Giving up karate and taking up judo

[conrad665]

MatsuShinshii wrote

Why not try Kyokushin since it doesn't fall under the same classification? If I understood you right the whole paying to leave or transfer was in that classification, correct?

If so try it out and see if it suites you. Then you'll fill that empty time slot.

Right, I do not have to pay anything to my previous club now if I start kyokushin. I think I will start it next week before I get used to having a lot of free time

[Andebecouble1953]

judo is practically wrestling. I like Karate more

[Andebecouble1953]

I have no words for government control of people's recreational activities.

You have somewhat limited options within the structure you have to follow. All I can try to advise in your situation is that you seem to be starting a new style, so the payoff to your current organization seems to irrelevant. Unless the authorities definition of style limits itself to "karate" without considering shotokan, goju-ryu, kyokushin as different styles. I would look into how they define style. Do they group styles by family, Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Jujutsu, Jiu-jitsu, etc?

Being a government agency whose interest is largely financial, I bet they have their bases covered.

They indeed have a strange kind of classification of styles. Today I learned that kyokushin karate is under Federation of Budo, together with wushu and stuff, while other karate styles are grouped under the National Karate Federation.

I finally did it! I talked to my instructor and told him I will be off for a few months. I don't know I will ever return there. I also spoke to my new potential Sensei about my intention of joining his club. There has not been a part of my life without karate for the last 10 years, and now I will spend two weeks deciding what I really want to do. Now that I have plenty of free time, together with judo and iaido, I can even start... dancing? Gymnastics? Rugby? I feel kind of empty inside, I am not sure at this moment how I should go on with my pursuit of karate.

Why not try Kyokushin since it doesn't fall under the same classification? If I understood you right the whole paying to leave or transfer was in that classification, correct?

If so try it out and see if it suites you. Then you'll fill that empty time slot.

Right? Kyokushin all the way.

[conrad665]

I started Ashihara karate last week! It is a style similar to Kyokushin, I am told. Man, it is so much fun! For the first time in my life, I hit someone with a shuto uke and there are different techniques like shita zuki, which I never practiced before. We first do some combinations and then apply them step by step on an opponent right away. It is less like an "art", but much more practical than Shotokan, I should say. I still practice Shotokan kata when I have time, and I miss our training sessions. For now, however, I'll stick to Ashihara for a bit.

judo is practically wrestling. I like Karate more

Judo is a totally different world. it has been more than one year now since I started judo. The skin on my knuckles began to harden and I think I am getting used to the techniques. In the beginning, I really had problems because I was so much used to keeping my body straight and feet grounded on the tatami. You need to be soft and elastic-and open minded- to be able to perform good technique in judo. I think every martial artist should try out judo some time. Actually, judo and wrestling have quite different techniques, as my Sensei told me. For example, we never grab legs, and the main difference is the judogi.

[JR 137]

I started Ashihara karate last week! It is a style similar to Kyokushin, I am told. Man, it is so much fun! For the first time in my life, I hit someone with a shuto uke and there are different techniques like shita zuki, which I never practiced before. We first do some combinations and then apply them step by step on an opponent right away. It is less like an "art", but much more practical than Shotokan, I should say. I still practice Shotokan kata when I have time, and I miss our training sessions. For now, however, I'll stick to Ashihara for a bit.

judo is practically wrestling. I like Karate more

Judo is a totally different world. it has been more than one year now since I started judo. The skin on my knuckles began to harden and I think I am getting used to the techniques. In the beginning, I really had problems because I was so much used to keeping my body straight and feet grounded on the tatami. You need to be soft and elastic-and open minded- to be able to perform good technique in judo. I think every martial artist should try out judo some time. Actually, judo and wrestling have quite different techniques, as my Sensei told me. For example, we never grab legs, and the main difference is the judogi.

I have no personal experience with Ashihara, but I’ve done quite a bit of research. From everything I’ve seen, it’s a fantastic style that blends Kyokushin with Judo.

Hideyuki Ashihara was a top Kyokushin instructor in Japan. He may well have been the most sought out teacher outside of the Kyokushin honbu (headquarters), and a lot of the students at the honbu traveled to his dojo for his perspective. Ashihara favored circular movement and getting to the “blind spot” over the typical straight back and forth movement that Kyokushin was typically. He didn’t teach stand and pound like rock ‘em sock ‘em robots that a lot of Kyokushin teachers do.

