# Karate Class Choices



## RobBnTX (Jan 1, 2016)

I think I might be interested in taking a Karate class.  Most recently I took some Taekwondo from Master Gregg Tubbs and it is a very good class and he is a first rate instructor/coach but having just turned 59 I may want to find something a little more balanced that don't involve all the crazy kicks.

My work situation got really crazy busy late 2015 and I have not worked out in over 2 months so that has given me some time to reevaluate what I want in a martial art.

The truth be known Gracie Jiu Jitsu really perks my interest and in August of this past year I did take  a couple of trial classes and walked away a little bruised but very impressed with fitness level of the practitioners and the quality of the instruction, it was just very very expensive!  I would almost have to take out a personal loan just to afford it!

I am also looking at some local Karate classes but having a hard time deciding.  Two of these choices are a Wado-Ryu and Isshinryu, both arts I have always thought would be a good fit for me.

However in the Wado-Ryu class they have in my view some class rules and protocols that just seem weird to me.  One is that your "obi is the essence of your training" and should never be washed and not ever touch the floor.  I remember reading Rob Redman who trained in Japan for awhile and having been admonished by his Japanese instructor for having a dirty belt and that the idea that it never gets washed is not something you really find in Japan.  So maybe the Wado-Ryu class is trying to out Japanese the Japanese?  Another thing is that they have a belt tying ceremony in which you kneel down and do several stations where you do various stages of tying the belt!  

One other thing they have that is sort of a turn off for me is that even for adults part of you belt tests are book reports!  If I had more time I would not mind but I simply do not have that sort of time with my current job.  They also require that you work on your belt requirements outside of regular class time and it is up to you find an upper belt level student to help you work on those requirements.

They also are very expensive unless you do a "commitment" and the longer the commitment the lower the monthly price gets.  To me that is a big red flag.

The other option is the Isshinryu school which last year I did 3 or 4 trial classes with them.  They are a branch dojo of their hombu and you only get promoted when you attend their 3 times per year shiais and last year those usually coincided with weekends that I was working.  In Taekwondo I usually end the class drenched in sweat after a very cardio workout.  After my workouts in the Isshinryu class I barely even broke a sweat!  They are very affordable though.  One other turn off is that the class is both adults and children although I have to admit they do a good job of separating them during the instructions and drills.

Their Isshinryu classes are Mon, Thurs. and Saturdays.  The Monday and Thursday classes are at 
 7 PM and usually I would not be able to make most of those on Mondays although Thursdays usually would not be a problem.

The Wado-Ryu class however is Mon-Thurs so I would have more options during the week to attend class.  The Wado-ryu class is a first rate dojo with a floor imported from Japan that has springs built in under the wooden floor slats and they have shower facilities.

So am I being too picky? Should I just get my gi on, suck it up and hit the dojo floor and simply train?  I am undecided.

One last option is Shotokan Karate but I have never thought Shotokan is as good a fit for me as the previous two options.  Don't ask me why, I just don't.  I have trained with Sensei Brad Webb before and his class is very affordable and within a 30 minute drive of my house.  The class meets in a rec center and they train on a tiled concrete floor which is not exactly real kind to my aging joints but that alone is not enough to deter me, it is that Shotokan is very rigid and demanding and I think I would prefer to find something a little more fluid.  Still my common sense and pocket book tells me that should be my #1 choice.

Oh yeah one other choice is Judo which I have never done in the past but really intrigues me.  However everyone keeps telling me that at my age I would be better off doing BJJ instead as Judo can be brutal on us older folks.  I think a trial lesson may be in order though so I can find out on my own whether it would be for me or not.  The thing is though I want something I can still be doing at 80 and I don't think BJJ and Judo is something you can do forever, especially on your own as you need training partners and I can do Karate katas on my own as long as I can walk on my own two feet.

I should also mention that I have trained in EBMAS Win Chun but never felt at home in it.  Maybe I did not give it enough time but the concepts just seemed strange and I never understood them but it is a fluid martial art and that something I am seeking.

Karate Classes in Plano - Plano Kids Karate - Plano Adult Karate - Martial Arts in Plano - Self Defense - Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai

Welcome to Academy of Classical Karate-do

Judo at Eastside Dojo in Plano | Martial Arts | Tae Kwon Do | Karate Texas


Thank you for any input,
Robert


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## Tez3 (Jan 1, 2016)

That Wado class isn't representative of Wado Ryu, it sounds as if an instructor or two has got some strange ideas. It's a shame because Wado is a brilliant style and would be a good fit for you as you are a tad older, ( younger than me though lol) I'm wondering if they keep to the syllabus. I admit I hate it when people mess Wado around and make it a laughing stock.


