Shotokan karate vs Full contact karate? Which is better in terms of attack and self defence?
831262
the simple truth is that it comes down to the individual and how realistic they train.\n\nThere are some karate schools that train realistically, and some that don't. Shotokahn has a reputation for not training hard at all and just bieng about forms and is useless in a real fight. However, this doesn't mean that there is a school that is realistically training or people in shotokahn that apply it to a realistic setting somehow.\n\nThere is no simple answer to the question because there are too many variables.\n\nThe statement he made about "well why don't we see that art in k-1, or pride or ufc?" is not a statement IMO about the arts uselessness, it is a staement about the art's ability to draw or produce fighters of the mindset to enter k-1, ufc, or pride.  It is an art that may be that way because either: 1- schools don't train that way or 2- the art is just crap.  \n\nIt is unlikely that a martial art is complete crap so it is more likely that it is just bieng taught that way by a vast majority of teachers.
581192
Check the links in the sources below. Also ask at local universities a lot run beginners classes for students. I've got a lot of friends who study Shotokan Karate and really love it (not in that area mind you). Good luck with it.
288238
What do you mean by "better"? \nNeed to defend yourself and want to have skills for all possible scenarios?\nThen what you need would be something like Kajukenbo:\nKA (from a Korean style of karate) JU (from judo and jujitsu) KEN (From kenpo) BO(from Chinese boxing, kung fu) \nThis style has developed a reputation as "the perfected art of dirty streetfighting" \nThe second factor of the kajukenbo philosophy is the notion of taking what works and not being afraid to try other martial arts styles. \nYou learn to do anything it takes to win. \nEven if you have to bite, scratch, and kick, there are no rules. You have to fight like an animal if necessary.
881512
It seems you like full contact sparring, so you have to train a full contact martial art! (Muay Thai, MMA, etc…)\n\nThe most Karate schools are not into full contact. For full contact you need different rules and different safety equipment ! \nSo go out and find a good full contact martial arts teacher. \n\nAnd forget this street fighting bullshit! If you are well trained in sportive full contact, you will do good in the street as well. (see the link)
730374
You can never tell which one is the best just by saying this is a better art then the other.The arts you are mentioning are very different in style and not to compare with the other.\n\nIt depends a lot on a couple of matters.\n\n1.Everybody is different and has a different way of moving, to find the right martial art for you is just a matter of trying them for a while.\n2. what do you want to reach with the sport, do you want it for self defence, to become fitter and more flexible or to become good in a art.\n3. do you like the classes in the first place, every school and every teacher is different so it has to fit you.\n\n \nThe best thing to do is try all of them for a couple of beginners classes, most of the better schools will recoment that to you any way.\n\nTae kwon do is a fast moving and high kicking art, use to be powerfull and fierce, but lately very focust on competitians mostly( Depends on the school of course)\n\nKung fu can be a very good and fierce way of self defense, but not really easy to learn the basics.\n\nKarate can be a very static way of defending, but happy to say they have very various way of practising it, \nAll of them have many styles so enough to  choose from.\n\nthe problem with all of them is that they do not teach you how to break your fall if you are in a ground fight.\n\nI am a martial arts teacher for 10 years now in 4 different arts.\nKarate, tang soo do, Aikido and tae kwon do.\nI practiced about 10 different arts in a period of 22 years and enjoyed them all.\nI alway recomment my students to combine at least 2 of them to really become self confidence.\n\nMy advice is to look around.\nGood luck and enjoy what ever you choose
738295
karate-i took kempo, but tae-kwon-do is also modernized.  make sure it is self-defense-not to be a "gangsta".  i wrestled for six years-that helps with close self defence significantly
382446
I've been a student of combat arts for 22 years now...and I've taken some seriously, and played w/ a bunch of others over the years.\n\nMy two favorites have been Muay Thai simply if anything just for the exercise alone...as well as the conditioning.\n\nFor a striking art alone, it's solid...definitely trains you to take a hit and get over fear.\n\nBut for an all around art that uses everything (chokes, locks, throws, striking, evasion, weapons of all types, and a great combat mentality) my favorite overall has been Bujinkan Taijutsu. I've been studying this art for the last 6 years, and out of everything...it's flat out the most comprehensive art I've ever seen as it focuses on universally applicable principles over set "by the book only" techniques that are too limited both in mentality, and application.\n\nNot to mention, there's a lifetime of material to learn...so unlike Tae Kwon Do for example where you can learn the entire system back to front in 2 years...Taijutsu never gets old as there are always new things to see and experiment with.
485546
Judo = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judo\nKarate = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karate\n\nJudo is more fun than Karate, if you were thinking of taking one of these sports up.\n\nI am also a black belt in Judo, gained my black belt when I was 15 and then gave up when I left school ...... stupid decision I made there :-(
757572
Check them both out....  Which is better for you is a decision you have to make.  From what I've seen both are great for fitness training.  \n\nHowever, if your goals in training are more for self-defense and not sport, you might lean towards Krav Maga first.  Not that Muay Thai is weak in this area.  You will learn some serious hard hitting methods.  But Krav Maga classes tend to address different forms of attack (both armed and unarmed attacks).  It also trains in principles and perspectives aimed more at the average person dealing with a street attacker.  \n\nLet us know which you like.
