Kyokushin Karate

[_Simon_]

When I restarted training, a local Kyokushin school was at the top of my list. I had to be really honest with myself about things when I was contemplating it. At almost 39, I had to ask myself how long I’d be willing and able to put my body through that. I did it in during my first stint from 18-about 25. I came to the conclusion that I could maybe put myself through it for a good 5 years or so before I just got tired of the constant pounding on my body. The bare knuckle arts are great for someone in their late teens-mid 30s while their body still recovers relatively quickly, but you teach a point after that where you take longer and longer to bounce back.

I tested for shodan at 22 in a bare knuckle system. The test was about 5 hours nonstop, and ended with what’s basically a 20 man kumite. That test was on a Saturday, and I was in the dojo on Monday night for class. Had that been today at 42, I could get through it again, but I’d be out for at least a week (probably 2 weeks) trying to recover.

I just don’t need that anymore. Been there done that. It’s a great thing for when you’re young and can take it day in and day out. When you’ve already done that for a significant amount of time, I struggle to see the point. Where I train is full of people who’ve gone through that and still remember (and feel ) the lessons taught by it. We go hard enough in sparring to keep sharp, yet we’re not trying to keep each other from coming back the next day.

Karate is supposed to be a lifelong study, not exclusively a young guy’s thing.

All IMO.

Yeah I feel the same, and didn't even reach Shodan! (Can't believe you made it to training on Monday haha, crazy). Have watched enough black belt gradings and they are just on another level (gruelling nonstop grading, 40 man kumite with pretty much most fights being just relentless). I know it's meant to be that way, but yeah like you said, I had to be honest with myself. And yes karate being a lifelong thing is important to me.

Having experienced it, I got/learned what I needed to from it, and that will be with me for life. I still admire the heck out of it and love that style of training occasionally, but know it was time to move on. It's like everything else in life, if you listen deeply enough, you get what you needed out of stuff, and then the signs are there when to move on.

 

[JR 137]

Yeah I feel the same, and didn't even reach Shodan! (Can't believe you made it to training on Monday haha, crazy). Have watched enough black belt gradings and they are just on another level (gruelling nonstop grading, 40 man kumite with pretty much most fights being just relentless). I know it's meant to be that way, but yeah like you said, I had to be honest with myself. And yes karate being a lifelong thing is important to me.

Having experienced it, I got/learned what I needed to from it, and that will be with me for life. I still admire the heck out of it and love that style of training occasionally, but know it was time to move on. It's like everything else in life, if you listen deeply enough, you get what you needed out of stuff, and then the signs are there when to move on.

Well put.

As to training on Monday following the test, I was 22 years old and in pretty good shape. I was bruised up pretty good, mainly my arms from my elbow to my wrist looked like camouflage from all the bruising, and a few thigh bruises, but I was ok. I was pretty sore and tired on Monday, but at that age once you get up and moving, you feel good again.

And I was all excited to wear my shiny new belt That class was probably the most memorable classes - I go into my first black belts only class thinking I’m someone new. I very quickly and painfully realized that I was still just JR. Different belt color, but nothing else. I put black belt on such a high pedestal and chased it. Once I got it, I was like the dog who finally caught the car he’s been chasing every day for years. That whole “now what am I supposed to do with it?” look. In all fairness I wasn’t the only one. I saw most guys attending their first black belt class with the same reaction. Priceless.

 

[BigMotor]

It looks like a pretty good school of karate, and I like the thinking behind it. I don't see any point in training in a school that does not work, since I personally don't have any use for that.

An example of it working: The leg trap and punch at 10:38 in Slycer's video is a good technique, and it would win a fight, if it was used well.

 

[MetalBoar]

I train in Seido, so if you’ve got questions, fire away.

Good info in this thread! I do have a few questions if you don't mind.

Could you tell me what differences you've experienced between Seido and Kyokushin that makes the training in Seido more sustainable in the long run?

Does Seido typically include standing grappling or ground work or is it pretty exclusively taught as a striking art?

How about punching to the head?

Thanks!

 

[JR 137]

Seido is lighter contact than Kyokushin. We wear padding - head, hands, feet. Level of contact genuinely depends on the CI and who you’re sparring with. We’ve got a lot of people who were in Kyokushin and similar places previously. Some of us go hard, some go lighter. To quote my CI a few months ago: “I’ve got no problem with people going hard. It’s great to do that when you can. Just be sure your partner is willing and able to go just as hard and you’re under control.” There’s a few 3rd and 4th dans who let me go pretty hard with them. Then there’s another 3rd dan who was putting off knee replacement for a while, then just came back a few weeks ago after the surgery. Needless to say we’re cautious with her.

Seido came from Kyokushin. Our founder, Tadashi Nakamura, was sent here by Mas Oyama to bring Kyokushin to the US. Nakamura previously served as the chief instructor at Kyokushin honbu in Tokyo. Needless to say there are a lot of similarities.

I haven’t seen any ground fighting not much of what I’d genuinely call serious standing grappling. Not much head punching, although we will kick to the head (under control) and we definitely will tap at it when our hands are down. Sounds worse on paper than it actually is

I’ve heard good things about the Seattle dojo(s) (as there’s a few run by the same gentleman) and met one or two students at a tournament. Nice people and seemed pretty proficient. I’ve never been there, so I can’t say how things go day to day. Not every Seido dojo is the same. Some are filled with kids and a point fighting contingent. Others aren’t. There’s some dojos I wouldn’t be interested in, and others I’d love to join.

If you’re ok with not going bare knuckle and not grappling much, it’s definitely worth checking out. If you’re looking for those things specifically, you’re not going to find it.

Edit: Nakamura’s dojos have 2 or 3 judo seminars a year. There used to be a judo dojo next door to ours and the teachers and students who were interested used to go back and forth every now and then to work out together and cross train a bit. The guy next door moved to Vermont (about 2 hours away), but has come in a few times since. He hasn’t been there in the 3.5 years I’ve been there though.

I mention that because the Seattle dojo may do similar. I’ve heard others do too. It’s worth asking about if you visit.

 

[Yokozuna514]

Osu, I am new to this forum and am interested in Kyokushin topics. I've been training in Kyokushin for over 8 years and started quite late in life. Yes, Kyokushin is a 'hard' style but under the right guidance the body and mind adapts to the training. That being said, the student needs to put in the work especially if they are interested in pursuing knockdown. Like all martial arts, the more sweat you put into your training the more your body will be able to do what you ask of it.

 

[DaveB]

What is the difference you're suggesting here? To me if it's a form of karate where the practitioners train for full contact, that would make it full contact karate.

All martial arts intended for fighting/defence are based in the need to use techniques at full power and against full power. All martial arts are thus full contact martial arts.

Training for full contact tournaments is just a school's syllabus choice. All arts can train for full contact tournaments.

 

[Buka]

I’ve had some friends who were Kyokushin guys. They must have all been renagade scamps because they always punched me upside my head just as much as I did to them, which was a lot.