He broke away from Kyokushin and formed his own style - Ashihara karate. He was a black belt in Judo as well, and he incorporated that into his system. He eliminated traditional kata and developed his own. His kata look far more like shadow kickboxing than traditional kata.

Joko Ninomiya was his top student for quite some time, even before Ashihara left Kyokushin. Ninomiya broke away from Ashihara and formed Enshin karate. From what I gather, Enshin and Ashihara are very similar. I think Enshin takes the Judo aspect further than Ashihara.

Neither schools are in my area.

[MatsuShinshii]

I started Ashihara karate last week! It is a style similar to Kyokushin, I am told. Man, it is so much fun! For the first time in my life, I hit someone with a shuto uke and there are different techniques like shita zuki, which I never practiced before. We first do some combinations and then apply them step by step on an opponent right away. It is less like an "art", but much more practical than Shotokan, I should say. I still practice Shotokan kata when I have time, and I miss our training sessions. For now, however, I'll stick to Ashihara for a bit.

judo is practically wrestling. I like Karate more

Judo is a totally different world. it has been more than one year now since I started judo. The skin on my knuckles began to harden and I think I am getting used to the techniques. In the beginning, I really had problems because I was so much used to keeping my body straight and feet grounded on the tatami. You need to be soft and elastic-and open minded- to be able to perform good technique in judo. I think every martial artist should try out judo some time. Actually, judo and wrestling have quite different techniques, as my Sensei told me. For example, we never grab legs, and the main difference is the judogi.

To the bold above. What about Morote Gari or Kuchiki Taoshi?

[MatsuShinshii]

I started Ashihara karate last week! It is a style similar to Kyokushin, I am told. Man, it is so much fun! For the first time in my life, I hit someone with a shuto uke and there are different techniques like shita zuki, which I never practiced before. We first do some combinations and then apply them step by step on an opponent right away. It is less like an "art", but much more practical than Shotokan, I should say. I still practice Shotokan kata when I have time, and I miss our training sessions. For now, however, I'll stick to Ashihara for a bit.

Congrats. I'm glad to hear you found something you like and can stick with. That's awesome.

[conrad665]

To the bold above. What about Morote Gari or Kuchiki Taoshi?

There are many techniques in judo that attack the legs directly, but they have been removed from the competitions, because they are too dangerous or wrestlers are just so good at them that they dominate judo championships (as I heard from Sensei). Therefore, we are not taught those techniques anymore.

[conrad665]

I have no personal experience with Ashihara, but I’ve done quite a bit of research. From everything I’ve seen, it’s a fantastic style that blends Kyokushin with Judo.

Hideyuki Ashihara was a top Kyokushin instructor in Japan. He may well have been the most sought out teacher outside of the Kyokushin honbu (headquarters), and a lot of the students at the honbu traveled to his dojo for his perspective. Ashihara favored circular movement and getting to the “blind spot” over the typical straight back and forth movement that Kyokushin was typically. He didn’t teach stand and pound like rock ‘em sock ‘em robots that a lot of Kyokushin teachers do.

He broke away from Kyokushin and formed his own style - Ashihara karate. He was a black belt in Judo as well, and he incorporated that into his system. He eliminated traditional kata and developed his own. His kata look far more like shadow kickboxing than traditional kata.

Joko Ninomiya was his top student for quite some time, even before Ashihara left Kyokushin. Ninomiya broke away from Ashihara and formed Enshin karate. From what I gather, Enshin and Ashihara are very similar. I think Enshin takes the Judo aspect further than Ashihara.

Neither schools are in my area.

Wow, thank you for the information, JR 137! Indeed, when I asked the instructor about the difference between the two styles, he gave me a similar reply; that is, in Kyokushin, the stronger one wins, but Ashihara depends more on tai sabaki and strategy. Some of its techniques somehow reminded me those of aikido. I haven't learned any kata yet, but have seen some practice them. They look like actual fight, contrary to the kata of Shotokan.

I have never heard of Enshin karate, but it sounds cool. I should do a little bit of research on it.

[MatsuShinshii]

To the bold above. What about Morote Gari or Kuchiki Taoshi?

There are many techniques in judo that attack the legs directly, but they have been removed from the competitions, because they are too dangerous or wrestlers are just so good at them that they dominate judo championships (as I heard from Sensei). Therefore, we are not taught those techniques anymore.

That’s a shame. I could maybe see removing them from competition but I don’t get removing efficiently viable techniques all together from the curriculum.