shotokan vs kyokushin for short stalky power based fighter

[chrisw08]

Im 5 8 would idealy weight 160 to 170 with alot of muscle based on bodyweight training. My signiture workout pullups with weight vest for extreme power. My hands are small but im fast at punching and my feet are bigger 11 half wide size but my feet and knees are naturaly at 45 so when i stand straight my feet naturaly curve at 45 when standing upright which effects my stabilty but it seems like i have more power. This might compliment shotokan but i dont know. People will probly say im more aplical for kyokushin because im shorter with smaller fast hands but i dont like to get hit. I want to fight statigicaly like lyota machida but im not tall and dont know if i could pull it off being short and stocky. My ultimate goal is to do an mma fight and win.

They say kyokushin is more combat based and shotokan more kata based and they say shotokan is better for katas but not fighting but im not going to class so it not like im training with a partner and kyokushin is a pretty extreme spsrring style so they both might be equal if you do it by yourself.

The kyokushin ones look very simple and easy to learn but since ill mainly be doing kata a dont know if i want simple or complex since ill be learning on my own and cant get specific detail which i plan on visiting a dojo of either to show moves and ask advice on my tech. I like shotokan but seem strong in kyokoshin but dont like getting hit please give as much advice as you can.

Im a green belt in shorin ryu kenshinkan karate but its more self defence based

[pers]

Good luck in whichever style or school you choose .

My advice would be rather than looking which style to choose look around your area and find the best teacher in which ever style he or she happen to teach.

standards vary a lot in martial arts , to pick a genuinely a top martial art instructor is like a lottery depending where you live .

The concept of shotokan is to avoid getting hit and hit back ,regardless of your size ,fast hands like you have and fast body evasion and movements produce power ,speed is power ,economy of motion meaning finding the shortest route to your target and learning the technique to get there most efficiently means less time to get there ,it definitely suits a smaller person to win against a much bigger person .

shotokan emphasise a lot in the beginning on correct stance and posture and correct form ,all those stepping front punch oie zuki ,like the three consecutive ones in kihon kata or hian shodan .

Once these become like second nature and in correct form then it will pay off later in your career , add timing and distance and strategy to all of that .

I am sure other styles would also teach this or emphasise on other issues more .

this is my experience of karate and shotokan only , I have seen many great kyukoshin and other styles karatekas .

that is why I recommend you look for the best teacher you can find in your vicinity. Dont just fall for the style they teach but how well they can teach .

Can they teach and have the knowledge and ability to teach kyukoshin or shotokan or whatever ?

If so grab the chance with both hands.

[JR 137]

Let's just say kyokushin was an inherently better art (for the record, no art is inherently better than any other). Would you rather...

A horrible teacher in a better art

A great teacher in an art that's not as good, but can be pretty effective

A great teacher who has mostly kids for students

A mediocre teacher who has students that can challenge you

The list goes on and on.

Visit a bunch of schools and decide which one fits you best. The teacher and his/her teaching, the atmosphere of the dojo, the students' physical abilities, the class times available to you, and on and on.

The best art is the one that checks off the most boxes on your list of priorities.

[AlbanyDude]

Don't worry about being short. I take Kyokushin, and like many styles we're not allowed to punch to the head. That makes sparring with someone shorter difficult, since I have to reach down and out to hit, putting myself in harm's way to do so.

[JR 137]

Don't worry about being short. I take Kyokushin, and like many styles we're not allowed to punch to the head. That makes sparring with someone shorter difficult, since I have to reach down and out to hit, putting myself in harm's way to do so.

Where do you study kyokushin? The Castleton dojo? I study Seido in East Greenbush/Defreestville.

[bushido_man96]

If you don't like to get hit, then I don't know why you'd want to try compete in an MMA fight. If an MMA fight is your goal, then I think a good Kyokushin school would put you on a straighter path to your goal than a kata-based Shotokan school would.

But, there might be a Shotokan school in your area that does some good fight training, too. You would just need to do your homework on the schools available to you, and see where it gets you.

[sensei8]

If you don't like to get hit, then I don't know why you'd want to try compete in an MMA fight. If an MMA fight is your goal, then I think a good Kyokushin school would put you on a straighter path to your goal than a kata-based Shotokan school would.

But, there might be a Shotokan school in your area that does some good fight training, too. You would just need to do your homework on the schools available to you, and see where it gets you.

Solid post!!

Don't want to get hit...THEN DON'T BE THERE!! Don't want to get hit...THEN HIT THEM FIRST!! Don't want to get hit...THEN LEARN HOW TO DEFLECT/BLOCK!! Don't want to get hit...THEN RUN FASTER THAN THEM!!

[AlbanyDude]

Don't worry about being short. I take Kyokushin, and like many styles we're not allowed to punch to the head. That makes sparring with someone shorter difficult, since I have to reach down and out to hit, putting myself in harm's way to do so.

Where do you study kyokushin? The Castleton dojo? I study Seido in East Greenbush/Defreestville.

OSU!

Yup, that's the place. Our respective dojos are pretty close!

[sensei8]

Don't worry about being short. I take Kyokushin, and like many styles we're not allowed to punch to the head. That makes sparring with someone shorter difficult, since I have to reach down and out to hit, putting myself in harm's way to do so.

Where do you study kyokushin? The Castleton dojo? I study Seido in East Greenbush/Defreestville.

OSU!

Yup, that's the place. Our respective dojos are pretty close!

Hopefully, you both can train together; that'd be cool!!

[JR 137]

Don't worry about being short. I take Kyokushin, and like many styles we're not allowed to punch to the head. That makes sparring with someone shorter difficult, since I have to reach down and out to hit, putting myself in harm's way to do so.

Where do you study kyokushin? The Castleton dojo? I study Seido in East Greenbush/Defreestville.

OSU!

Yup, that's the place. Our respective dojos are pretty close!

I just started up 3 months ago after a 14 year hiatus. Your dojo and the one I joined were my top 2 dojos to visit when I was looking around. I heard some very good things about your dojo from some people who's opinion I highly respect. Sadly, I didn't even visit yours because I couldn't make any of the Kyokushin adult class times. You're something like Mon, Tues, Thurs 7:30-8:30. The days and/or times your dojo is open are the days I can't train. I figure why visit it and risk falling in love with it if I have no chance in enrolling. If I can't even get to visit during one of your class times, there's no way I can train.

It's all good though. I found the perfect fit for me where I am. Couldn't be much happier. I really would have loved to mix it up kyokushin-style on a regular basis though.

OSU!