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Yamarashi
21st April 2003, 15:43
Different from the usual Grappling versus Striking debate, I would like to gather opinions about Karate versus Kung Fu.

I practiced Wado-Ryu Karate (including some ground fighting, since my sensei was also a black belt in BJJ) for 10 years.

When I moved and couldn't find a Wado school nearby, I started practicing Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu (Bak Siu Lum) with a highly respected chinese master.

However, everytime I had to spar (light and full contact), I "felt" my karate techniques and tactics were superior to KF's.

Also, I was involved in 2 real fights, where I ended up using my Wado Karate's techniques.

Why ?

Is really Karate a simplification of Kung Fu, but more practical ?

Are all those beautiful and long Kung Fu movements innefective ?

Or is Wado-Ryu, with its short, powerful but evasive techniques what fighting is all about ?

shadow42
21st April 2003, 16:21
I think your body is using what it knows best.
You practiced Wado-ryu for 10 years. when you switch over to kung-fu you cant expect to adabt instantly and stop using your Wado techs, just because you are learning something different. If I had a dollar for everytime I got yelled at in class for using a karate-style block instead of whatever I was supposed to do, Id have quite a few dollars. You're more familiar with wado-ryu, you're going to rely on what you know to work.

And also, it might just be that it is better!

Gene Williams
21st April 2003, 16:29
It is really not very useful to make those kinds of comparisons. There are good fighters in every art, and every art can teach you what you need to defend yourself. It is the spirit that you build through training that keeps you alive. I'm sure if Royce Gracie were an aikido student or a karate student or a kung fu student he would be just as tough an opponent as he is in BJJ. It is like the old question, "Which is the best gun to use?" Answer: "The one you have." Gene

Bustillo, A.
21st April 2003, 16:50
Originally posted by Gene Williams
It is really not very useful to make those kinds of comparisons....

...It is like the old question, "Which is the best gun to use?" Answer: "The one you have." Gene


Good point.

CEB
21st April 2003, 17:16
Good Morning Mr. Mountain Storm,

Pleased to meet you. My name is Ed. What is yours.

There are over 20,000 styles of Kung Fu that were developed in China. There is no single set of physical characteristics that identifies what Kung Fu is,(the only possible exception is that all good kung fu is hard word work). Ngo Cho Kuen looks sort of like Okinawian Karate. Wing Tsun has no long stance stance work or any pretty or flowery stuff. China is a pretty big place.

Shitoryu Dude
21st April 2003, 17:57
I also get yelled at quite a bit for doing Kenpo blocks in my Shitoryu dojo. Took a good year to break myself of the habits I had built up in three years of Kenpo training. But it still comes back at unexpected times, and now that I am a black belt I no longer get yelled at when suddenly in sparring I perform what is very obviously a Kenpo style attack or response. They work, and I integrate them well with my Shitoryu training. Quite honestly, I find the Kenpo foot and handwork to be much easier and natural - but that is what I trained with first. I am sure that if I had started in Shitoryu and then switched to Kenpo or a similar style I would find the Shitoryu more natural.

The point is, they both work and they work quite well. It is just going to take some time to really integrate both styles into your own personal technique.

:beer:

Goju Man
22nd April 2003, 00:52
Good points Gene and Ed. You know, my philosophy is that whatever I do needs to be useful wether I'm in a Kenpo, Karate, Kickboxing, whatever. I think there is a problem when you are confronted with a what technique do I use here. If that happens in the street, it could be a very hard lesson to swallow.

ShÖgun
22nd April 2003, 03:03
I don't want to dismiss kung fu's potential but whenever i spar with my friend who does kung fu I think it is called WuShu i'm not sure, i tend to beat him with easy. I do Shito ryu style of karate, i don't know what it is about kung fu but it looks like all it is good for is making a good martial arts movies. But like i said i do not want to dismiss kung fu's potential cause i have only fought with one person an one style... an I do not know a lot about chinese martial arts so i do not discredit things i do not know enough about.

Sochin
22nd April 2003, 15:59
Good morning all,

since Yamarashi has not seen fit to stay involved here and we WILL not get involved in style bashing of any kind, and these have all been excellent answers that cover the topic very well,


I'm closing it. If you want to reopen it under a different title, go ahead, just don't set it up as a confrontation between styles, ok?