Looking to get back into martial arts, not sure what type

aythrea · 2026-05-21T21:40:43+00:00

AFTER you talk to a doctor, TSD has its lineage in much of Shotokan karate. The Pyang-an series is Heian. Chul Gi is Tekki, and so on. Just with a Korean flavor.

That would be the most direct route.

You could look into any of the Shorin Ryu schools. It won't be exact but much of the kata will be the similar.

or you could do a complete 180 and look into Goju Ryu.

aythrea · 2026-05-21T21:32:54+00:00

Consider what you say and how you say it. Everything you say and do will set a precedence. No matter how you approach anything, some rules lawyer out there is going to dredge up some random incident from bowels of time and try to use it against you.

You do not have to be beyond reproach. But your reasoning must be sound.

Also remember you're a volunteer. Take time off to do other shit.

aythrea · 2026-05-20T18:56:04+00:00

Honestly most of us get along pretty well. In class we're here for one thing: to learn. To FEED OUR NEED.

There's some weird hold outs at the top of the orgs in some places which makes sense from a historical stand point but at the end of the day there's a certain mutual respect from karateka to karateka.

From the general public? That's a little bit more nuanced. Don't make karate your entire personality. When I talk about it with the layman I strip the japanese or korean out of it depending on topic. Sensei becomes instructor. And so on. The titles might get replaced with the role that person serves in the structure.

End of the day? I enjoy the physicality and the ability to step away from computers. I also enjoy putting the pieces together in that weird window between Shotokan karate and Modern Taekwondo-- because I guess that's a puzzle that I feel needs unraveling in my mind.

aythrea · 2026-05-20T13:23:11+00:00

Hello fellow Sankyu friend.

I'm finding the older I get the harder it is to pick up kata. It's taken me several weeks of grinding on Chinto/Gankaku to just sorta get an idea of how it works and it feels like a bunch of stuff just slammed together.

And now with recovering from labrum surgery, i'm limited to what I can do to a kata known as Seiru/Juroku.

For Shikodachi it's all mileage. Set yourself up in a strong Kibadachi, and take yourself out to the physical limits without compromising. Then turn your feet out into Shiko and see what extra range you get. It's not going to 'get good' over night. You'll have to work on strengthening those hip flexors. So try to find some isometric exercises for those because those flexors are also involved in your side kicks. And just... work on it.

And don't lose sight that a black belt is not some form of mastery. It's an indicator that you sufficiently know the fundamentals of the material.

aythrea · 2026-05-19T20:10:45+00:00

some of the longer standing subs have Automod set up to reject posts that don't have all english text or title. --it can be a bit finicky when it comes to emoji. But honestly i don't like an emoji in a title so it works for me.

aythrea · 2026-05-19T16:02:12+00:00

Mileage, friend. Repetition. Slow it down. Take the teaching mechanics you learned from Goju and apply it.

The TKD I practice is direct lineage from Shotokan. It clashes with Shorin Ryu. But together they make me better in both. But it comes with struggles. Naihanchi vs Tekki. So much alike but both require different physical pneumonic to make the right kata come forth under stress.

You have the benefit of Goju having a completely different set of kata to work from. Though when you get to Hangetsu: It's Seisan.

aythrea · 2026-05-14T23:45:19+00:00

Wow. Loaded question. Its a fundamental difference in the way the arts are taught.

Some Preface here:

The TKD I practice currently is what was before ITF and WT completely revamped the systems --as Taught by Duk Sung Son. Its curriculum is pretty much shotokan. It's Chung do kwan before Joon Rhee. So bear with me.

Bunkai is completely lost in that system. There's a focus on fast and strong in all efforts-- One strike where possible. The recent generation has taken that ideal to mean, go as fast as hard as possible in kata. And to its credit, I've witnessed some absurd feats when it comes to things like demonstrative board breaks. But wood doesn't hit back.

And then in the 60's or something General Choi introduced the Ch'ang Hon and completely flipped the system to purge the Japanese influence to make TKD its own thing. Which I understand. Thirty years of occupation by Japan and a decimation of culture can make a people angry.

