NorthWest
Registered Member

I practiced it for about 10 years, getting to 3rd Dan just before I quit.
Initially it was great. We competed under WUKO rules, which allowed virtually full contact punches and kicks to the body, with controlled contact to the head. We did lots of sparring in the club, with pretty hard contact levels.
As time went on, the rulesets changed, limiting the amount of allowed contact. I also became more and more disinterested in kata.

Eventually, I got exposed to Muay Thai, which I started training in alongside karate. However it quickly became clear that my Karate training did not provide what I was looking for - harder sparring, harder contact, focus on fighting and a wider range of allowed techniques and ranges.

So, like any dissatisfied customer, I took my custom elsewhere, specifically the local Muay Thai club.

Hey, what was your experience with Shotokan Karate? You were saying you trained in that but ended up not being into it. That's the style I train right now and I was wondering what your experience was. Thanks.