# Reliable/Good Kyokushin Karate Dojo's in Palo Alto/Mountain View/Sunnyvale



## Hobberty (Feb 27, 2010)

I'm making an identical thread in MT section. I want to find some reliable ones to visit and see which I like more.
And not much to say, just as the topic says, reliable dojos for kyokushin.


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## Omar B (Feb 27, 2010)

http://www.kyokushin4life.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=138


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## Hobberty (Feb 27, 2010)

D:.
That list doesn't have any dojos near me at all.


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## Omar B (Feb 27, 2010)

In reply to your message

_In that link you sent me of Kyoukushin4life, is it only good dojos? Because my first experience of karate was a fail overpriced mcdojo, and I want to make sure I don't go to another.
Also, is that all the Kkarate places? Because there's none in my area on that link..._

I cannot comment on the quality of individual dojos because I've not been to them all, but if they are apart of the KK family one would hope they would keep their standards high or their showings at tournaments would reflect that.

No, that list does not represent all the KK dojos.  Just dojos who opted to have themselves listed there.  For a more complete listing you would have to look on the KK organization web sites.  

http://karatevideo.tv/en/content/links.html http://www.kyokushinkaikan.org/en/index.html http://www.masutatsuoyama.com/ http://www.uskyokushin.com/ http://american-kyokushin.com/ http://www.enshin.com/ http://www.ashihara.com/website/ http://www.worldoyama.com/ http://satodojo.wordpress.com/ and lastly, my own organization http://www.seido.com/


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## Hobberty (Feb 28, 2010)

I was thinking of going to this place listed on some kyokushin websites, (http://www.usoyama.com/index.html) and it says its Oyama Karate. Is that the same thing?


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## Omar B (Feb 28, 2010)

Yes.  It reflects a more literal 60's, 70's and early 80's version of the style.


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## Grenadier (Mar 1, 2010)

They are the real deal.  Oyama Shigeru trained directly under Oyama Masutatsu.  

Near my town, there's a school run by Oyama Yasuhiko, and they're from the same branch. Good, honorable folks. Even if I don't agree with Kyokushin Kai, I have the utmost of respect for them. 

I would expect the same from Lehner Sensei.


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## MilkManX (Mar 1, 2010)

For the most part yes. 

Even Kyokushinkai is broken up into different groups. What matters more is if you can learn from the Sensei there and if it is enjoyable.

Osu!


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## repz (Mar 1, 2010)

Like I said in my last post, its the same thing, but minor changes in katas, and some changes in the knee strike (as pointed out by my sensei). 

These are all pretty modern karate styles, so they have rights and ownerships to names and organisations, so I am assuming they dont have the freedom to use names like older martial arts like shotokan, goju ryu, because this is now a world with trademarks and lawsuits.


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## Hobberty (Mar 2, 2010)

Does Oyama Karate do point sparring?
Can you hit to the head?
Is it reliable for self defense? How reliable on a scale of 1-10?
Thanks.


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## Omar B (Mar 2, 2010)

Yet another thread with questions that could have been asked in one of the other 80 you've started!

_Does Oyama Karate do point sparring?  _No._
Can you hit to the head?  _Yes, but not in competition._
Is it reliable for self defense?  _Yes_
How reliable on a scale of 1-10?  _As reliable as you make it_.  _As always, it's the person not the art.


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## Hobberty (Mar 2, 2010)

Awesome.
Thanks.
I thought It did point sparring and couldn't hit to head.
/endthread.


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## repz (Mar 3, 2010)

Lol, you are posting alot about this.

Does Oyama Karate do point sparring?

They experimented with it before, in preparation for full contact knockdown. They stopped that and only focus on full contact knockdown now straight from white belt. You start with padded hands and shins, and eventually move to no pads at all. You should be sparring in every class, and each belt rank you should fight a number of people, black belt is 10 fighters (some schools like mines consider it a celebration, which means you fight the whole class, and they invite other oyama/ kyokushin schools to add to your "celebration"), and these matches arent light, they are hardcore no different then a knockdown karate tournament, to get color on your belt you need to earn it.

Can you hit to the head?

