My thread is locked so I guess I will place it here.

[supergroup7]

Osu

When I introduced myself I mentioned that:

a) I come from Canada. ( true)

b) I am a mother of 7 children ( true).

c) I train in Kyokushin, and I am a 4th Kyu Green belt ( true)

d) I train in Shotokan karate ( well.. it was true at the time, but now, this is no longer true. I have left Shotokan karate, and no longer train in it. However, I do still carry with me a valid Shodan certificate, and the memories of my training.)

e) I am a Sensei of a Shotokan dojo. ( No longer do I teach karate. I have closed down my Shotokan dojo. Last Tuesday was my final class with my students. If you would like to read about the whole experience I do have a weblog here, and my farewell message to my students here. Today I am merely a student of Kyokushin karate, and I am looking forwards to class tonight.)

[kyokushin4life]

Hello supergroup7, welcome aboard. Enjoy your stay here. Osu!

[Olrac]

osu supergroup7,
Can you tell us more about your reasons?
Were you no longer learning in shotokan and only teaching?
Why do you prefer kyokushin over shotokan?
I am interested because the only karate I know is kyokushin.
Is it the full contact sparring or was it hard to switch between styles?

Olrac

[supergroup7]

Osu Olrac, sure I'll give you as much information as I can while still being respectful to my Shotokan Sensei.

Due to strange circumstances, I had trained in both Kyokushin, and Shotokan karate (with the permission of both Sensei) at the same time for close to 4 years now keeping the arts separate from each other. It was very difficult, and demanding.

Non Contact Shotokan training involves much lunging forwards with great speed, and stopping one's attack within a hair's breath of the target. You work towards surprising your opponent by going from a totally relaxed quiet state to instant momentum, and power. The goal is to catch your opponent in the state of "Kyo" where they freeze, and cannot react to your charge. You attempt to get "Ippon" which is the mentality of "one strike, one kill". Shotokan kumite is quite a strategy moment similar to two cats watching one another for that one moment of weakness, and then jumping quickly in for the kill. As I trained in Shotokan, I noticed that these hard sudden long fast surges were wearing on my joints. I could feel the joints crying out at the quick demand, full long low extensions, and sudden stops. It hurt to meet the demands of the movements, especially in my knees, and hips. I accepted the fact that I did not have young supple body that could learn to cope, and strengthen to take such demands. I learned to smooth out my movements, take off a little more slowly than others, but this meant that I could not catch my opponents as easilly, and that there was more than one moment when I was at a severe disadvantage especially if I was training with a younger male student who was training for tournament. I received more than one hard full contact strike on various areas of my body. The worst being my right elbow. I have no idea how my partner did a front kick that ended up smacking upwards under my elbow instead of striking my abdomen, and sending the force in the proper direction. Since I was training in a non-contact environment, I wasn't ready to absorb, deflect, or dodge the strike. I was standing still, and "trusting" that my partner would use control. This is the average day of Shotokan training, you surge forwards attacking with full speed, and hold positon as your partner counters at you ( with control). There is supposed to be total control on both sides.. yet that doesn't always happen, and I've seen plenty of injuries happening in a Shotokan dojo such as broken fingers, toes, sprained wrists, thumbs, knee damage, etc. I knew in my heart that my time training in Shotokan was going to be limited by how long my body could handle the stress. However, I had been doing o.k. up until now, and I was still enjoying learning, so I continued in the art.

I was still continuing my training in Shotokan, and Kyokushin as I was teaching at my own dojo. I would attend 3 dojo per week doing, more than one day a week I'd be leaving one dojo after class to go train at a second one. There was only Sunday where I would be able to take care of myself, and recuperate from all of the hard training. For 6 months I continued this demand without complaint, and without lowering my output in my Kyokushin dojo, nor my Shotokan dojo. I enjoyed teaching my students. It was always a positive part of my week to go instruct, and to see progress in them. I brought them through 2 belt rank tests with great success. We built quite a positive bond between us.

Everything was going "smoothly", demanding but smoothly.. until my Shotokan Sensei commanded that every student in the higher kyu levels was expected to attend classes at the main dojo in addition to classes in their own dojo. I arranged to bring my lead belts to the main dojo, and to train there over the summer. Suddenly, as I trained with my lead belt in the main dojo, I realized that in my experiences as a karate ka I had developed within me a very different philosophy than my Shotokan Sensei. It was so different that it made things difficult for me to continue teaching, and training in that environment. I knew that I didn't want to sacrifice my values, and goals, and that it was not right for me to expect my Shotokan Sensei to change, therefore the only right choice was for me to leave, and go to where I can train in a way that supports my inner spirituality, understanding, and philosophy.

