Just how many different styles are there?

[RCastillo]

When people ask many how many "General " styles of Karate there are out there, I really can't give them a "Ball Park" figure. Can anyone one help me with that? I guess we would have to take into account the "Established" styles, and the new ones that have come up in the recent decades. At any rate, Thanks for your help!:asian:

 

[arnisador]

People usually say there are four major styles of each (Okinawan and Japanese):

http://www.martialtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=804
http://www.martialtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=864

Apart from older styles of Okinawan karate (with lesser Chinese influence), most have descended from these or closely related systems.

 

[arnisador]

There is an article on this in the current (Jan. 2004) issue of Black Belt on Yamaki-ryu Karate, which appears to be a newly-created style.

 

[KenpoDave]

It is my opinion that the different styles are really interpretations of the same thing. Over time, they have become established, but are still more similar than dissimilar.

 

[arnisador]

Originally posted by KenpoDave
It is my opinion that the different styles are really interpretations of the same thing. Over time, they have become established, but are still more similar than dissimilar.

For the most part, but some are pretty different. Most Japanese Karate seems similar to me but there's more variation in the Okinawan systems.