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Karate Style: Competitive -v- Traditional

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  • 07-04-2010 5:03pm
    #1
    snowcrazie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭


    Anyone else have trouble finding a properly competitive Karate club?

    I'm a first Dan in Shotokhan Karate and couldn't find a suitable club when I moved up to Dublin four years ago. The DCU Club was a joke, I trained four nights a week for two years and regressed rather that improved. The was absolutely no competitive element whatsoever. I had to argue to get even a little extra intervarsity training. This was sad because we had two world class sensei... I think they had just got a little lazy.

    The problem with Karate is all the organisations, its a joke and ruining the sport. I got my black belt with the JKA but as far as i know theres only one JKA club up here in Dublin.

    Anyone else having this problem?

    Karate isn't a self-defence exercise its a sport, where you should compete surely.
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Furious-Dave
    Registered Users Posts: 479 ✭✭Furious-Dave


    Hi snowcrazie. Have you ever considered Kyokushin? Here's the the site for Kyokushin in Ireland.

    www.kyokushinireland.com/

    There's also Kyokushin in the Kokoro MMA gym on Fridays at 19:00.

    www.mmaireland.com/schedule/


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    #3
    snowcrazie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 56 ✭✭snowcrazie


    Do you know that main differences between this and Shotokan?

    And how a 1st Dan in Shotokan (with the JKA) would transfer over?


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    #4
    Furious-Dave
    Registered Users Posts: 479 ✭✭Furious-Dave


    Kyokushin is partly based on Shotokan (and Goju Ryu). A lot of the Kata are taken directly from Shotokan. Other than that I don't know enough about Shotokan to make a further comparison. From what I have seen though the competition is very different as Kyokushin is knock-down.

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6418586195864576299#


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    #5
    Peetrik
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭Peetrik


    If you want to compete you could consider trying a different sport.

    Im totally biased but Id recommend Thai boxing. Its full contact and geared from the start to training for stepping into the ring.


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    #6
    Zen65
    Registered Users Posts: 2,630 ✭✭✭Zen65


    snowcrazie wrote: »
    Karate isn't a self-defence exercise its a sport, where you should compete surely.

    Ouch.

    Leaving aside my views on sport karate, it really sounds to me that you should join another club. There's a few WSKF clubs in Dublin that have a strong competition focus (I'm saying this from second hand information as I have not trained with them). Look at http://www.wskfireland.net/clubs.html

    I have however known some of their members over the years and found them to be very good. I expect that they would accept your shodan status (curiosity: who did you grade with for shodan?).

    I must say I worry that you think you regressed with DCU club, I know the instructors there to be among the best in Ireland, though I have only trained with them a few times.

    Be at peace,

    Z.


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    #7
    Charlie3dan
    Registered Users Posts: 661 ✭✭✭Charlie3dan


    As Zen65 mentioned above the WSKF are a good sport association, also have a look at Onakai http://www.onakai.org/, it would be worth contacting them as they would be able to point you in the direction of a good sport karate club near you if none of the WSKF ones suit.

    On the more traditional side there's the JKS http://www.thejks.com/Ireland/index.asp

    and SKIF
    http://www.ski-ireland.com/

    Both of these associations would have regular competitions but the training would be much more traditionally focused.

    And just on this:
    Karate isn't a self-defence exercise its a sport, where you should compete surely.

    There's much more to karate than just sport. I compete myself and I think engaging in the sporting aspects of karate make you stronger overall but Karate was never meant to be only a sport.

    I hope you find what you're looking for anyway.


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