looking at dojos in my local area and am going for a trial lesson with a dojo that practises shukokai, now I know very little about this style of karate and wanted to get people's opinion on it and find out the main differences between that and shotokan. My father was a 3rd dan in shotokan and unfortunately we no longer speak so I am unable to ask his advice on these concerns I have. I would like something that has a good level of competitive competitions once I get to that stage ( a long way off I know) but I would like to make the right decisions now rather than regret them later.

My other main concern is my weight. I am around 6"2 and just shy of 300 pounds. I would like to think I am not in horrible shape and carry the weight fairly well as I did a lot of weightlifting and was a great athlete once upon a time. Unfortunately those days have gone but I know that once super fit competative guy is in there screaming to get out.

Will somebody my size struggle to partake in karate and will I even be able to find a GI that fits as I am such a big guy??

As I said I have researched this a lot and it is something I determined to progress in but would like any advice regarding my oncerns that you may have or any advice in general to set me on the correct path.

Apologies for the big post and I thank anybody who takes the time to respond.

[kensei]

Good for you that you want to take up Karate, and the style you picked to work out in is not that close to Shotokan. Shūkōkai is more of a ditransitive of Shito ryu, it has some unique looking ideas and basics, but its very solid style to study.

However what you are doing right now is the smartest move, test the waters. Its not just the style of Karate that needs to click for you but the instructor as well. Keep that in mind and dont sign any contracts ext till you are comfortable and be smart about watching the different classes and seeing what they actually teach and how.

Not going to lie, you are a big boy! but you A) should be able to find a gi that works out for you and Karate is made to be okay for all sizes, sexes ext. You will do well to train smart, watch your knees and back and keep working on stretching and strength in this area or jogging down the street will kill your knees and back!!!!

Keep us posted on your progress, dont throw in the towel and remember to train smart, get a good club and work towards your training happy!

[Evil Dave]

I can't speak about Shūkōkai, but I can speak about your size. Take it slow, listen to your body and you should be fine. In most styles, and not just Karate, beginners don't get the 'full' force workouts, you get worked into it.

Cheers and enjoy your new adventure.

[seikokaistudent]

Start off easy and pace yourself, try all the gyms and dojos in your area, start exercising outside of dojo practice and gradually start to push yourself as your fitness improves. As for the gi thing I am sure they make a gi that will fit you.

Good luck with karate

[DoctorQui]

First of all, welcome to the Forum...there are lots of very experienced people here and you will find no better place, as a beginner, to get a mix of excellent advice and differing but useful views!

So, back to your decision to start Karate...excellent news and welcome to the fold. I would say what you are doing ie going and trying them out is really the only way you can make a decision, all the googling in the world can't replace practical experience.

I don't know too much about Shukokai tbh apart from that it isn't a derivation of Shotokan as many believe Shotokai is the one you are thinking of there!

In terms of your size and build...I cannot stress how important it is to realise when you start, that proficiency in Karate (or any MA for that matter) is not reliant upon how high you can kick, how low you can drop, how long you can defy gravity etc etc...you will very soon learn that even the most experienced of Karateka perform to the best of their ability. Gi size...I used to have an instructor who was 6'8" and he had no problem so don't worry about that!

What I would advise though is to drill down a bit when you try clubs out, ask questions, how much is membership, weekly/monthly fee, how often do they train, how much and often are gradings, is there a syllabus available (a good way to be able to train at home), who are they affiliated to, how much is the license fee...unfortunately there are a lot of so called McDojos and belt factories out there and it can be a bit of a minefield. DOn't be dazzled by huge marketing ploys and fancy gi's and any other add on, also beware of clubs that won't let you grade unless you purchase their training equipment, gis or belts (normally at a huge mark up). I've always steered away from those types of clubs.

Good luck and do please come back regularly and tell us how you're getting on, we are all genuinely interested and are here to support you if you need it!

OSU

[Dobbersky]

Welcome to the forum.

What other choices of Karate Styles do you have I'm your area?

Shukokai is an excellent style but is geared more to quick actions and movement, the Style itself comes from the Tomari te and Shuri te regions of Okinawa. You should look at Naha te region karate such as Goju Ryu or other Naha te based styles.

If you are close to 300lbs then make sure you wear anklets and knee pads/braces to protect them. I'm 120+ kg so not too far off your size, but I'm only 178cm.

[Zaine]

Welcome to KF! It's really awesome that you're wanting to do Karate and putting in the research to find the right one for you. While I don't know much about Shukokai, I know that Shito Ryu is a good system and I've seen good things from it.

As to your to your weight I had an instructor with the same dimensions that you describe yourself as. You should be fine all around.

[brickshooter]

Shuhokai is a solid school. The primary difference is hype they generate power. They work more on torso rotation than Shotokan, except for the Asai- Yahara followings which also put a heavy emphasize in torso rotation.

About go size. Most USA companies make large gi with plenty of room around the back so finding a gi that fit isn't a problem.

About the weight. Pack some aspirin. And start out all drills at 75% effort then increase intensity as the muscle heat up. Cold-then-heat showers afterward really helps

[Jeden245]

Thanks very much for the advice guys and the kind words of encouragement.

I think my main concerns regarding my size is looking like a total idiot more than the worry of being able to actually do the training correctly as I'm not a grossly fat 300 pounder if that makes sense lol. Plus I am only 27 so plenty of time in my life to lose weight and do well at Karate.

As for the style of karate shukokai and shotokan are the only ones that are available to me within my immediate area of the uk (midlands) the dojo I have I am going to check out is with a guy called Jason smith who is a 5th dan and has trained with sensei Kimura, although being a novice I'm not sure how much weight that holds so I can't really comment on that being a valid enough reason to train there. I must say though he spent an entire hour almost chatting to me on the phone upon my initial enquiry and really seems like a genuine, friendly guy who will do his upmost to help me reach my potential. I just want to be 100% sure that shukokai is the style that I will get the most out of long term both socially and competitively, if I choose to go down the competative path.

The website for the club is http://www.karate-uk.com/page2.htm if anybody is curious as to which I am going to be having the trial lesson at.

[Zaine]

I think my main concerns regarding my size is looking like a total idiot more than the worry of being able to actually do the training correctly as I'm not a grossly fat 300 pounder if that makes sense lol.

We all look foolish when we start regardless of size or age. It's part of the experience and everybody in that dojo knows it. I wouldn't worry to much about that. Just practice. Like my signature says: Martial Arts is 30% classroom training, 70% solo training. If someone ever makes fun of beginner clumsiness then they don't understand what it is to be a Martial Artist in attitude.