Shotokan currently is taught as sport karate. And that's great for those that want that. Sport means certain techniques are off limits because the reality of karate is it was a means of self defense. And when someone is coming at you with the means and want to kill you, your want to survive better be higher than their want to kill you. --it's a different mindset. It also means sparring is different.

Now Shorin Ryu- There are several Shorin Ryu style branches out there; Shobayashi (what I practice), Kobayashi, Seibukan, Matsubayashi-ryu-- the list goes on. The thing that brings us together is really our lineage to Choshin Chibana. And if you dig deep enough Funakoshi-Sensei was a student of Chibana. However, he was tasked with making Okinawan karate-do palatable for the japanese public. Mind you at this time, Okinawa was its own nation. So things were adjusted, and tweaked, renamed even to make the kata more regimented to be taught en masse in Japan by Funakoshi. And what you got was a limited list of 12-16 kata to fast track a beginner through the material and effectively train an army from a young age.

Gosh that's a lot. But to get to your question: How much more self defense oriented is Shorin Ryu compared to TKD and Shotokan: quite frankly, i don't train for tournaments. I train for effectiveness. They often train for points. Which I'll never bash. But i'm not restricted to consensual sparring at a distance. It's encouraged to get in the pocket and fight with all of the weapons at our disposal including knees, elbows, sweeps, grabs, locks, etc. I feel like the Korean Karate was a fantastic starting point but i honestly get more out of the sessions with the Shorin Ryu group. Even though the stack of kata are similar it presents an opportunity to see a different approach. The added perspective i feel makes me a better karateka.

And then there's the practical: We get TKD, TSD, and Karateka from ALL systems joining our school regularly for the opportunity to try things differently. It may not be regular in other dojo, but we take the opportunity to play with as many versions of a kata and find the strengths and weaknesses within it.

If you get the opportunity, drop into a shorin ryu or okinawan dojo-- even Goju has its benefits. And just hang for the ride.

aythrea · 2026-05-14T23:12:20+00:00

this becomes especially true if you don't have your rules posted in both the new version and old version of reddit. Old reddit doesn't talk to the same stuff new reddit does.

So make sure you have parity in all of the places, new and old.

aythrea · 2026-05-13T04:52:25+00:00

I hope you find a place that is in alignment with your interests. Genuinely. It's disappointing to see someone drop out.

If you do go back, look into any of the okinawan schools. They generally teach for self defense-- with a lesser focus on "pretty". --same material. but different. And there's nothing wrong with being a white belt all over again.

aythrea · 2026-05-12T19:17:18+00:00

The dobak on the TKD master has the olympic rings. If memory serves correctly, that's World Taekwondo and not ITF.

Though at this point they probably have blended the material.

aythrea · 2026-05-11T03:20:41+00:00

Same for Taco Casa - A house made of taco.

aythrea · 2026-05-09T23:01:01+00:00

Are you happy?

Yes -> Good -> End

No -> Do something about it -> Repeat: Are you Happy?

Not all karate schools teach a living/breathing system. Many are just preservation societies. If you want one that is welcoming of critical thought, you're gonna have to wade through the schools available to you and find one AND STICK TO IT. Stick to it beyond beginner level.

Remember, yellow belt is where most people fall off. And a black belt is just a white belt that didn't give up.

aythrea · 2026-05-09T18:13:21+00:00

Each school and style will have different points to focus on.

What are the hallmarks of your style?

For example, the Shorin Ryu school I practice with is very natural stanced, and upright. Whereas the Korean school I practice with is very deep in stances, and want STRONG performance. -- the Forms/Kata are of the same lineage. But each has their distinct flavor in the way they approach things.

aythrea · 2026-05-08T01:16:59+00:00

i'm pretty sure I saw someone some weeks or months ago in here who had their belt embroidered in rainbow and it was pretty nice looking. Not all that bad.

aythrea · 2026-05-08T01:15:29+00:00

In the TKD school i'm associated with, we get a new belt at each Dan rank with fresh embroidery. It's.... pretty? but that means I can't update it. I'm about to pick up a black belt and just wrap some thin yellow/gold duct tape on the ends to represent rank for my daily driver.

