Does anyone here study Shotokan? I admit it's a martial art I had considered and passed on until I watched a video by an amazing instructor last evening. I don't know if it's the martial art for me but, alas, I've learned something about myself and martial arts in the short time I've been on this earth. The style chooses you, you don't choose it. You may be exploring a bunch of styles but there is something about the martial art, or the instructor that brings you back.
Five years in taekwondo taken from Shotokan, as Mitch mentioned. And about half a year (in college) of actual Shotokan. Not exactly a resume to brag about, but that's it. Moosey is one of our resident Shotokan experts, yes?
Cough. Technically you trained with on Shotokan guy, and he wasn't doing Shotokan in a significant part of what we did!
LOL! No I mean I was awarded a 1st Dan - I claim it as a technicality because there is not a single move I cannot pull off but ask me to do a kata and I am pooched! I still see my karate Genesis/style as being clearly Shukokai to be honest
Shotokan was my first style and I hold a 1st Dan in the system, Lots of long stances and linear movement and big powerful long range movements, my Kihon is now Kyokushin base but you can see some Shotokan emphasis in that I like to keep outside of normal Kyokushin distance at times and pick them apart with kicks and sweeps when sparring. I got disillusioned with it at the time especially in regards to it being linear and lack of fluidity between its strikes looking for the one strike one kill rather than fluid combinations and the stop start gun slinger type sparring. It also took me ages to get out of the deep stances which were really open to low kicking especially when I started kickboxing and Muay Thai. Recently had a very good 5th Dan start training at my Jujitsu dojo who has training with a A list of the Shotokan world and has made me look again at the system, Good knowledge of bunkai (as apposed to the basic generic stuff I was taught), and hits like a speeding bus, but again does not have the fluidity between strikes but his striking power is a thing of horror.
