Shotokan practitioners?
- Thread starter JasonASmith
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Sensei Tom O'Brien
Green Belt
I love Shotokan. My main style is Vee-Jitsu but I trained with Sensei Takahashi from Mt. Kisko, NY for about 2 yrs. & several of Sensei Miyazaki's black belts off & on for 36 yrs. now. I loved every minute of it. Shotokan is the best for basics & I'm sure you have heard this before but in order to build a good house you need a good foundation, Shotokan gives you that. The power, straightforwardness, the stances, gyaku zuki & yoko geri to kill. The Heian katas, Bassai dai. It is a great system I can't say enough about it.
Thanks,
Sensei Tom
Thanks,
Sensei Tom
OP
OP
JasonASmith
Black Belt
my fave kata is empi[/quote]
I've seen Empi, it's unique...
Thanks for the response...
I've seen Empi, it's unique...
Thanks for the response...
OP
OP
JasonASmith
Black Belt
Hello O'Brien Sensei, and thank you for that enthusiastic response!
Before I started delving deeper into this system(and this web-site) I thought that everyone disliked Shotokan, because many emphasize the sport aspect of it rather than the original aspect/s...I had gotten the "System that time and McDojos had destroyed" vibe from some of the websites that I visited prior to this one...
For me the things that I have grown to love are the blocking, the stances, and the directness of the system...Every block could be considered a strike, every stance trains your legs and hips to get that explosion of power, which leads into the "steamroller/mack truck" mentality that someone mentioned earlier...
I can't wait to get to the next class!
Boomer
Blue Belt
This is actually very close to what is true.
1st, let me introduce myself, I also study at Jason's dojo, and I'm very close with Sensei Gladfelter...
I had tried to sway Sensei to call his art Shotokai years ago, but it turns out he's not a huge Egami fan and didn't want to be associated with any group, be it JKA or Shotokai. The art we study is indeed what we call "Okinawan Shotokan", or as you have labelled it the "older version".
But there are a few hiccups...
We do the original 18 forms (not 17) and I think the one that was overlooked is Ten no Kata, which many confuse for basic kihon and not an actual kata. We also have an additional 8 shotokan kata that we do not show or teach below shodan. Being that they are more Okinawan than Japanese/ JKA style, they sometimes look similar, but are sometimes completely different. Our Gojushiho, for example, is completely different from the JKA version.
As far as being a mix of Shotokan and Silat....Sensei keeps them pretty far apart. Somehow we seem able to reap the benefits of both without "tainting" the other system's pedigree.
Bushi no Te.....is a catastrophe to explain. Bushi no Te became the parent organization for several groups of martial artists. The original group included Sifu Ernie Rothrock(Eagle Claw Gung Fu), Sensei Victor Smith (Okinawan Isshin Ryu), and Trsi Sutrisno (Shotokan, Tjimande).
About 12 years ago, there was a split, and things never got resolved, though the 3 remained on good terms in their personal relationships. Now Bushi no Te encompasses Bushi no Te Aikido of Pittsburg (Sensei Peter Whitehouse), Shotokan East (Sensei Don Gladfelter), varied silat practitioners, and the Bushi no Te honbu dojo in Weatherly, Pa. When Sensei Victor Smith left, he began calling his school "Bushi no Te Isshinryu", and he is a frequent guest instructor at our York dojo .
Geeze...I just realized I wrote a novel.....my apologies for rambling on...
OP
OP
JasonASmith
Black Belt
Thank you, Sempai...
I've been trying to figure out what was going on within the organization without actually coming out and bluntly asking, "What's going on?" Also, thank you for starting to clear up the Silat/Shotokan blend question...
twendkata71
Black Belt
It makes sense that someone closer to the source would have better information. Very interesting history.
Brown Belt
White Belt
Can a person of this forum look at my question in the Japanese martial arts-General forum in the thread titled Shotokan wrong idea? I printed it so well and I don't know how to copy it to this forum.
Sensei Tom O'Brien
Green Belt
Good stuff here. I love the combination of Vee-Jitsu, which is mostly ju-jitsu & Shotokan which is real hard style. I love Ten No Kata. Sensei Takahashi told me that many Sensei have stopped doing Ten No Kata but he still teaches it & so do I. It is great for basics.
Thanks,
Sensei Tom
Thanks,
Sensei Tom
twendkata71
Black Belt
I have seen Tennokata performed, but we were never taught it in out curriculum. I know several Shotokai stylist and they have told me that it is an essential part of their training.
karatekid1975
Master Black Belt
I just started Shotokan a few weeks ago. My Sensei is Steve Goodrich. We are JKA style Shotokan. I started Stotokan because my TKD dojang got way too expensive. My thoughts so far? Excellent! I fell in love with Shotokan because it is so similar to my first style (Tang Soo do) which did the same forms (I loved those forms). It's a traditional style dojo, and we train as such. It's perfect for me.
OP
OP
JasonASmith
Black Belt
Fantastic!
I am glad that you are enjoying your new path as much as myself and many others are...