As you know, Kyokushin is different in it's goal, and mentality. Do I prefer it to Shotokan? I can say that I have no preference. Both arts have their beauty, and purpose, their strengths, and challenges.

I can tell you that I did not chose Kyokushin over Shotokan because of the Full contact aspect. For me, karate is kata. I spar so that I can understand my kata better. I adore Kata, and that in Kyokushin, I have so many more expressions of kata to explore. I have the hard Shotokan based kata of the Pinans, and also I have the solid Goju ryu kata of Sanchin, and I can also learn kobudo kata. The kata universe becomes open to me as I train in Ura, and Tate kata, and feel the effects of changing the movements, and the balance to meet Sakugi Taikyoku kata challenges.

I appreciate my Shotokan training, and I'm proud of my achievements in that art. I cherish the wonderful memories of teaching as a "Sensei". But I have chosen a different path, I have sacrificed all that I have accumulated in this art so that I can follow my spirit, and my heart, and be true to myself.

Have I answered all of the questions?

[kakatootoshi]

Dear supergroup7,
Please accept my best regards with your new path. It is not an easy decision to give up what you have in another style and become a student again and you have made it. You really possess "Shoshin" (beginner's heart), a very important virtue in Budo.

OSU!

[Olrac]

osu supergroup7

yes, you have answered my questions.
Reading your story brings up just one more question.
Where do you find the time to give so much dedication to 2 types of karate while you have also 7 children and a family life?
The way you tell your story, I think that you've made the right decision.
I wish you lots of luck on your kyokushin path.
Oh, and have some repz

[Setsuna162]

Your reason is the same as mine when I choosed to change from Shotokan to Shanshou Kickboxing. It is the difference in idea.

[supergroup7]

Osu, thank you kakatootoshi, it has been a difficult summer as I fought to find my path amongst all of the various pulls, and pushes of this decision. Now that I have made a choice, all is peace. Thank you for your compliment, I cannot think of a better state of being than having a beginner's mind. Osu

Osu Olrac. I don't mind asking questions, nor answering them. Thank you for your interest.

Where do you find the time to give so much dedication to 2 types of karate while you have also 7 children and a family life?

At one point all of my family members were training in Shotokan karate. Yes, at one time all nine of us trained together under one Sensei. My former Shotokan Sensei ( he stopped teaching when I became a purple belt, and my family dearly misses him) would tease me that I was truly getting a bargain with our family membership. My family created a full class just by ourselves. My daughters became known as Sensei's bookends because each time that he walked into the dojo they would run to his side, one on his right, and one on his left, and just stand there with big ear to ear welcoming grins on their faces. My children would have attempted to jump to the moon if Sensei had asked it of them. My 3 little girls ( ages 6 to 9 years) were willing to compete as a team kata performance at our local tournament as tiny white belts against the more advanced adult black belt teams. I have to say that although their performance was hesitant, and awkward, I felt such pride that they had the courage to go up, and compete. My husband achieved 1st kyu. He would join me in my dojo to help me with my older more advanced students. My teen daughter, who achieved 6th kyu in Shotokan, and later on 8th kyu in Kyokushin, came to my dojo once a week to help me with the children's classes as my assistant. I have to say that it is through the support of my family that I was able to dedicate so much time to training, especially the year when I was doing extra training to prepare for my Shodan test. My older teenagers would make supper, and watch the younger ones for those hours. My personal achievements in Martial arts were actually a group effort of the whole family. I also worked hard to make sure that I would be there for my children balancing the demands of training with the needs of my household. I was walking a very narrow path between all of the various responsibilities, and expectations, and yet managing to be there for my children to help with homework, prepare their lunch, walk them to school, or read them a bedtime story. I was still able to attend classes at my various dojo, but it took alot of organization, compromise, and planning. My oldest son is 20+, and my youngest son is 8 years old.. so it worked pretty well.

Sadly, the events of the summer have left a sour impression on my family towards Martial arts, and I remain as the only member that continues to train in karate. Just so that you do not get the wrong impression, I'm not saying that the events caused my family to quit karate, it was a combination of many different things. However, the end result is that I am now the only karate ka in the family.

Thank you Olrac for your support, I appreciate it.

Osu Setsuna, How high a rank did you achieve in Shotokan before you chose to change to Shanshou Kickboxing? What concepts in Shanshou did you find supportive to your training? I would like to hear more about this as it seems to echo what I have just experienced.

[sonofkanga]

R-e-s-p-e-c-t1!!!!!!!!!!!
A big pink to you.
Your courage is admirable.