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## Touch Of Death (Jan 1, 2016)

Ok here is the deal. You can buy more belts, and only wear them on special occasions. It isn't that big of a hurdle. LOL


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## Buka (Jan 1, 2016)

Hi Robert,
You did your research, nice job. From reading your post (twice, actually) it seems finances and time should be the first factors in making a choice. In a perfect world, we would all train anytime and anywhere, but in reality we are all part of the "Good Intentions Paving Company".

As for the rules and protocols you mentioned - every place is run differently, he who owns the dojo makes da' rules. If you don't feel comfortable with what you saw, that probably should be a factor as well. 

I looked at the links you provided, went through all the parts of them. I'd seriously consider the Judo dojo. Go in and talk to them about your concerns about being an old fart.  As for the folks that told you about Judo being brutal for us older folks, hell, brother, everything is brutal for us older folks. Looking at the Instructors on their page, there's some vintage there, I'd go talk to them.


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## RobBnTX (Jan 1, 2016)

I appreciate the responses so far.

Tez - Yes I really wanted to like this Wado-Ryu dojo but just cannot get past some of their rules and rank requirements in my mind and I just wonder if I am being too particular in my old age. Oh well, that is on me.  They are not just some fly by night organization though, they were under Professor Tatsuo Suzuki until his death and they are a member school in the Wado International Karate-Do Federation (WIKF).

Burka, loved your response!  Thank you for your sound advice and thank you for your time to look thru the school Websites I posted.

If interested here are links to Master Gregg Tubbs' Taekwondo school, the EBMAS Wing Chun school, and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu school as I mentioned these schools as well in my original post.

GT Sport Taekwondo Martial Arts

Plano Wing Chun and Escrima for Self-Defense

Gracie Gym - Kids Jiu Jitsu Classes - Plano, Texas

Thanks again for any input,
Robert


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## Tez3 (Jan 1, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> I appreciate the responses so far.
> 
> Tez - Yes I really wanted to like this Wado-Ryu dojo but just cannot get past some of their rules and rank requirements in my mind and I just wonder if I am being too particular in my old age. Oh well, that is on me.  They are not just some fly by night organization though, they were under Professor Tatsuo Suzuki until his death and they are a member school in the Wado International Karate-Do Federation (WIKF).
> 
> ...



They certainly aren't a fly by night place are they, must be an idiosyncrasy of the chief instructor I imagine, I could probably get over the belt stuff now but as a beginner I think it would annoy me, such a shame. The shorter stances and less stressful on the body techniques are much more 'older' person friendly ( as well as better for smaller people)


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 1, 2016)

Isshinryu, but I'm biased. I can't speak for the dojo, but the style is well-suited for guys like us. I don't Iike the idea of mandatory Shias or tournaments, etc. Just me, I guess.


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## drop bear (Jan 1, 2016)

Open up the phone book and start doing trial lessons. Dont limit yourself to just karate.  Try every thing.


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## RTKDCMB (Jan 2, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> Most recently I took some Taekwondo from Master Gregg Tubbs and it is a very good class and he is a first rate instructor/coach but having just turned 59 I may want to find something a little more balanced that don't involve all the crazy kicks.


I can't speak for that particular school but, speaking for Taekwondo in general, you don't have to do all those fancy kicks to do Taekwondo. Any instructor worth his salt will be happy to modify the training to suit students with different capabilities.


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## Tez3 (Jan 2, 2016)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I don't Iike the idea of mandatory Shias



What do they consist of? I don't think I've come across that term before.


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## ballen0351 (Jan 2, 2016)

Tez3 said:


> What do they consist of? I don't think I've come across that term before.


they are a large gathering of all the schools in that branch of Isshin ryu.  Usually sparring, kata, and weapons competitions and grading.  The Isshin ryu group I have friends in have them twice a year spring and fall


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## Tez3 (Jan 2, 2016)

ballen0351 said:


> they are a large gathering of all the schools in that branch of Isshin ryu.  Usually sparring, kata, and weapons competitions and grading.  The Isshin ryu group I have friends in have them twice a year spring and fall



Cheers for that. It sounds really good but mandatory doesn't. I'm sure people will go if they can anyway?