Remember to keep those stances deep!(in the dojo, at least!)
karatekid1975
Master Black Belt
Yes, I was reminded of that last night. TKD (WTF) the stances are high. I was working on the heians (sp?) and sensei said lower my stances. Yikes! It hurt my bad knee, but in time, that will strengthen it. But I am loving it so far, so it is worth it. Shotokan rocks!
I also didn't want to start over at white belt in TKD after being in TSD. But I started at white belt in Shotokan and it doesn't bother me a bit. Go figure. Not that TKD is bad, I just hated that dojang. This dojo is so much better
Naha
Yellow Belt
I was 32-33 when I started. I had done a little aikido seven or eight years before, and it has always been my intention to get back to that art; however, there are few MA choices where I live. I started Shotokan because of my children. They are home-schooled and were taking classes. When I started taking them, I thought, "Hey, I'm here. I might as well." I have really enjoyed it, most days.
My Shihan's lineage is pretty direct. It goes like this:
Funakoshi> Okano>Kogi Sugimoto.
That is pretty cool if you ask me! I took on Shotokan about a year ago without knowing anything about the different styles. I'm now a blue belt which I have earned with blood, sweat and tears. Shihan Sugimoto is very traditional in Funakoshi's teachings and very strict. You have to earn your belt, nothing is given to you. All levels in our dojo regularly start our katas with the takyoku shodan and sandan which some dojos don't even do anymore. We also do the "Ten No Kata" kata which is almost extinct. I love the explosive, violent style that has such an aggressive feel to it. You learn so much from each katas. One by one as floors in a building but everything starts with a strong foundation.
Funakoshi> Okano>Kogi Sugimoto.
That is pretty cool if you ask me! I took on Shotokan about a year ago without knowing anything about the different styles. I'm now a blue belt which I have earned with blood, sweat and tears. Shihan Sugimoto is very traditional in Funakoshi's teachings and very strict. You have to earn your belt, nothing is given to you. All levels in our dojo regularly start our katas with the takyoku shodan and sandan which some dojos don't even do anymore. We also do the "Ten No Kata" kata which is almost extinct. I love the explosive, violent style that has such an aggressive feel to it. You learn so much from each katas. One by one as floors in a building but everything starts with a strong foundation.
hey everyone!
Noticed the Shotokan thread and had to chime in!
I unfortunately do not actively practice Shotokan anymore because i moved. But I had done about a year and a half of Shotokan at my community college in Cupertino, Ca. Made it to the 7th kyu
My Sensei was Pete Rabbit.
I have no prior martial art experience/lineage.
I took Shotokan because I always wanted to learn a martial art, Shotokan, or at least the dojo I practiced at seemed to be a good blend of traditional and sport.
"What are your thoughts on Shotokan?"
Frankly I love it. I was lucky enough to attended a Seminar held by Kanazawa Sensei. I'm really disappointed that i couldn't continue to practice.
There is a Shorin-ryu class offered at my university's gym but I able to take the class a full year after I had stopped practicing. I currently just began taking TKD, if i find it not to my tastes, I'll be switching to the shorin ryu class.
Noticed the Shotokan thread and had to chime in!
I unfortunately do not actively practice Shotokan anymore because i moved. But I had done about a year and a half of Shotokan at my community college in Cupertino, Ca. Made it to the 7th kyu
My Sensei was Pete Rabbit.
I have no prior martial art experience/lineage.
I took Shotokan because I always wanted to learn a martial art, Shotokan, or at least the dojo I practiced at seemed to be a good blend of traditional and sport.
"What are your thoughts on Shotokan?"
Frankly I love it. I was lucky enough to attended a Seminar held by Kanazawa Sensei. I'm really disappointed that i couldn't continue to practice.
There is a Shorin-ryu class offered at my university's gym but I able to take the class a full year after I had stopped practicing. I currently just began taking TKD, if i find it not to my tastes, I'll be switching to the shorin ryu class.
Aefibird
Green Belt
I'm another Shotokan-er as well. I have 2nd Dan in a Shotokan-variant (called Shotokan, but it's actually more like Shotokai) from the YSKU and 1st Kyu in Shotokan from FSK (looooooooong story as to why I have two grades in basically the same art!)
FSK was a splinter group from Shotokan Karate International (SKI), which was started by JKA Dan grades. It's a mix of 'traditional' and 'modern' but has been getting more emphasis on the 'modern' in recent years with focus for FSK member clubs moving more towards tournament participation and training. I'm no longer a member of FSK, and haven't been for about 4-5 years as my club parted company with it, but still know people who are and they say that they feel it will eventually become a "sports Shotokan" organisation with little practice or emphasis on anything other than competition kata and sparring.
YSKU is a very small organisation and was also started by 2 JKA Dan grades who wanted a more "back to basics" approach to teaching, with emphasis on basics, kata, basics, bunkai, basics, basics and more basics in regular training. Very very traditional. I'm not currently an active member as I've not trained in Karate for about 2 years due to an accident.
I love Shotokan, it was my first martial art and will probably always be my first 'love'. Sadly, I'm not training in it at the moment, but hope to remedy that pretty soon.