With a kick yes, no punches to the face. Both Kyokushin and Oyama started to impement "fight technique night", or "fight night", which is full contact with full padding with face punches added. They did this to take into account fist face punching, its usually one day a week.

Is it reliable for self defense? How reliable on a scale of 1-10?
Thanks. 

Yes, I have felt more confident, less stress management in bad situations, less fear in a confrontation (when i first time i took oyama, i returned recently) since we fought with light to no padding, and i wasnt scared to get hit, and already felt the pain of a full punch to my gutt with no padding and block kicks clocked at a bliding speed. Techniques are done on pads, and are unleashed on your partners, so you develop great power and speed as well as conditioning (you get your body murdered daily, my fists are cut up and my shoulder and chest feel like they are crying). Also, some schools teach kata bunkai for self defense, since this is still karate.

Like i said, try it out first. This isnt for everyone.


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## Hobberty (Mar 3, 2010)

Some people tell me if you take oyama or kyokushin karate that your block doesn't cover your face because you're not used to it, is that true?


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## repz (Mar 3, 2010)

We deflect punches aimed at the midsection and chest, we would do the same for a face punch considering its just a few inches upwards. Its sort of like a mid block but less movement and more of a deflection and twist, very similar to boxing since they somtimes cup a punch with their gloves, but in this case we deflect the forearm, wrist or hand.

Thats why many schools train "fight night", to address the lack of defense of hand punches. Fight night, or fight technique night, is effectively kickboxing.

Besides this, you perfrom the standard karate blocks in drills and three point sparring (depends on the school) with a partner. Which includes many blocks from shotokan and goju ryu, which very from many angles. Kyokushin does many techniques in drills that are not done in sparring, like for example knee side kick stomps, and face backfists to set up a sidekick.


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## repz (Mar 3, 2010)

Here is something to expect. This is a kyokushin sparring match done with one fighter having a camera strapped to his head to make it look like you are in the perspective of a kyokushin fighter, watch the knockdowns later in the clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRd1FXMCkLk&feature=player_embedded


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## jks9199 (Mar 4, 2010)

*Moderator Note:

Several closely related threads have been merged here.

jks9199
*


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## Omar B (Mar 4, 2010)

Good work mod.


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## Martin h (Mar 14, 2010)

World oyama karate is a breakaway group from Kyokushin. The split was for political reasons, and World oyama karate is very similar to kyokushin in style. Not identical as it reflects Shigeru Oyamas (no relation to Masutatsu Oyama who founded kyokushin) -and now his brother Yasuhiko as he has taken over the style- personal view on karate, but they are very close.
A few changes in kata (some katas added, a few other removed). A few modified details it techniques. A different order in which the techniques are taught.
In fighting, it is basically impossible to tell them apart.

The lack of headpunches (or rather lack of experience in defense against headpunches) is a problem in both Kyokushin and World Oyama, since punches and elbows to the head are forbidden in competition rules. 
You are supposed to train to fight outside of the formal competition rules, but many dojo´s neglect to do this and focus narrowly on what helps them in tournaments.

Here are a few good videos.
Kyokushin (the shin-kyokushin faction)
Complete fight:




Highlight





Highlight World Oyama karate.


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## PGadd (Mar 28, 2010)

I don't know about the Peninsula, but Tyrone Wah and Mariette Buck both either teach or taught in the east Bay.

FYI, I studied Kyokushinkai for about a decade back in the 60s and 70s.  My teacher was Jim Farrant, and his teacher, our Sensei, was Donald Buck.  And also FYI, I was at an "All-American" Kyokushinkai tournament in LA in the 70s.  Oyama himself was there, and I heard him say, in a room filled with all of the North American senseis, that there was only one other karateka in the room that understood karate, and that person was Don Buck.  That should establish sensei Buck's credentials!  And Farrant got me his autograph!

Anyway, Sensei Buck married Mariette.  She was teaching in Lafayette for a while, but I have no idea if she still is.  One of her students was Tyrone Wah.  He is or was teaching in the Lafayette/Pleasant Hill area.

If that is too far for you, sensei Buck's son, Don Jr, was involved with the Goju Kai National Headquarters in SF.  I believe the address was 97 Collingwood, but that was several decades ago.

I hope this helps.  OSU!


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