Karate-ka from Texas

[MatsumuraKarate]

New to the forum, thought I would provide a little bit of background. I have trained in traditional Okinawan karate for the past 11 years. I study Matsumura Seito Shorin Ryu Karate(SMOKA lineage)
and for a short period Uechi Ryu Karate(Kenyukai lineage)
My primary focus in my training is combat application through the study of kata and bunkai. I have taught both adult and children's classes in the past. I am to the point now where I wish to gather a small group of dedicated adults and train hard and efficiently.

 

[donald1]

Hello! Welcome to MT. Nice to see another karate practitioner

 

[MatsumuraKarate]

Thanks very much. What style do you study?

 

[Tez3]

Welcome to MT

 

[TSDTexan]

Welcome

 

[Dirty Dog]

Welcome to MartialTalk. Hope you enjoy it.


Sent from an old fashioned 300 baud acoustic modem by whistling into the handset. Not TapaTalk. Really.

 

[donald1]

Thanks very much. What style do you study?

Okinawan goju ryu

 

[TSDTexan]

Question for you MatsumuraKarate.

When does Karate stop being Karate? For example, if the art goes to another country and the language terms for everything changes but Kihon and Kata and Kumite remain the same. Or the philosophical values are dropped, changed, added or otherwise modified?

 

[MatsumuraKarate]

Well that would depend if you are practicing the Do or Jutsu aspect. My beliefs are somewhat tied to my Karate but I believe I practice a Jutsu not a Do. Language means nothing as far as I'm concerned. The technique and principles are Okinawan. So it is an Okinawan art. Now I do believe it can change. We have major differences in Okinawan karate versus Japanese Karate. Are both effective? Yes, but o don't feel the Japanese styles stay true to the Okinawan principles of combat. They are often times much less physical in the way they train and I believe it is an integral part of the Okinawan way of teaching and practicing.

 

[Chrisoro]

Welcome!

Question for you MatsumuraKarate.

When does Karate stop being Karate? For example, if the art goes to another country and the language terms for everything changes but Kihon and Kata and Kumite remain the same. Or the philosophical values are dropped, changed, added or otherwise modified?

My two cents. Well, considering that much of the karate that evolved in Okinawa had origins in China, I wouldn't worry too much about names. Myself, I practice a traditional form of Hapkido, which is in many ways closer to the Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu that the founder of Hapkido learned(in which our GM was a direct student under), than what is taught as Hapkido many places today. In our base curriculum (i.e. up to first degree black belt) we have a strong emphasis on practical locks, balance breaking and takedowns, while at the same time, we don't have any kind of fancy high kicks at all.

Still, I wouldn't dream of saying that what we train "really" is Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu, since my linage goes trough Choi Yung Sul, and he chose eventually(after using Yawara and Yusul, essentially Korean for Jujutsu) to call the evolution of what he had learned Hapkido, not Aiki-Jujutsu. Therefore, I train Hapkido.

At the same time, I consider Hapkido a korean variant of jujutsu, just as I consider Tang Soo Do and TaeKwonDo Korean variants of Karate, because they are evolutions of the art that went from china to okinawa, to japan(and where it first got the name Karate, which were eventually also accepted by the other schools of Te in Okinawa), and then it spread to Korea. So I consider Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo variants of Karate, but the names of the styles of Karate is Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo.

 

[sfs982000]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Welcome to MartialTalk!