Why is Kempo Karate more prevalent in the fighting world than Shotokan and Goju Ryu?

[martialuser]

Shotokan is by far the biggest style of Karate in the world. Yet most fighters and high profile athletes are from Kempo, even youtubers. the machida brothers are the only ones from shotokan

Is Kempo Karate the second biggest style, or do they train for freestyle fighting more?

Goju Ryu also absent.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Shotokan is by far the biggest style of Karate in the world. Yet most fighters and high profile athletes are from Kempo, even youtubers. the machida brothers are the only ones from shotokan

Is Kempo Karate the second biggest style, or do they train for freestyle fighting more?

Goju Ryu also absent.

Do you watch Karate Combat? I suppose not. Shotokan dominates Karate Combat. Among the current title holders, Kempo is a distant second.

I do notice that in WKF (both kata and kumite), Shito-ryu seems to dominate.

 

[martialuser]

Do you watch Karate Combat? I suppose not. Shotokan dominates Karate Combat. Among the current title holders, Kempo is a distant second.

I do notice that in WKF (both kata and kumite), Shito-ryu seems to dominate.

Karate Combat is Karate.... I meant in non karate fighting organisations.

 

[drop bear]

Do you watch Karate Combat? I suppose not. Shotokan dominates Karate Combat. Among the current title holders, Kempo is a distant second.

I do notice that in WKF (both kata and kumite), Shito-ryu seems to dominate.

Just off the top of my head. I think wonderboy is shotokan.

Machida is something.

And there are a bunch of kuyokashin. Sam greco from back 8n the day.

I don't know of any Kempo fighters.

(Edit. Wonderboy is kempo)

 

[martialuser]

Just off the top of my head. I think wonderboy is shotokan.

Stephen Thompson is Kempo.

Sage Northcutt is Shuri Ryu

Bill Wallace Shorin Ryu

Joe Lewis Shorin Ryu

Michael Venom Page Sport Karate/ Kempo style

Raymond Daniels Kempo

Chuck Liddell Kempo

 

[drop bear]

Karate Combat is Karate.... I meant in non karate fighting organisations.

Doesn't matter.

So to be a style that does fighting. You need a vehicle for that to matter to anyone. Or people who want to fight just go to a different style.

Karate Combat provides a reason for karate guys to be good at karate.

If they are good at karate. You will find they become good at other fight promotions.

 

[Buka]

Stephen Thompson is Kempo.

Sage Northcutt is Shuri Ryu

Bill Wallace Shorin Ryu

Joe Lewis Shorin Ryu

Michael Venom Page Sport Karate/ Kempo style

Raymond Daniels Kempo

Chuck Liddell Kempo

Listing Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis as Shorin Ryu is technically correct. It was from their beginnings.

But any similarities from that (or any other style) to the way they actually practiced, fought and taught Martial Arts, is vastly different and no longer descriptive.

 

[isshinryuronin]

Listing Bill Wallace and Joe Lewis as Shorin Ryu is technically correct. It was from their beginnings.

Joe got his black belt from Eizo Shimabuku while a Marine in Okinawa. His stellar amateur tournament career was based on this background and was taught at his dojo till Norris took it over. Around 1973/4 he hooked up with Tracy's Kenpo to bolster their sparring reputation. Even though he wore Tracy's checker-striped gi, he was not a kenpo guy. As far as I know his relationship was only based on the business of sparring.

Is Kempo Karate the second biggest style, or do they train for freestyle fighting more?

It was part of the culture amongst American kenpo schools to stress tournament sparring. Some traditional styles/schools do not, or (at least in the 60's and 70's) largely competed in closed style-specific tournaments. This was common in those days with Shotokan and TKD. My experience is as martialuser was illustrating - top karate fighters came from many different styles.

But any similarities from that (or any other style) to the way they actually practiced, fought and taught Martial Arts, is vastly different and no longer descriptive.

Agreed. Fighting is very personal. Everyone fights with their own individual style. This, plus the necessity of conforming to the tournament environment, had more effect on the way they fight than the traditional style they originally trained in. And less anyone forget, karate was not originally designed for competition, so leaving the traditional style behind in favor of a competitor's life is not surprising.

 

[marvin8]

Shotokan is by far the biggest style of Karate in the world. Yet most fighters and high profile athletes are from Kempo, even youtubers. the machida brothers are the only ones from shotokan

Is Kempo Karate the second biggest style, or do they train for freestyle fighting more?

Goju Ryu also absent.

Robert Whittaker Goju Ryu
Gunnar Nelson Goju Ryu
Kyoji Horiguchi Shotokan
Uriah Hall Kyokushin
Georges St Pierre Kyokushin
Tenshin Nasukawa Kyokushin
Yair Rodriguez Taekwondo
Rose Namajunas Taekwondo

James Gallagher Isshin-Ryu…

From Karate to MMA, "Distance control, range, rhythm, timing..."

 

[martialuser]

But any similarities from that (or any other style) to the way they actually practiced, fought and taught Martial Arts, is vastly different and no longer descriptive.

I agree but It's just to show that none of them are from Shotokan backgrounds. They should be if its the biggest style

 

[martialuser]

Kyoji Horiguchi Shotokan
Uriah

Flyweights don't count, nobody watches those. And you got nobody else

 

[O'Malley]

Flyweights don't count, nobody watches those. And you got nobody else

Yet somehow Youtubers count