I've studied Shotokan Karate. He is an article that I just read. I am curious as to what all of you think about the things that are in this article. http://www.blackbeltmag.com/daily/t...s-no-better-martial-art-than-shotokan-karate/
Hi MusicMan Can you add your thoughts. Posting a link without an opinion and then saying "What do you think" is actually against TOS.
I couldn't get past this to read the article any further, because it instantly tells me this is advertising and nothing more
The article says that other martial arts that claim to be good for self defense are true, but shotokan is JUST AS GOOD. That contradicts itself in saying that shotokan is better than all these other styles in the title. The school run by Mr. James Field, the black belt pictured in the article, may be a very good school that teaches very effective defense, but I would be hardpressed to believe that all shotokan schools are the same. I've sparred some guys at tournaments who are purely point fighting and when the ref doesn't blow the whistle quickly enough, they can't even begin to fathom what is happening when they get hit about 3 times.
Sorry bout that. My Shotokan teacher was very good. Very focused on real world self defense (he also teaches pure self defense at a local college). He understands the combat applications of the kata as well. I just found the foot work in shotokan to be awkward. I've also never been a fan of kicking.
I'm fairly happy that some good training in karate will help you acquire some useful skills to defend yourself on the street by teaching you how to face down aggression, throw a good punch and read an opponent's body-language during a fight. Anything more than that is just marketing blurb. Shotokan certainly isn't the only thing that'll teach you these skills. They make the same point in article - that shotokan karate is one of the options if you want to learn to fight - but it's certainly not the only option and it's very debatable whether it (or any other art) is "the best". It's more about finding something that you enjoy training in enough to stick it out and learn to be good at it. It's all well and good saying "do karate", "do MMA", "do boxing" etc - if you hate the training, you won't get good enough to defend yourself. If the training suits you, you'll end up in a better situation than you started.
Decades ago, I had trained in Shotokan. Comprehensive Self defense was not on their agenda. Therefore, after reading it, I think the article is too biased
i have practiced shotokan and i enjoyed it i do believe it is a great martial arts to build a base with and then blend it because in my experience it blends really well with boxing and muay thai (take that with a grain of salt) but as a stand alone you can develop good power and good strikes but just like everything it has its holes
