shotokan

[gman]

Hello my martial arts brothers and sisters! Not long ago I posted a question asking for feedback on shotokan karate because i wanted to join a dojo near my house,and got some good insights.Well,I joined the school,and I'd like to share my experience so far.I am happy to say that I am excited about this style,and as luck would have it my sensei also has done jiu jitsu,and therefore also offers grappling lessons on alternate days at no extra cost! I am very happy because I find the combination of both arts compliment each other nicely.I also have some humble experience with wing chun and find that some blocks from wing chun can also be transfered to shotokan blocks and then a strike(s).For now I will focus on shotokan and dip in the grappling,but can't help thinking that shotokan and wing chun are a nice cross as well,I'll keep learning and tell you how it goes...ANY THOUGHTS?. Best regards Gman.

[disgruntled]

i am really glad that everything worked out! it is not odd to see techniques from other MAs in MA you are studying. MA is based on principals of how the body works, thus cross over is bound to occur. definately keep us posted on your progress. although i am kinda familiar with shotokan karate and jiu jitsu, i have not ever practiced either, so if you care to share and neat things that you learn that you are excited about, i know i would greatly benefit

[gman]

thanks disgruntled! the reason I am excited with my new shotokan dojo that offers grappling is as such.I have read numerous arguments in forums as to which styles offer the most...stand up or ground styles?,and the occasional,immature, my style is better than your style.In my opinion the person that is fully commited to his or her art is a force to be reckoned with.Fortunately I have the oppurtunity to experiment with the best of both worlds,stand up and ground style,and at the same time train to keep fit,and find the harmony..can't help but feel good about that! My martial arts history is limited but I believe that there could only be benefits of training both stand up and ground..as I learn more I'll keep the forum updated...cheers....P.S. again any feedback from the forum on cross training will be appreciated..

[SteveO]

Hey gman its good to hear your getting on well with MA and cross training is never a bad thing its good to learn from other MA as some techniques might suit you better from other styles as everyone is built different we all move differently so not every technique from one style or movement from one style will suit you and the way you move if you catch my drift... and learning ground work as well as a stand up style is good as they will give you the best of both worlds and make you a good all round fighter .. the only thing i would say is i have heard that from some people who first start out that learning to much of the same thing eg two different stand up styles is easy for one to flow into the other and then you get lost in what style your doing eg not sure what your instructor would say if half way through a technique you went from karate to wing chun if you see where im coming from but dont let that stop you if you can keep them apart then keep at it and i hope everything goes well and keep us updated....

[sirdarksol]

Excellent. It sounds like your dojo is actively working their way around Shotokan's biggest weakness, the lack of grappling. Shorin Ryu offers what basically amount to "anti-grappling" techniques, though we don't work much on actual grappling.
However, in the end, I agree with you that dedication to an art (as long as the art isn't total BS) is far stronger than "this style vs that style."

[sirdarling]

I feel that the best kind of fighter isn't a stand up or ground fighter... but both.
If you weaken yourself to have one style or the other then you will be beaten like one style or the other, like fire can be beat by water.

So I agree, having a ground game and a stand up game is the best type of fighter.
And you picked some good styles, Ju Jitsu and Karate are a great combo!