Tae-Kwon-Do / Shukokai Karate, Advice for "newb"

[willing2work_hard]

Hello and thanks in advance for your time if you respond to this thread.

I am seeking advice on Tae Kwon do, and Shukokai Karate. I will start training very soon but have not decided which one to go for. I have researched them myself and am now looking for peoples opinions who have actually practiced them.

I am quite fit, I currently go to the gym 4-5 times a week and have been doing so on and off for the past three years. I am built slightly more than the average male but not so that it restricts my movement. I am looking to train in something more interesting to break up my sessions at the gym (I have to exercise a lot because I have trouble sleeping if I don't).

I have trained in Karate and Kung fu before. Only for brief periods but was put off by the repetitiveness of the training. I also didn’t like the long solo displays of combinations of moves you had to do in Karate. I am also not into too much grappling and locking.

I am looking for something I can work hard on and advance on quickly, obviously with the appropriate effort. I have had my doubts on Karate in the past so am leaning towards trying Tae Kwon do But I know the Karate classes run 5 nights a week so I can really get my teeth stuck into it if I want and I think the Tae Kwon Do is only once a week which seems quite worthless to me.

What are the main differences between training the in the two? I am a 26 year old male, from the (limited I know) information I have given, is it possible to suggest one which might be more appropriate for me?

Thanks for taking time to read this.

James, Oxon. UK

[nosh276]

Well, in respect to doing forms, or katas, either way you will have to do many. Those repetitive movements are required for most martial arts. Taekwondo, generally doesn't teach joint locks, throws, or grappling. I don't know about the style of Karate you're considering. Keep in mind that TKD and Karate are both very similar. TKD, btw, is the more acrobatic of the two. That's about all I can say. No one should make the decision for you, you should take all the information you can acquire and decide based on what you believe what's best for you. Or, even better, go try each one out for a week, see which you prefer.

[Jeff Burger]

I started with Shukokai.

Personally I dont like TKD but quality often depends more on the teacher than the style.

Who is teaching the Shukokai.

Shukokai is alot like Shotokan ( they even do many of the same kata).
A big ifference is the return of a morenormal fighting stance than the low leg training stances of Shotokan.
Tani its founder trained in Shotokan. And like many when he learned of the changes Funakoshi had made he went to Okinowan styles.

Jeff

[willing2work_hard]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Jeff, what are your reasons for not liking TKD?

[tkdcanada]

You will hear a lot of negative about TKD (Jeff, I'm not trying to accuse you of being unjustly negative, it's just something I thought of even before his question to you :wink2: ), but take it with a grain of salt because as Jeff says, it depends more on the teacher than the style.

I have been training in TKD for almost 3 years and have never tired of it. I am lucky enough to belong to a good quality school. As Brandon said, you will get lots of forms with either one. I think you will find repetitiveness with any art but a good instructor will know how to mix things up a bit. The repetitiveness is necessary to an extent to improve skill intuitiveness.

I can't compare the two because I have very miminal exposure to other arts, but can explain some of Taekwondo's appeal (for me anyway): the physical challenges (varyiety of jumping spinning kicks that does take lots of practice and are a challenge to perform, physical intensity is high while sparring or training to spar in competition) but I'm sure other arts have that too :) . I also like the competition aspect and the fact that it really focuses on safety (protective equipment is generally required) but it's still challenging and there are generally lots of opportunities to compete. I like the brain work too (learning terminology, philosophical aspects, etc...), lots of things to learn, so variety is possible (you have forms, self-defense, step sparring, sparring drills, sparring, various kicks and blocks, combats, various hand techniques to focus on speed of movement, etc...). So, I'm biased to Taekwondo, but you just may also want to give Karate another try because of the teacher comment that Jeff said (you may just have had a bad teacher before). Good luck in your quest.

[Jeff Burger]

Well a couple of reasons are.......

#1 It comes from Shotokan karate. Shotokan is a "Do" art. The way it was taught was not how Funakoshi (its founder) had learned in Okinowa.
IMHO it was the first major bastardization of karate.
So you got watered down karate watered down again and called a Korean art.

#2 Politics
Pop on any forum and go to Korean arts and see the garbage involved.

Jeff

[Ice-cut]

Don't start to train tkd it's not possible to get tkd lessons in a good gym(when you are in usa)tkd training is pointless when you do it the wrong way last night i saw a tkd instructor getting beaten up by a guy who has gotten all his martial art theory and movments from Jacky Chun&Sammo Hung videos.
And yes this man was a instructor in the us for a long time.
So basically im pretty much sure that you won't get real tkd in the usa.I mean. Look



Keep in mind that TKD and Karate are both very similar.


This is what i mean people in usa think tkd is similar to karate.
Please explain me why are they similar?Cause people wear the same kind of clothing and both the style's consentrate on linear movment?
Im not trying to offend you but...this is just not right.
James,I think it's better when you start doing karate for it makes you more fit and boosts you'r body more you can start doing tkd later when you'r body is ready im not sure about the gym's in uk(how good are they in teaching)but if you say it's once per week then it is pointless tkd is a art were you need to work real hard on everything.Specialy speed&flexibility.
so once per week just won't do it.So i would say go for Karate.


Max

[willing2work_hard]

ok, thanks for the input.

I see it depends a lot on the teacher.

Her are the websites to the two schools. Neither have their own Dojo, they are basically clubs that run classes at various leisure facilities in the area.

www.banburykarate.co.uk

www.tagb.net

Both sites have extended info on the instructors. In your opinions do you think they are up to it. (I know you really need to see them perform in person but guesstimations will do!)

[willing2work_hard]

FAO: Nosh276

I see you are 1st dan and you are only 19. That is a great acheivement, how many years have you been studying?

[Akuma]

Willing,
I second everything that tkdcanada already stated...TKD is a great art for those people who enjoy the unique aspects of it. My main concern with your statement is your comments about wanting to advance quickly and not enjoying the repetitive training. To be successful at any art, you are going to have to put in years of repetitive training...and with good reason! Only with continued practice can you truly understand and perform you art correctly. And your first dan is really just the beginning :) In any case, best of luck in your search!

[tkdcanada]

Very true about advancing quickly in any art. It should never be about that. You make the greatest strides when you take the time to learn correctly and completely without being preoccupied with advancement. Just out of curiosity, why is it so important to you to advance quickly??

[Jeff Burger]

Willing2workhard
Per forum rules include your reall full name.

You can do this easily by going to USER CP an aing it to your signature.

Jeff

[moogong]

The best advice is to visit both schools and see what you enjoy the most. You will find many people that have negative opinions on both TKD and Karate but that does not mean they are right.

[godzilla187]

I would suggest taking kempo. Its the most realistic art. Its whole style is based on street fighting and is the most practical.. Kung fu is a waist because of too many waited movements. Tae-kwon-do is useless because its a kicking art..most fights begin at point blank rang and you wont have enough room to do a kick and jujitsu is also a waste because its mainly an art for the ring..not rolling around a bar room floor.

[Jeff Burger]

Godzilla87 per forum rules include your real full name.

You should know what you are talking about before commenting.

Jeff