484250
All martial arts, in the wrong hands, are dangerous.  Now, if the question that you are asking is, which is the most effective form of martial arts if used as a tool in defending ones self or others then that is a matter of opinion.  My humble opinion however, is that the Japanese martial art of Bujinkan Taijutsu (also known to many as Ninjutsu) is one of the easiest forms to learn and one of the most effective at taking on multiple attackers both armed and unarmed.
1117210
You can go to any Martial Arts store or look in most Black Belt magazines which will give you Nakamura's Katas of Shotokan, or Ken Funakoshi.\n\nThe best place is a JKA School or traditional Shotokan Dojo\nBooks and tapes are a poor way to learn only because there is no one with an expert eye to watch your mistakes and correct you or teach you the Bunkai (Application) of the form\n\nThere are still GREAT Senseis alive for you to study with like Nishiyama, Harada, Kanazawa, Ohshima, Kawanabe, etc\n\nGood luck and never give up.\nIt is a passion and way of life. The Bushido (Way of the warrior)
1145651
That depends on what you want out of it. They are all different. They all have strengths and weaknesses. I teach and train in Karate but that's because it's right for me, not necessarily for you. Here are some brief descriptions of the major arts.\n\nKarate - linear punching and kicking (similar to boxing and kickboxing)\nJudo - ground work, grappling, locks and throws\nTai-chi - slow beautiful movements used for exercises\nTae-kwon-do - A lot of kicking (and shouting)\nAikido - Circular movements with locks, holds and throws (non aggressive)\nKung-Fu - Chinese art that is very flashy and great for tournaments.\n\nThe best thing to do is to find an art for you, go to different Dojo's and watch classes. Most Dojo's will let you take a free class. Find whats best for you and work hard. Later you can add another art that compliments your first one.
17241
It all depends on what you're looking to gain from participating in a martial art. I prefer Aikido because I think it has the best moral philosophy behind it. The goal in training in Aikido is to be able to diffuse a conflict without bringing harm to yourself or your opponent. This takes an a great deal of skill and training but it is worth it. If you want an art that goes beyond the physical aspects of how to defend yourself and actually makes you a better person mentally, Aikido is the way to go.
716200
Quicksilver8676: \n\nBEST ANSWER!! Totally agree with every word. I've studied martial arts for over ten years. I teach self defence mixing Taekwondo and Ju Jitsu techniques. Cross training is the way to go but knowlege snf training in ANY martial art will be useful in a REAL situation.\n\nHood_12: \n\nDumbest guy you'll ever meet. Every post he makes is negative about TKD as he was screwed over by his instructor/school. It does happen sometimes. Most people notice they are been taken for a ride after a couple of lessons. Not this moron tho. Took him five years LOL
861940
A lot of good answers above.\n\nIt is important for you to determine your main motivation and goal for wanting to learn a martial art. If it is self defense, esp. for the street, TKD would be better than aikido, but there are more practical arts out there for that (which have been mentioned above). Aikido is a very different style than most arts... no offensive moves (in what I consider the pure forms, there are harder styles), and focuses on relaxation, not tension/ resistance. It has a greater philosophical component, and it takes a long time to learn to react appropriately, since those reactions tend to be contrary to natural instinct. Someone grabs your wrist, the impulse is to tense up and resist the pull, not relax. An instructor said that it would take about 10 years for a student to get to the point to be truly effective in a self defense situation.\n\nI've taken different styles from here and there... ju-jitsu, karate... but hadn't really found one that fit my personality. The goal for me evolved from being practical self defense to wanting to learn a martial art "for the art". I'm a very non-aggressive person. I'm 5'1", and am not going to want to, nor be very effective, in wading in, doing a lot of damage, and get back out, as a lot of hard styles advocate. It just wasn't me. \n\nI found my way to aikido, and that was just the art for me. It is a very philosophical art, which I love. Having no offensive moves fits in well with my personal style, and the art lends itself to people with low centers of balance, so being short is actually a plus. It's a good fit all around for me.\n\nSo it really helps to examine your reasons for learning, and giving different styles out there a try and see what you like and don't like. Good advice from above also in regards to places to study. Be wary of the McDojo's... sit in on classes and get a feel for if the instructor is a good teacher, and does the teaching style fit what you want. If they have large class sizes, how much personal attention do they give to the students... all good things to consider.
665190
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu / Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an highly effective self-Defense system, it is designed to allow a smaller, weaker person defend his or her self in a real world situation. It teaches standing self defense against punching, kicking and various weapons as well as grappling and ground fighting.\n\nJeet Kune Do/Personal Defensive Systems . JKD/PDS takes the best the martial art world has to offer in the area of self-defense and combines it all into one simple and easy-to-learn system. Every range of self defense is covered - Kicking, striking, trapping, Joint locks, grappling, Blunt and edged weapons, and much more. This system is designed to teach you to defend yourself.\n\ngood luck with it...
812238
Judo is a good starter. Taking someone to the ground is actually pretty easy, and the takedown alone can end the fight. Judo also has some great ground fighting basics. Judo is a better choice than jiujitsu ONLY because everyone I know gets hurt in jiujitsu and almost no one I know gets injured doing judo. \n\nBoxing is also an essential because everyone I know hates getting hit in the face, no matter how ugly or how experienced. No avoiding injuries here, just roll with it.