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 2, 2016)

I don't mind going to some, especially if our small dojo is involved. However, like many adults who train, I have a job and family and a budget. Our Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame is annually held in TN in late July. I've gone once, it's nice. I'd love to go again. But we're talking time off work and expenses. The first time cost me $500+ all told. I was faced with a choice between that and spending time with my granddaughter in Texas. I chose family time.

In our dojo, that's not an issue. In others, it seems, it is. Not only as in expected to go, but making it mandatory for promotions, etc. Quite honestly, and with all due respect to my TKD friends, I see a lot of that in TKD. A fee for everything, mandatory tournaments and group trips, etc. No thanks.

Lately it has been popular for groups to go to Okinawa annually. That 5 or 6 thousand dollars for a week. No way. I love Okinawa, I lived there for a year in the Marines. I don't need to go there every year to get my karate improved.


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## Tez3 (Jan 2, 2016)

There's rarely a need to make things mandatory, you risk losing students altogether to my mind because as Bill says we have lives! I go to seminars with people I want to learn from or to train a specific technique. I love Iain Abernethy's seminars, I go to as many as I can. I like Rosi Sexton's which are for women MMAer's ( she did one for smaller people though where techniques were tweaked) open mats are great, weapons courses are good too. People will go to these if they can, family finances, work allowing, there's no need to make them compulsory, make them cheaper and more accessible.


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## RobBnTX (Jan 2, 2016)

Looking at their Website, it looks like that will have four Shiais this year which are all one day affairs and then they have a Gasshuku which is a three day event.

The owner and chief instructor is Soke Robert A. Kristensen who is in the Isshinryu Hall of Fame and serves as a board member.
Karate Class Instructors in Grapevine, Coppell, Denton, Denia Recreation Center, Granbury and Plano - Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai, 76051

I am going to start a new thread on a couple of their beginning katas that I have a question about.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 2, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> Looking at their Website, it looks like that will have four Shiais this year which are all one day affairs and then they have a Gasshuku which is a three day event.
> 
> The owner and chief instructor is Soke Robert A. Kristensen who is in the Isshinryu Hall of Fame and serves as a board member.
> Karate Class Instructors in Grapevine, Coppell, Denton, Denia Recreation Center, Granbury and Plano - Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai, 76051
> ...



I can help with Isshin-Ryu kata. Can't claim my understanding is correct or the same as theirs though. Treading lightly there.


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## RobBnTX (Jan 2, 2016)

Bill Mattocks said:


> I can help with Isshin-Ryu kata. Can't claim my understanding is correct or the same as theirs though. Treading lightly there.


Thank you sir!  Just posted the thread.


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## Buka (Jan 2, 2016)

In the nineteen sixties the television show, Star Trek, introduced a sci-fi creature called Tribbles. They were warm fuzzy creatures that reproduced at an incredible rate. Like captain Kirk shown below, soon you were up to your armpits in Tribbles, with no end in sight.







Some years later the Martial Arts world replaced the Tribble with their own version which reproduced at even a faster rate. They were called Halls of Fame.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 2, 2016)

Buka said:


> In the nineteen sixties the television show, Star Trek, introduced a sci-fi creature called Tribbles. They were warm fuzzy creatures that reproduced at an incredible rate. Like captain Kirk shown below, soon you were up to your armpits in Tribbles, with no end in sight.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame is genuine, the only one in all of Isshin-Ryu as far as I know. It does manage, somehow, to bring together the disparate Isshin-Ryu organizations for one event. It's worthwhile and legit, but travel ain't cheap.

And frankly, I get excellent training in my dojo. What I see in these events, we already do. I am very fortunate to train where I do.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 2, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> Thank you sir!  Just posted the thread.


 Don't call me sir. I work for a living.


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## Sojobo (Jan 4, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> However in the Wado-Ryu class they have in my view some class rules and protocols that just seem weird to me. One is that your "obi is the essence of your training" and should never be washed and not ever touch the floor.



Speaking as a Wado-ka... That sounds weird to me also!



RobBnTX said:


> Another thing is that they have a belt tying ceremony in which you kneel down and do several stations where you do various stages of tying the belt!



Also odd!

