The best karate style ?

[The Mad Hatter]

Wado-ryu-karate.com (http://www.wado-ryu-karate.com/Wado_Kata.html)

Wado Kata videos (http://members.tripod.com/wadoryukata/kata_video.htm)

Maybe I stumbled across two bad representations, but both seem to have a lot of pictures and videos of the katas found in Wado in which the practicioners are in some pretty deep and "rooting" stances that seem to limit their mobility. What they are doing in these videos does look quite a lot like what the guy who cames to train with us does.

Granted, in the defense of Wado, it seems as if there is less of these stances than I had initially thought, but in my viewing, it seems like there are more wide and deep ones than there are natural ones.

[j416to]

Originally posted by Feryk
Sorry, no website. Not that interested in advertising, I guess. Location, Edmonton, Alberta.

Are you associated with Shintani's Federation?

[sherekahn]

Hate to rehash some of the same opinions, but it really does come down to the instructor and the practice. Pretty much all of the traditional okinawan and japanese styles have basic, practical elements and if the right instructor teaches, and the right students train, pretty much all of them will produce a good fighter. I will also fully concede that one major place any traditional style I have seen is lacking is in grappling/ground work in general. It was actually here that I started to seriously look at the other side of the coin on that area and now I fear I am joining the cool kids in looking into a BJJ school here as I start up training again seriously.

Back to the karate side, I can only comment on my experience with Goju. My instructor was a direct student of Urban, and when I first started training I was almost in shock with the psycho-style brutality of the conditioning and training. But in retrospect, after a couple years anytime I sparred I got to hear the same comments about how my blocks hurt and that I was "hitting too hard". Not trying to be macho on the whole thing, it's just a side effect of training with people who damaged you every session and expected the same in return. I guess that's why Kyokushin gets such a great reputation since that is a common theme in their training methods (conditioning extensively and full contact sparring). As I said though, you can take any style and train it poorly and have weak and ineffectual fighters, whereas pretty much any style that goes for effectiveness and conditioning will inevitably produce good fighters.

As for best style, I can't comment. I like Goju a lot. I also liked a lot of what I saw in Shito-ryu. I have never been fortunate to see or spar with Isshin, Wado, Uechi, or other styles (see in person that is), and the only Shotokan person I saw was the same one who complained I block too hard so I can't make a judgement on the style from that.

[JohnnyS]

I always thought that Okinawan Goju-Ryu was the best karate style I'd seen for self-defense. Learning how to push someone, footsweeps, some minor stand-up grappling, elbows, knees and headbutts as well as the usual stuff was great. It probably helped that I worked as a bouncer with my instructor, so the training was geared towards fighting, however all the instructors in that association were the same.
It didn't teach groundwork, but then BJJ doesn't teach stand-up striking either.

[Feryk]

Originally posted by The Mad Hatter
Wado-ryu-karate.com (http://www.wado-ryu-karate.com/Wado_Kata.html)

Wado Kata videos (http://members.tripod.com/wadoryukata/kata_video.htm)

Maybe I stumbled across two bad representations, but both seem to have a lot of pictures and videos of the katas found in Wado in which the practicioners are in some pretty deep and "rooting" stances that seem to limit their mobility. What they are doing in these videos does look quite a lot like what the guy who cames to train with us does.

Granted, in the defense of Wado, it seems as if there is less of these stances than I had initially thought, but in my viewing, it seems like there are more wide and deep ones than there are natural ones.

We do use the deeper stances in kata, but we don't when sparring. The point of the stances in kata is to work your legs, train your body and teach principles. If your guy is, I can see how it would limit his mobility.

[Freddy]

I use to train in wado myself. I took abit of goju too. The only value aspect of wado is its jujitsu elements. At least you can use that aspect for self defense. If someone choked you from behind a jujistu type response is alot better than what most other karate styles offers. As for striking we all ready know which "Bull" (as in like "ox") ass kicking style is good for that. I also dont see anything bad about Goju either (provided you have a good instructor of course.)

[McKickboxer]

What about Mugendo, which is known as a school of Karate, and was founded by some Wado BB who saw what a waste of time kata and blocks and all the other ghey stuff was. Thing is it looks just like FC style kickboxing...

[Ronin]

If I had to choose just one style it would be the Budo-kai system ( Kyokushin + judo).

[blankslate]

Originally posted by ronin69
If I had to choose just one style it would be the Budo-kai system ( Kyokushin + judo).

Link?

[Ronin]

Here you go:

http://www.jonbluming.com/

[blankslate]

Ronin, you are a true gentleman. Good to the core...except for the porn habit and that incident at Home Depot.

www.kyokushin-budokai.com

[johnbo]

Originally posted by ronin69
If I had to choose just one style it would be the Budo-kai system ( Kyokushin + judo).

[Freddy]

Not fair Budo Kai is a new style of karate. :mad:

:)