why are there so many different style of karate?

senseiblackbelt

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why can't we just all just pratcise the same types of martial arts instead of having a gazillion different types?
 

Gerry Seymour

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why can't we just all just pratcise the same types of martial arts instead of having a gazillion different types?
In simplest form (this doesn't actually represent all the different branches, but it's a good conceptual answer), people experience their training differently, find different things in it, want to emphasize different things, and end up teaching it differently. If those differences are significant enough, either that teacher or other people eventually start referring to that different stuff by a name, and a style is born.
 

JR 137

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Ask a Kyokushin student why he doesn't switch to Shotokan. Ask a Uechi Ryu student why he doesn't switch to Wado Ryu.

Those styles are all quite different from one another. There may be some crossover, but there's fundamental differences in what's being emphasized.

I study Seido Juku, where our founder (Tadashi Nakamura) was a prominent Kyokushin fighter/teacher. He left Kyokushin for several reasons, and has changed his emphasis in what he's teaching. I used to study a Kyokushin offshoot in my 20s. Currently being 40, I don't recover from bare knuckle kumite and that type of conditioning day in and day out like I used to. We still spar pretty hard, but we wear protective gear; the emphasis is less on being able to take a punch and more on being technical. Among other things. Some will agree with Nakamura's current stance, others won't. Others don't agree with his nor Kyokushin's ideology.

There's something out there for everyone - from the people who think the only way to be effective is to be able to take a beating and keep on going to the people who don't want any contact at all, and everything in between.

There's a local karate dojo that does nothing but point fighting and kata for tournament/aesthetic purposes. If a rule came out that all karate had to follow that curriculum/style, I'd be at the local judo club immediately. There's also a local karate school who pretty much spends half the class punching and kicking each other like punching bags and the other half fighting bare knuckle. If that was the only choice, I'd be at said judo club.

Thankfully there's many karate schools in between those two where I found an optimal balance for me.
 

CDR_Glock

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Use no form as form. Use no style as style. Change your way as each opponent changes. Fight without fighting. Win by not losing.


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Steve

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Some of Its about marketing and making a living. Some is about origin of the styles. Some is about purpose and intent. Some is philosophical.

Kind of a silly question. It is kind of like wondering why there are different breeds of dog. Why doesn't everyone just get a schnauzer?
 

Buka

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People don't all get schnauzers because it's too hard of a word to spell.

All bicycles are the same- the seats were designed to make you feel like you're getting attacked in prison.

All Karate is the same, (we just use different words, think of them like regional accents) - each school is the best school, the founder was the coolest guy, we belt test this way because, bow to each other, whack that m'fer up side of the head and do it without getting hit, go wash your gi.
 

hoshin1600

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The word is homogeneous. There was a guy once that thought all people should be the same. Blond hair blue eyes......seems it didn't turn out so well for him. Homogeneous comformity is never a good thing.
 

drop bear

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The word is homogeneous. There was a guy once that thought all people should be the same. Blond hair blue eyes......seems it didn't turn out so well for him. Homogeneous comformity is never a good thing.

Wait he became president didn't he?
 

Nobody Important

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Ask a Kyokushin student why he doesn't switch to Shotokan. Ask a Uechi Ryu student why he doesn't switch to Wado Ryu.

Those styles are all quite different from one another. There may be some crossover, but there's fundamental differences in what's being emphasized.

I study Seido Juku, where our founder (Tadashi Nakamura) was a prominent Kyokushin fighter/teacher. He left Kyokushin for several reasons, and has changed his emphasis in what he's teaching. I used to study a Kyokushin offshoot in my 20s. Currently being 40, I don't recover from bare knuckle kumite and that type of conditioning day in and day out like I used to. We still spar pretty hard, but we wear protective gear; the emphasis is less on being able to take a punch and more on being technical. Among other things. Some will agree with Nakamura's current stance, others won't. Others don't agree with his nor Kyokushin's ideology.

There's something out there for everyone - from the people who think the only way to be effective is to be able to take a beating and keep on going to the people who don't want any contact at all, and everything in between.

There's a local karate dojo that does nothing but point fighting and kata for tournament/aesthetic purposes. If a rule came out that all karate had to follow that curriculum/style, I'd be at the local judo club immediately. There's also a local karate school who pretty much spends half the class punching and kicking each other like punching bags and the other half fighting bare knuckle. If that was the only choice, I'd be at said judo club.

Thankfully there's many karate schools in between those two where I found an optimal balance for me.
Good post!
 
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