Despite its Koryu ancestry, Wado-ryu is a gendai art. It just seems that some school try over hard to make themselves appear more traditional and Japanese.

That said, if you can get past that and the Wado is good (as you say they are from the late Suzuki Sensei's WIKF) then it is a great system IMO.

The only thing I don't like about the WIKF is when they demo Tachi-dori or "sword taking" - again perhaps trying too hard.


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## pgsmith (Jan 5, 2016)

Here's my take from the perspective of a long time martial artist in the area ...

  I've heard good things about Mr. Kristensen's Isshin ryu karate, but have heard a few disparaging things about his desire to seek out accolades. I've never met him personally, so please bear that in mind that this is strictly second hand. Thought it was worth passing on though.

  I've heard good things from knowledgeable folks about the quality of training at the Plano Classical karate dojo, but again I've never met any of the instructors personally.

  Eastside dojo (formerly Dallas Judo before moving to Plano) has a really good reputation. Dallas Judo has had a reputation for excellent judo for a number of years.

  I don't know how interested you might be in it, but you might also consider Aikido. Sydney Shiba at  Plano Aikido  is a good guy with great Aikido skills.


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## RobBnTX (Jan 6, 2016)

pgsmith said:


> I've heard good things about Mr. Kristensen's Isshin ryu karate, but have heard a few disparaging things about his desire to seek out accolades. I've never met him personally, so please bear that in mind that this is strictly second hand. Thought it was worth passing on though.


Well you would not be the first person to tell me this.  I do have a lot of respect for the instructors that I have met from this school that teach here in the Plano dojo.



pgsmith said:


> I don't know how interested you might be in it, but you might also consider Aikido. Sydney Shiba at  Plano Aikido  is a good guy with great Aikido skills


Funny you should mention this, I just came across their Website a couple of days ago and it did perk my interest.  

I do want to take a trial class at Eastside dojo before I make any final decision but I am fairly sure of what I am going to do.  I will expand on that when I get more time, right now I am really rushed.

Thanks for all the feedback!

Robert


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## RobBnTX (Jan 7, 2016)

I want to back up a little on my remarks above about Soke Kristensen.  While it is true I have heard similar remarks about Soke Kristensen from two different martial arts instructors in two different conversations when discussing martial arts and martial artists in this area please note that both of these gentlemen also said they thought he was a very good martial artist and I have no doubt he is.  I know his instructors that I have met speak very highly of him.  I have also never met the man personally but hope to someday.


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## RobBnTX (Apr 8, 2016)

Well just in case anyone is still interested, I delayed making a final decision while I focused on other areas of my life but finally did sign up with a Shotokan dojo here in Plano that I am enjoying very much and the instructors are really great!  It is the Texas Association of Shotokan Karate located here in Plano under Renshi Lee McCurrach and Sensei Matthew Schampers.  Renshi McCurrach is from Great Britain and studied under both SKIF and KUGB instructors but says his Karate comes from Shiro Asano of the SKIF and and while we are not SKIF he teaches the SKIF syllabus.  The dojo also offers a Kobudo class that is seperate from the regular Karate classes.  I am very happy to have discovered this dojo and look forward to all the hard work and sweat I will put in here.


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## Tez3 (Apr 8, 2016)

RobBnTX said:


> Renshi McCurrach is from Great Britain



Cool that you found yourself a good place to train! Do you know who he used to train under or where he trained in the UK at all?


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## RobBnTX (Apr 8, 2016)

Tez3 said:


> Cool that you found yourself a good place to train! Do you know who he used to train under or where he trained in the UK at all?


I know that he trained under Ken Davies of the SKIF.  As I have only had brief( but very interesting)conversations with him so far all I can tell you that he is Scottish and that he also holds a black belt in Hapkido.  I do not know anything about the lineage of Sensei Matthew Schampers, except he also trained in Wado Ryu when he was very young,  but I am really impressed with his skill and technique, especially in kata.


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## RobBnTX (Apr 8, 2016)

Now that I have found a good dojo maybe I should humble myself and concentrate on my training and not so much Internet forums.  I don't mean to be rude but I probably will not be posting all that often but I really do appreciate all the helpful input on this thread however my inner voice is saying it is now time to just go train!


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## JR 137 (Apr 8, 2016)

Rest and recovery is just as important as training.  I'm pretty sure no one here is staying home from the dojo so they can post here more.  Posting is just something to keep us occupied between training sessions


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