[DoomsdayFAN]

Overall, I was wondering what exactly is the difference between these three types of Karate? I dont want to be lame by thinking "Karate is just Karate." Which one is best for what?

[TREE_TRUNK]

Karate means Empty hand so most martial arts are karate

Kyokushin kaikan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kenpō - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shotokan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[NinjaKilla187]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayFAN

Overall, I was wondering what exactly is the difference between these three types of Karate? I dont want to be lame by thinking "Karate is just Karate." Which one is best for what?

Shotokan is best for standing in front of a mirror practicing stances and defensive techniques that will never work in combat or competition, as well as doing ancient Okinawan Folk Dances known as "kata" where you have another outlet for practicing techniques that won't work outside the dojo. (I have a BB in Shotokan, lucky me...) If you are looking for old school traditional Karate it is A+, for fighting it is C- (see Lyoto Machida for a very notable exception to this, though)

Kenpo is like Shotokan except with a pseudo chinese or (allegedly) Hawaiian influence and black Gi with more corny patches. There are several different flavors. The tend to spar more than Shotokan which is better for fighting. They get in lots of pissing contests about which school/lineage is the more "authentic". They teach goofy "secret" pressure point shit that everyone else in the world already knows about and doesn't work well anyway. They seem to think that "flurries" (also known as combinations everywhere else in the combat world) are some kind of original technique, but at least they do teach combos. The footwork is marginally more useful than TMAs that don't spar much. For TMA I give it about a B. For fighting about a C+.

Kyokushin was the original bare knuckle full contact style started by Mas Oyama. It has also split into several styles. Back in the day it was the shizzle. After waaaaaay too many hand and facial injuries the main style of Kyokushin banned closed fist punches to the head in competition, resulting in it becoming sort of like half-assed Tae Kwon Do. If you can find a Kyokushin Dojo that still works punches to the head it is good stuff. Some of the offshoots also incorporate Judo (Kudo) and have their own system of MMA competition. Hard to find in the US though. For TMA I give it a B+ and fighting a solid B (assuming they are teaching sufficient hand techniques and defense).

If you want good standup and don't care about oriental mysticism, role playing, and wearing costumes try kickboxing or muay thai. Thats just my two cents...

[DoomsdayFAN]

Do they ever have competitions against eachother?

[NinjaKilla187]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayFAN

Do they ever have competitions against eachother?

Sure. US Open World NASKA Martial Arts Tournament for point fighting. I'm sure you can find a tournament in your area to watch.

For full contact you have K-1, ISKA Kickboxing, etc.

Once you get into professional full contact events practically nobody is using traditional Karate stances, defense, or hand techniques anyway. Which is why you might as well just start off with kickboxing or MT.

[TREE_TRUNK]

dude there was just a point sparring tournament in burbank today at the marriot and as soon as summer rolls around there will plenty more in southern cali

[RJ Powell]

Originally Posted by NinjaKilla187

Shotokan is best for standing in front of a mirror practicing stances and defensive techniques that will never work in combat or competition, as well as doing ancient Okinawan Folk Dances known as "kata" where you have another outlet for practicing techniques that won't work outside the dojo. (I have a BB in Shotokan, lucky me...) If you are looking for old school traditional Karate it is A+, for fighting it is C- (see Lyoto Machida for a very notable exception to this, though)

Kenpo is like Shotokan except with a pseudo chinese or (allegedly) Hawaiian influence and black Gi with more corny patches. There are several different flavors. The tend to spar more than Shotokan which is better for fighting. They get in lots of pissing contests about which school/lineage is the more "authentic". They teach goofy "secret" pressure point shit that everyone else in the world already knows about and doesn't work well anyway. They seem to think that "flurries" (also known as combinations everywhere else in the combat world) are some kind of original technique, but at least they do teach combos. The footwork is marginally more useful than TMAs that don't spar much. For TMA I give it about a B. For fighting about a C+.

Kyokushin was the original bare knuckle full contact style started by Mas Oyama. It has also split into several styles. Back in the day it was the shizzle. After waaaaaay too many hand and facial injuries the main style of Kyokushin banned closed fist punches to the head in competition, resulting in it becoming sort of like half-assed Tae Kwon Do. If you can find a Kyokushin Dojo that still works punches to the head it is good stuff. Some of the offshoots also incorporate Judo (Kudo) and have their own system of MMA competition. Hard to find in the US though. For TMA I give it a B+ and fighting a solid B (assuming they are teaching sufficient hand techniques and defense).

If you want good standup and don't care about oriental mysticism, role playing, and wearing costumes try kickboxing or muay thai. Thats just my two cents...

this may not be the the most popular answer, but it is as true as you can get as far as these arts go.

I have a red belt in TKD, brown in kyokushin, Black in hawaiian kenpo, and did a little shotokan. Like it or not, all of what this guy is saying is true.

One a more positive note, my previous TMA training helped me with my balance in the clinch and i have automatic kicking power in muay thai.

I could've gotten these attributes in a more efficient way though. That is all.

*waits for flamestorm*, personally i think this guy's post was pretty evenhanded and factual.

Kenpo guys are ALWAYS feuding against eachother here in hawaii, even though they really can't fight, lol. It's all bullshit. The only time you should wear a gi is when you grapple anyway, or maybe for kyokushin if you want something competitive but don't want to get hit in the face.

oh yeah, for Muay thai as a TMA i give it an A-(depending on who is teaching it), as a fighting style an A+. So you win all around with muay thai.

[mvisit1]

Originally Posted by NinjaKilla187

If you are looking for old school traditional Karate it is A+, for fighting it is C- (see Lyoto Machida for a very notable exception to this, though)

That about says it right there...It's not the art is the fighter...If you wanna talk trash about traditional karate, I'm sure Machida or GSP would have a thing or two to say, the same goes for Chuck Liddell and Kenpo.

[RJ Powell]

i dont think anyone is talking trash about karate, this thread has been very fair in it's judgement thus far.

[NinjaKilla187]

Originally Posted by mvisit1

That about says it right there...It's not the art is the fighter...If you wanna talk trash about traditional karate, I'm sure Machida or GSP would have a thing or two to say, the same goes for Chuck Liddell and Kenpo.

It's like this, every second of your training life you spend practicing horse stance, and blocks like gedan barai, age uke, shuto uke, etc., are seconds you could spend learning something that might actually work. This is wasted time. A great fighter can overcome inefficient training and techniques but just think how much better he would be if he started out with shit that actually worked?

Even the best TMA fighters, guys like Lyoto Machida for example, can't make TMA techniques work in combat or competition. Not only do they not work, may of them are self defeating. Blocking full-power, full-contact, low kicks with the hands is a guaranteed way to fuck your hands up and eat lots of tasty counter punches to the head because your hands are too low to defend your head.

If you like TMA for the "philosophy", the camraderie and the feeling of belonging to some ancient warrior society or something, thats fine. If you want or need to have some skills that actually work in a fight, TMA will not only teach you shit that won't work it will give you bad habits that will take years to unlearn. I know. I started off in Shotokan and TKD, and have fucked around with a bunch of other stuff that doesn't work.

MMA, pro KB and MT are full of guys that started out in TMA. Almost all of them have transitioned to a style that uses the same basic punching and kicking techniques as well as defense. Its called evolution.

If you post video of a pro fighter, Lyoto Machida, GSP, or whoever else, in a traditional horse or front stance and using gedan barai or age uke in a fight I will take it all back...