Are my body proportions a disadvantage in Karate?

[Radok]

I'm 5'9 and it hasn't given me any problems.

[aes]

Well you see it isn't my height I am concerned about it is my very short legs.

 

Al

[hobbitbob]

Osu, AES!

 

I'm all of 5 feet five and a whole half inches tall, somewhat hefty about the middle (My 'ki' has sunk ), and resmble the comment made in teh JKA thread about the "bullet headed midgets!" I have trained with, and taught students of many bodt types, and have to say that the karateka eventually adapts his karate to his body. Not the other way around. I hev known tall, skinny Goju-ka, and short, stubby Taekwondo-ja. All were excellent martial artists due to their drive to learn.

[DokterVet]

I actually think a somewhat short, well-built body is ideal for karate.

 

There is a black belt in my organization who is built like you - really short and stocky with EXTREMELY short legs. He is known for his kicks. Those things can fly out as quick as fists. It's crazy.

 

I'm tall and thin, and I think I am far from the ideal body type for karate. But I deal with it, my legs are long and I can keep people away well with them.

[hobbitbob]

there is an ISKF 4th dan in the area, by the name of Ed Davis, who is absoltely rectangular! My height, stocky, and he is the fastest person I haev ever seen! The first time I did sambon kummite with him I was thankful for his control (brushed the tip of my nose, made my eyes water ), not at all what one would have expected from someone built like that!

[Mark Groenewold]

Agreed!

 

I'm tall (6'3) but have met all kinds of smaller teachers and karate-ka here in Japan. I can't count how many times someone smaller than me has slipped inside my maai!!

 

But then again, with slower or equally fast opponents, I have the advantage of longer arms and can usually keep them at bay.

 

Shorter guys can (and often must) move more quickly.

 

I guess you just have to use what you've got to your best advantage.

 

Mark Groenewold

[guarddog]

Hey there, I can't see that being a problem. My Kenpo Karate ins told me he did TKD at one time in life and liked it, however he thought that it put out un-realistic expectations of some students.

 

He said that everyone is different and if you can't do a "ie. Roundhouse kick" for whatever reasons, then kick to a level that you can. As long as you are executing the kick right there will be somewhere on the body you can hit, even if its not as high.

 

Another color belt in my class said in another city a Kenpo ins did his best for a student in his class that had a physical disability, and helped cater to that student by altering the way she could do some things.

 

Nice thing with the American Kenpo Karate system is they study many things, and WHATif's. So you learn one thing and alter it accordingly to the situation. After all its common knowledge that you are not going to be attacked "if you ever are" the way you train for all the time.

 

So I think you will do just fine in the Karate system. thats the schools I have heard info on anyhow. Everyone has a different body type, thus they are going to execute things differently.