Okinawain styles vs. Japanese

[fireka]

everyone, its the moment youv'e been waiting for!

 

ive wanted to post this for a long time. Lets watch now as these two nations go head to head in the debate to end all debates (or, more likely, to string like, thirty new ones!) who do you think is more effective in tournament, defense, ground tactics, stance, power, speed, ect. ect. The world influenced, survivalist motivated Island styleings of Okinawa, or the hard hitting, competetive, fighting styles of the Japanese mainlands! you be the judge!

 

all styles, final set, ready go!

[Radok]

This has been posted before. That said, I think Okinawan styles would beat Japanese styles because they flow better and make combinations. More grappling too.

[karate_woman]

This has been posted before. That said, I think Okinawan styles would beat Japanese styles because they flow better and make combinations. More grappling too.

I wouldn't agree with that, but my experience of Japanese vs Okinawan has been from within the same style - Okinawan Goju and Japanese Goju. The bunkai is the same for both styles. I noticed the Japanese stances were longer and deeper and that the hand movements weren't as large in the Okinawan version. Also, the Japanese versions seemed to be...more flowery...than the Okinawan, with the bunkai more obvious to the casual observer. Whether there is more grappling and throwing or less depends entirely on the school itself and not really the style.

[Kirves]

This is stereotyping, as both have exceptions, but what the neck, let's shoot! Okinawan styles focus on kata bunkai. To them, kata is the focus of their training and when others are sparring, they are drilling self defence tactics from their katas. Japanese guys took karate to schools and military, effectively creating a large base of people who know how to kick and strike, and this started to turn their focus on tournament sparring. Many people in Japan never actually studied the kata that deeply, as they first learned a diluted school version of the art, only desiring to do some kicking and punching.

 

So most of Japanese styles are sparring based, and most of Okinawan styles are bunkai based. But both have their exceptions to the rule.

[Kirves]

my experience of Japanese vs Okinawan has been from within the same style - Okinawan Goju and Japanese Goju.

 

With all due respect, comparing these two is not that good an example, because they aren't really that much of different styles, Japanese Goju was formed more because of a drift from the Okinawan instructors than any technical renovations (which though happened too).

 

What I meant with my response earlier was that the completely new styles founded on the mainland, like Shotokan or Kyokushinkai. And compare them to the Okinawan styles like Seibukan.

[karate_woman]

my experience of Japanese vs Okinawan has been from within the same style - Okinawan Goju and Japanese Goju.

 

With all due respect, comparing these two is not that good an example, because they aren't really that much of different styles, Japanese Goju was formed more because of a drift from the Okinawan instructors than any technical renovations (which though happened too).

 

What I meant with my response earlier was that the completely new styles founded on the mainland, like Shotokan or Kyokushinkai. And compare them to the Okinawan styles like Seibukan.

 

Yes, well that is why I specified my particular experience, so it would be taken in context. I felt it was relevant only to show how one particular style was influenced by the transition to Japan.

[Sho-ju]

I love kyokushin but in general Okinawan kata and training makes a lot more sense to me.

[SaiFightsMS]

Don't forget they come from the same roots.

[hobbitbob]

Having done Wado and Shotokan, both japanese styles, and now Seibukan, an Okinawan style, I have to say that the similarites far outnumber the differences. Much of the "difference" probably stems from individual instructors, rather than from the styles themselves. Remember, many of the "innovations" to Japanese Karate were accepted or even pioneered by Okinawans!

 

Itosu Sensei (and Yabu,to a lesser extent) was responsible for the mass instruction techniques now commonly thought of as "Japanese." Miyagi and Mabuni both esperimented with protective gear and Jiyu Kumite formats. I think that positing a dichotomy of "Okinawan vs. Japanese" is a bit simplistic.

[Kirves]

Well, I would dare to say, the kata bunkai of Seibukan is from another world when compared to the bunkai of Shotokan. (I'm talking about the official bunkai - of course you can do the same bunkai from any style's kata, but we're discussing the official curricula of the styles)