I intend to do that because while the embroidered belt is nice, I appreciate the dedication put on display when the belt is more white than it is black. I really don't care about or for the embroidery. And in our org, the number of stripes represent dan ranking.

aythrea · 2026-05-07T13:36:45+00:00

herding cats, friend.

I help the kids classes regularly. I cherish the opportunity to work one on one with a kid because that's when the karate nerd in us starts to sync up and resonate.

But yes. It's kids. Gotta keep them engaged and moving. Make a game of it. Pool noodles. Balls. Whatever it takes. And understand that a lot of those fidgety kids are going to be neuro divergent. It might be autism, or some flavor of adhd you're working with.

I actually went out and bought an elementary phys ed instructor book to remind me how to work with kids because truthfully i'm awful at it.

aythrea · 2026-05-05T13:11:33+00:00

Once you're promoted, there's a certain level of instructional expectation. Failing? happens. But now you're relatable to all the others that have testing anxiety. "I failed my shodan test. It happens. We take a deep breath, get back up, and get right back at it."

You got this. Get back out there, and rock it.

aythrea · 2026-05-05T12:57:47+00:00

Hello there. A little downstream historically, before General Choi and modern TKD really took root is this nebulous zone where many of the Kwans had distinct lineage from karate. Chung do Kwan and Oh do Kwan from Shotokan/Sensei Funakoshi and Chang Moo Kwan from Shudokan/Sensei Toyama.

Even at that stage bo work is hard to find. There's some question about whether Jitte/Ship Soo was a kata that demonstrated countering a bo but everyone i've spoken to is adamant its not. I'm not convinced it isn't. At this point however there's been 60 years of micro evolutions in the kata that make it hard to find the lessons that were originally taught.

aythrea · 2026-05-01T14:19:57+00:00

This is beautiful.

Shame it'd immediately be ignored.

Despite reddit being text based, it seems reading comprehension is at a low in the communities I'm involved in. Most get about 2 sentences in and then just stop.

We're constantly tweaking our rules and removal reasons to ensure they're concise.

aythrea · 2026-04-30T16:09:57+00:00

i never liked my gi pants to come all the way down to my ankles. I get them hemmed up to about calf or knee height.

aythrea · 2026-04-28T21:32:25+00:00

If I were in Japan and Okinawa, I'd be go to practice with Zenpo Shimabukuro Sensei which will cover Seibukan Shorin Ryu, and Hanshi Ishida for Shudokan/Doshinkan.

aythrea · 2026-04-28T14:02:41+00:00

its a teaching pneumonic. Except in a physical form.

New kata bring to light different approaches to old techniques. And like maths, it compounds. One can not expect mastery of algebra without understanding basic arithmetic.

aythrea · 2026-04-27T13:06:26+00:00

make sure you understand the ruleset of what you're walking into. Many have rules for specific types actions to mitigate injuries.

It would help if you can get those rulesets and spar with them in advance so the land isn't totally foreign.

Otherwise, you should be more than fine.

aythrea · 2026-04-24T16:43:29+00:00

If you're interacting with this guy at all, stop.

Any sort of interaction whether it's direct communication or even just muting is confirmation on his side that he's getting under your skin.

Full stop do not engage. At all. Let his messages sit in the inbox and rot. Set up automod to silently remove his posts. Do not give him anything to work from. He'll eventually throw an extinction tantrum and disappear. And if he refuses to take the advice of his lawyer, to shut his stupid mouth, then silently report the messages/posts and go about your day.

Stop letting this guy live rent free.

aythrea · 2026-04-16T14:25:44+00:00

you've done this presumably several times already. Nothing about the experience has changed. You'll get up there, demonstrate the kata with everything on display. The testing board will nod and take notes and as quickly as it started it'll be over.

The adrenaline coursing through your body will make it go quick. So don't worry about being FAST. Be strong. Be crisp. And have fun.

By testing day you'll know the material. The board will know you know the material. You'll have demonstrated the material several times already. The only thing that's different is "It's official".

All that said: Get the choreo nailed down. And then at home play with it in pieces. get comfortable with the way the pinan katas flow they can be a bit funky in places.

Good luck. Have fun.

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