Whats wrong with Shotokan Karate

[Mr. Jones]

What exactly is wrong with it. On the poll which style do you like to pick on Shotokan was on it, but I don't know why. I looked it up on wikipedia and found something. Is this why some of you like to pick on it?

Today, Shotokan remains a very popular style worldwide despite internal scandals, political infighting, and outright profiteering by some Japanese "masters". These have marred the modern practice for some karate adherents and splintered Shotokan into several factions which claim to be teaching "real" Shotokan.

[CanucKyokushin]

No.Just about every style has its share of infighting.If you ask anyone who has praticed this style you will get different opinions on it.

But the main problem while it was the basis for Kyokushin karate .Much of what you find in Shotokan can be found today in Kyokushin.

That's where the similarity ends between both styles.Once both styles were tought in realistic contact fighting.Today Shotokan has not evolved.If anything it has returned to a 'stay safe' mode of instruction to its students.

Shotokan Karate competes in mostly point-sparring.While Kyokushin has Open-Karate Weight tournaments.

[Cullion]

I thought Shotokan was actually designed as a form of 'safe' PT for Okinawan school children by Funakoshi ? Whereas the core of Kyokushin was that it was all about learning to fight.

[CanucKyokushin]

The chirldren part I have no idea.But later on in the 40's and 50's in was thought to adults in regular dojo's on the mailand of Japan aswell as in Universities as a martial art.And from reading history of it and other masters Bio's it was one tough style once.

[Cullion]

Funakoshi may have provided a hard workout, but I think he was completely opposed to free sparring and hard contact between students. AIUI, his son wanted to make it a fighting art again, but died too young to see it through.

I've also read that Ohtsuka (Koryu JJ high grade who studied under Funakoshi) who founded Wado Ryu was actually quite skilled, and once stepped in to save Funakoshi from a pasting by an Okinawan called Motobu. Apparently certain Wado lineages still spar pretty hard (at least once a certain grade is reached).

I did shotokan to purple belt and never saw anything other than super-light-contact point sparring. I went to a couple of shotokan tournaments in my teens and there was only point
sparring. Maybe I was just in a sucky organisation.

[Cormoran]

I don't know about other dojo's but we certainly don't do any of the touchy feely safe stuff at ours.

I remember when i first started there i asked my mate if i needed my gloves and shin pads, he replied i COULD take them, but the other guys would then have something to laugh at.

When we spar, depending on who we spar with it goes from medium contact to full contact. I've puked up half way through sparring from a few really nice whacks (yaaay, now i can't get my sensei to stop talking about my technicolour kiai's)

I'd really like to see how other shotokan dojo's do their training, if it's as bad as all that point sparring stuff then i'm definately in the right dojo. i'm no fan of point sparring, i managed to beat a huge maori bloke in point sparring once, this guy was three times my size and weight, it would have been like trying to chop down an oak tree with a butter knife in normal sparring.

[Cullion]

How often do people injure their hands at your dojo ?

[Phrost]

Here's a reason.

http://bullshido.net/gallery/showpho...to/528/cat/523

[PO9]

q:Whats wrong with Shotokan Karate?

a: Karate IS kata.

[Cormoran]

How often do people injure their hands at your dojo ?

I havent come across any long term injuries yet. We'll always walk away bruised but we all know that an injury can only be detrimental to training.

The Sensei damn near had a heart attack when he heard the black belt in the class decided he was going to do a break with his previously broken hand.