Moving to Shreveport - school recommendations

[Benson]

I am not sure if this is the correct forum to post the question. Can anyone recommend schools in the Shreveport - Bossier City? I am moving to the area in late January.

I am interested in a Japanese/Okinawan style. I have previously trained in shotokan (8 years) and I am currently training in goju (1 year).

I have done web searches and most of the schools I have found are tae kwon do - at 40 doing high spinning kicks is not what I am looking to do! I have found schools that teach kenpo, shorin ryu, and issin ryu but I am not familar with those styles.

I also know not all instructors have websites - so if anyone knows of an instructor teaching at a community center, parks and recreation department, YMCA, etc those recommendations are appreciated as well.

Thanks.
Blaine Benson

[Webmaster]

Hi Blaine,

If you were moving a little further South, I could definitely point you in the right direction, but I am not too familiar with the Shreveport area. I will however put out some feelers for you and see what I can locate.

You mentioned however that you have located schools that teach Shorin Ryu and Isshin Ryu, yet you have trained in Shotokan and Goju Ryu and are not familiar with these arts? Time to do a little homework, particularly with regard to your 8 years of Shotokan. Shorin Ryu is Okinawan, and is the art from which most of Shotokan's kata are taken. Remember, the three divisions of Shotokan kata are Shuri-te (Shorin Ryu), Naha-te (Goju Ryu) and Tomari-te (basically extinct). So you will instantly recognize the katas from your Shotokan training, just they will be done from higher stances, the waza are a little different and the names are a little different. For instance, Heian = Pinan, the only difference is that Heian Nidan is the same as Pinan Shodan, and Heian Shodan is the same as Pinan Nidan. Instead of the Tekki katas, you will have Naihanchi, Bassai will be Passai, Konku will be Kusanku, etc, etc. Also, Isshin Ryu is a derivative of Shorin Ryu, is also Okinawan in origin and use most of the same kata.

Since you already have a background in Shotokan, I would recommend looking into the Shorin Ryu dojo first. Do you know who the instructor is and can you provide a link to their website? I would also check out the Isshin Ryu school as well. Isshin Ryu isn't my cup of tea, but for the most part, my interaction with their practitioners have always been positive, and if you happen to be in the Air Force (which is what I am assuming is taking you to Bossier City), you'll find a lot of Isshin Ryu folks are you move around during your Air Force career.

Also, find out more about the Kenpo school. While folks tend to associate Kenpo/Kempo with Ed Parker, Tracy and other forms of modern American arts, there are several Okinawan forms of Kenpo and most of them tend to be some really hardcore folks. Okinawan Kenpo by the way is pretty much just Okinawan Karate, they use the Pinan kata and put a big emphasis on Kobudo. I have been fortunate to have known a lot of guys when I was in the Marine Corps who trained in Okinawan Kenpo under Seikichi Odo, and they are some terrific Karateka.

Late Edit: Here's also a link to the Dojo Locator for Shreveport. Karate USA is the Isshin Ryu school you were referring to? No major red flags, but they don't strike me as traditional. Northwest Louisiana Martial Arts Academy is the Shorin Ryu school? They look pretty good from first sight, but when you do a little digging, there are a few things that make me go "Hmmm". For instance they are affiliated with the International Matsumura Seito Society (IMSS) under a gentleman named "Soke" Dave Shelton. From looking more at this Shelton guy, he seems to have started out quite legitimate, but verged into the nonsense of "Sokeship councils", Halls of Fame and other paper-producing ego-stroking crap. Still, you might want to check out the dojo and see what you think by watching them in person. Sometimes a dojo/student cannot help if his seniors have gone over the deep end. Heck, that happens even in Japan and Okinawa too.

http://www.dojolocator.com/Louisiana/Shreveport/

[Benson]

Robert,

Dojolocator is the same website I used to search for schools.

I have heard of issin ryu but I have never trained with them - really all I know about issin ryu is they use a vertical punch. I didn't know it was a derivative of shorin ryu.

When I said I was unfamilar with shorin ryu, I knew it was a forerunner to shotokan, but I didn't know anything specific about it - such as the differences in kata, higher stances, etc. That and I have never met anyone who trained in shorin ryu.

The kenpo school is listed as Tracy's Kenpo Karate - again I am not familiar with kenpo. I am taking this is different from the Okiniwan kenpo you are speaking of?

Again, I am hoping there are some fellow Budoseekers near the Shreveport area that can give me pointers, especically for any instructors that may not have websites.

Thanks again,
Blaine

[Webmaster]

Good morning Blaine, check your private messages.

The Kenpo school is indeed a Tracy's Kenpo school, and they really don't do a lot for me either. They are definitely not of Okinawan origin, but are an offshoot of Ed Parker's kenpo. Not my flavor either, but I have met some folks from the Kenpo world that I really liked, but I've also met my share of total crackpots.

One thing that you might end up eventually doing is just visiting each school, watching and talking with the instructors. Web presence, good or bad is not necessarily indicative of a good school/instructor. Getting on the phone and calling the local YMCA is a good idea, and definitely look in the local Yellow Pages. Instructors may not have web pages, but most try and find some way to get the word out, and the Yellow Pages tend to be one of those. Also, if you haven't already, do a few different Google searches and you will probably find a few that are not in the Dojo Locator. Finally, check out the local universities and community colleges. Most will have a few martial arts clubs and if anything, you can stop by and get some recommendations from them if they restrict training to only those associated with the university/college.

Anyway, if anything comes up in my inquiries, I'll let you know.