Shotokan karate

Eye of the Tiger · Purple Belt

I got this veiw from my teacher.

Shotokan karate has low stances so low that your are almost immobile and he has told me over and over how bad people are teaching Shotokan jarate today that you should have this really low stance. he goes on how he has taught shotokan students all dan grades and they gave him no respect. So he challenged the whole class and beat them all.Because of their low stance he just walked forward and kickthem in the groin and they could do nothing. So Whats up with shotokan? But he sais its how they teach it today thats wrong but then when shotokan was first taught how is it different today.

Kensai · Black Belt

lol Tiger.

You are one funny guy

Take Care

Red J · Black Belt

I think this thread could get a little hot.

I had a little shotokan experience back in college. I came from a different style and I saw nothing but respect and solid technique. Maybe the sensei was just teaching it right.

Xtreme Fury · Orange Belt

I don't think your sensei should be kicking people in the groin.

G95champ · Black Belt

Shotokan teaches the low stance for kata, and practice. You will see us do one and three step sparring in it. However I have never been taught to free style spar in it. The low stance is to build power and strong legs. Also gives you good leverage on people who want to rush. I understand your point but at the same time I don't think anyone actually teaches people to fight in a deep stance.

With that said every style has its weakness and things we do not like about it. I will agree with Xtreme Fury that your Sensei has a problem if he wants to kick people in the groin. SD is differant that just proving a point. I would also like to say that if he was able to kick every student in class in the groin the class was not taught very good in the first place. Shotokan teaches the down block first of all. Any quality white belt should be able to protect his groin.

This is in the combat section. I will be the first to tell you Shotokan is not a great combat art. Because of the focus on kata more than anything. However Shotokan students will have more power than most people equal to them only because we work the low stance over.
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(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

Xtreme Fury · Orange Belt

I heard most shotokan places has turned into a more sporty type of art. I think I'm wrong though.

shotochem · Pre-Black Belt

I agree with G95, low stances are taught to build leg strenght and endurance. We are never taught to stay down low while sparring. We may drop down lower on certain techniques, but we certainly do not stay there all the time. The rule is do not get down so low as to where you cant move. I find it hard to belive that dan grade students can not throw a simple block to aviod a shot to the grion. Thats one of the first techniques you learn?????
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Pain is only temporary, the memory of that pain lasts a lifetime.

ramymensa · Black Belt

Shotokan is a traditional art and thus it seems to belong to another age, although it's not that old

We do low stances, but as others said we also use high ones. It is said that low stances are for the beginners and as you "grow" you start using "natural stance".
An instructor who is not respected UNCONDITIONALLY by his students is weird ... i don't want to call him stupid, or incompetent ... It would be too rough ...
He is not allowed to bully his students and a karate practitioner should have more PATIENCE. And kick them ... there ... That's childish. In Shotokan we don't hit in that place ... because I guess it's not fair

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World Shotokan Karate

G95champ · Black Belt

Another point about the low stance. We teach to shift into the low stance to deliver that one big kill shot at the end of the combo. This give you more power. Sure it may look old fashion but like the old saying goes" if its not broken don't fix it". A quality shotokan black belt can hold his onw with anyone IMO. Just as a quality TKD, TSD, Ju Jitsu, etc can. The problem is that there are way to many black belts out there that are not that good.
_________________
(General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory."

Mark Groenewold · Yellow Belt

This should be a fun thread.

Yes, good Shotokan karateka can hold their own against anything with a pulse.

Yes, instructors kicking students in the groin is outrageous in any situation.

Yes, it is weird that a room full of students would stand imobile while the teacher wanders around the dojo playing football with their gonads. Run man! Run!!!

Low stances are training stances. If you can do technique low you can do it higher up. The reverse simply is not so.

I'm not such a tough guy but the toughest guys I ever spar against are all Shotokan dudes.

The thing about Shotokan which makes it special (imho) is that it is has a one-shot fight approach to kumite. Every punch, block, and kick is designed to dispatch the greatest amount of damage possible to the attacker. Shotokan is an "all or nothing affair".

For some it is all they need. For others, its nothing.... (that's too bad though...

)

Mark Groenewold
Kanazawa, Japan
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