I severed a tendon and some nerves in my hand a couple of years ago which meant I couldn't train and have only just been given the go-ahead to re-start martial arts again.
I've re-started TKD (my other art) but due to internal politics at my dojo (partially from the aftershocks of them leaving the FSK) and some serious restructuring of everything (class times, prices, senior students, instructor etc etc) I haven't started back at Karate yet.
In one way I'd like to go back and train at that club again, as I still have lots of friends there and the main instructor is a great guy.
However, I feel that in the time I've been 'gone' there's been too many changes and too much of a split between various factions for me to want to go back again. I was an assistant instructor and the senior grade (at 2nd Dan) before I had to stop training and certainly wouldn't want to step right back into that again.
It's something that has been occupying my thoughts of late and at the moment I think that I'm not in the right sort of 'place' to be able to fully come to a decision yet, so I can't see me starting back in Karate any time soon, even though I would like to.
On the plus side, it has given me the chance to give my undivided MA attention to TKD, so I suppose "every cloud..." and all that?
Anyway, to answer the original question, yes I am a Shotokan practitioner - kind of!!
FSK was a splinter group from Shotokan Karate International (SKI), which was started by JKA Dan grades. It's a mix of 'traditional' and 'modern' but has been getting more emphasis on the 'modern' in recent years with focus for FSK member clubs moving more towards tournament participation and training. I'm no longer a member of FSK, and haven't been for about 4-5 years as my club parted company with it, but still know people who are and they say that they feel it will eventually become a "sports Shotokan" organisation with little practice or emphasis on anything other than competition kata and sparring.
YSKU is a very small organisation and was also started by 2 JKA Dan grades who wanted a more "back to basics" approach to teaching, with emphasis on basics, kata, basics, bunkai, basics, basics and more basics in regular training. Very very traditional. I'm not currently an active member as I've not trained in Karate for about 2 years due to an accident.
I love Shotokan, it was my first martial art and will probably always be my first 'love'. Sadly, I'm not training in it at the moment, but hope to remedy that pretty soon.
I severed a tendon and some nerves in my hand a couple of years ago which meant I couldn't train and have only just been given the go-ahead to re-start martial arts again.
I've re-started TKD (my other art) but due to internal politics at my dojo (partially from the aftershocks of them leaving the FSK) and some serious restructuring of everything (class times, prices, senior students, instructor etc etc) I haven't started back at Karate yet.
In one way I'd like to go back and train at that club again, as I still have lots of friends there and the main instructor is a great guy.
However, I feel that in the time I've been 'gone' there's been too many changes and too much of a split between various factions for me to want to go back again. I was an assistant instructor and the senior grade (at 2nd Dan) before I had to stop training and certainly wouldn't want to step right back into that again.
It's something that has been occupying my thoughts of late and at the moment I think that I'm not in the right sort of 'place' to be able to fully come to a decision yet, so I can't see me starting back in Karate any time soon, even though I would like to.
On the plus side, it has given me the chance to give my undivided MA attention to TKD, so I suppose "every cloud..." and all that?
Anyway, to answer the original question, yes I am a Shotokan practitioner - kind of!!
I have been studying Shotokan karate for about 2 years now. I'm a 6 kyu belt and I love it. I agree with the other posts as the reason of the explosive power of the moves. I picked Shotokan purely by accident since I had always just heard of Karate and was not aware of all the different styles. I'm glad I landed in Shotokan since i love what it represents. The simplicity of the moves and the effectiveness and direct moves. A Very powerful style. My Shihan is Koji Sugimoto who was a student to Tomosaburo Okano who was a student of Gichin Funakoshi. You can't get more direct lineage than that. Karate not only puts me in great physical condition but it also calms my mind and spirit. It is the greatest thing that has come into my life in a very long time.
RoninSoul
White Belt
I train in Shotokan Karate. My first Sensei Was George Magpusau. Under Kenneth Funakoshi. ( I was once tested by Funakoshi) Sensei Magpusau actually had a Shorin Ji Ryu background and was a champion in the early seventies. Fastest "come from outta thin air" sidekick I've ever seen.
I now train under Sensei Hector Pantoja, hands down, the greatest Karate practitioner I've ever known. He has been training some 35 years I believe, he began training in his teens in Mazatlan Mexico. I don't know what his Sensei's name was. I know he trained under Shihan Funakoshi for a period of time and under Shihan Ed Hamile before his death. We belong to the West Coast Shotokan Assn. Sensei Pantoja is a forth dan. And it is an honor to train under a man of such great talent and impeccable character.
I now train under Sensei Hector Pantoja, hands down, the greatest Karate practitioner I've ever known. He has been training some 35 years I believe, he began training in his teens in Mazatlan Mexico. I don't know what his Sensei's name was. I know he trained under Shihan Funakoshi for a period of time and under Shihan Ed Hamile before his death. We belong to the West Coast Shotokan Assn. Sensei Pantoja is a forth dan. And it is an honor to train under a man of such great talent and impeccable character.
