Tai Chi and Shotokan.

[CheekyMusician]

I've been taking Shotokan karate for a year and I want to take up another martial art, and have already given a few a go. I've tried Aikido, kickboxing and TaeKwon Do. I enjoyed the Aikido, but felt the class wasn't very well run, and I'd wanted to add a grappling art to compliment my karate, but did a bit of research and there is only one dodgy sounding judo school in the area, and no other grappling places.

 

I found a Tai Chi school and I'm in the process of making enquiries there, but do you think Tai Chi and Shotokan are compatible, especially considering the length of time I've spend in Shotokan is quite short?

 

Any advice is appreciated.

[Pacificshore]

Cheeky,

 

I'd say the combination is yin and yang for sure . With a year in Shotokan, you have a good understand of the basics. With Tai chi, you will have to work at having your movements become softer, more fluid/flowing like . Plus with Tai chi, you will learn how to breathe(sp) through your movements which will keep you centered, and this should help you in Shotokan.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

PS

[G95champ]

Shotokan mixes well with most arts because it is very well rounded.

[JohnnyS]

I know that shotokan master Kanazawa used to also train in Tai Chi and thought it an excellent complimentary art.

[Valithor]

Where there's a will there's a way..

 

:D:D

[LordBucket]

>I found a Tai Chi school and I'm in the process of making enquiries >there, but do you think Tai Chi and Shotokan are compatible

 

Which form of Tai Chi? The Yang form is probably compatible enough. The shoulder and hip alignments will be very similar. The stances are a bit different, but at least you'll never have to deal with hearing 'your stances are too low' one day, and then 'you're stances aren't deep enough' the next.

 

You might find, actually, that given your experience in Shotokan, you may not even find yourself feeling like Tai Chi is a 'martial' art.

 

 

 

>especially considering the length of time I've spend in

 

>Shotokan is quite short?

 

A year is ok, I think. Shotokan was my first style, and I did it for three years before trying anything else. When I did, I moved to a mixed hard/soft kempo...and was the source of a great deal of amusement for my instructor was the first six months because I was so accustomed to doing everything in the Shotokan, hard, solid, rythmic drumbeat fasion. With only one year, you might have an easier time adapting than I did.

 

Are you planning or switching completely, or taking both concurrently? Either is fine, but just understand that if you do both at the same time you may have to pay a lot of attention to habits that each style teaches you which are exactly in opposition to the habits the other style encourages.

 

Bucket Man

 

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http://www.freewebs.com/ocmartialarts

[CheekyMusician]

A year is ok, I think. Shotokan was my first style, and I did it for three years before trying anything else. When I did, I moved to a mixed hard/soft kempo...and was the source of a great deal of amusement for my instructor was the first six months because I was so accustomed to doing everything in the Shotokan, hard, solid, rythmic drumbeat fasion. With only one year, you might have an easier time adapting than I did.

 

Are you planning or switching completely, or taking both concurrently? Either is fine, but just understand that if you do both at the same time you may have to pay a lot of attention to habits that each style teaches you which are exactly in opposition to the habits the other style encourages.

 

Bucket Man

 

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http://www.freewebs.com/ocmartialarts

 

I'm planning on studying both arts at the same time. I'm not yet sure what style of Tai Chi it is, I've still to visit the school and ask a few questions.

 

Thanks for the advice you guys

[telsun]

Hey Cheeky

 

I have forgotten why you said you wish to train in 2 styles. It was due to the Shotokan class not being regular enough wasn't it?

 

Anyhow. I'm afraid that I disagree with most of the other posts. Yes shotokan and tai chi will compliment each other but I think that you need a deep understanding of one for the other to compliment it. You will understand soft (tai chi) but will not appreciate it's value. So in respect of the arts complimenting each other yes I do agree. But studying them at the same time this early in your martial career will not benefit you as a martial artist, as much as it would if you had a strong foundation in one of the arts.

 

A bit controversial, but it is just my opinion................

[CheekyMusician]

Hey Cheeky

 

I have forgotten why you said you wish to train in 2 styles. It was due to the Shotokan class not being regular enough wasn't it?

 

Well my karate class is pretty regular (they train almost every day of the week), it just happens that the training sessions either overlap with other things I do (that I would like to give up so I could train more at karate, but can't), or take place in another town that I couldn't really get to.

Anyhow. I'm afraid that I disagree with most of the other posts. Yes shotokan and tai chi will compliment each other but I think that you need a deep understanding of one for the other to compliment it. You will understand soft (tai chi) but will not appreciate it's value. So in respect of the arts complimenting each other yes I do agree. But studying them at the same time this early in your martial career will not benefit you as a martial artist, as much as it would if you had a strong foundation in one of the arts.

 

A bit controversial, but it is just my opinion................

 

All advice is good advice. I worry that its too soon in my Shotokan training, too, but I do want to spend more time in the week training in the martial arts, and I can't train in karate any more days. One minute I find myself thinking that I should wait a little longer, and the next I find myself trying to convince myself that I should just jump right in there. I keep thinking back to when I was a kid and had started learning music. I started learning piano at 6 and I enjoyed it, but wanted to learn guitar. Finally, after studying piano for a year my mum reluctantly let me start guitar, and I'm so glad she did. It turned out that guitar was what I really had a bit more of a natural talent for, and was something I enjoyed so much more. I feel that if I'd left it for a few more years and just stuck at the piano, I'd probably regret it now as I wouldn't be so experienced at my guitar. Starting guitar just opened new doors to me, musically, and I'm hoping that Tai Chi would do the same thing for me in my martial arts.

 

I don't know, though. I suppose I'll visit the class, speak to the instructor, watch a class or two and then decide for certain what I'm going to do.

[Treebranch]

Find a legitimate Koryu Bujutsu school, that has some killer fighting arts in it. It's basically old Jujutsu, it's awesome stuff. All Japanese MA's came from this stuff during the warring states period of Japan, this stuff is very effective.