Isshinryu, was it a waste of my time?

[chris davis 200]

Espousing TMAs to be good for real fighting was the thing that got my suspicions up of course!

Bless ya! I started to miss such comments!

[Sasami2000]

I didn't know they had Karate in Idaho...

Hmmm.....

Oh yes. It's behind the stake house.

[kengar]

Did you get anything out of it? If you did, then no. If you didn't then yes. I took Isshinryu for several years and enjoyed it. Don't feel I wasted my money. Maybe its just time for you to move on in another direction.

[rob f]

just wondering why you think you wasted your time in isshinryu.Who was your teacher.you must of liked something about it you spent 4.5 yrs in it. I have 22 yrs in some thing must have went wrong.

[DAT]

Tahi Bri,

I'm new to this forum but I have to say you have quite the superiority complex. Rule one of the so-called traditional martial artist is never put down another person's martial art path. Rather, offer constructive criticism by explaining your revelations via personal experience.

One thing I have come to know as a certainty in my 30 or so years in the martial arts...the ones who speak the loudest usually have the most to hide. And BTW, the reason why the vast majority of Karate and Wing Chun practioners cannot defend themselves is because they are usually taught by money hungry phonies who don't know s.... and string along their students. If you were to be taught real Karate as practiced by some American GI's and brought back stateside, I mean real Karate, you would change your tune real quick. The handful of teachers that have carried on the true Karate tradition train rigoriously a few hours a day, know techniques and strategies not taught at your local dojo and can kick some serious ass.

MT fighters are so capable because they train their ass off. The average Karate practioner is doing it on a hobby basis and usually has a nine to five job. As far as Wing Chun goes don't get me started. 99% of it out there is horse s...! It's very hard to find the real thing. However, as capable as Wing Chun can be when taken to dynamic levels, it does, in my opinion have short comings. This may be an oversimplification but the bottom line is that Wing Chun was used/developed by guys 5'6" 150lbs. against guys of equal stature. Because of various reasons, nutrition being the number one reason, U.S. body structures have outgrown some traditional Chinese martial arts. However, I have trained a long time in Wing Chun and I'm well over 200lbs. I feel very confident about my self defense. Although I have to say I have incorporated lots of joint locking and other aspects of various arts. There's nothing wrong with cross training but it all begins, for me, with a Wing Chun mindset.


Bottom line Thai Bri, if someone trained as diligently as most MT guys do they would up their capability by leaps and bounds. MT is a ring sport where you find out very quickly what works and what doesn't. That's the good news for MT fighters, the bad news is look at the longevity of a MT fighter and the damage he sustains over the years. How many 40 or 50 year old MT masters do you see competing? You can only keep up that intensity so long. Old time Karate and Kung fu, masters, the operative word being "masters", can take their martial art into their 80's. You want to do the 100 yard dash for as long as you can or run marathons well into your golden years?
Congratulations on whatever success and notoriaty you have attained but don't slam a fellow martial artist. Let him or her benefit from your hard work and revelations in a civil manner. Being a martial artist is a lifestyle that should develop you as a total person not just a fighting machine.

[Thai Bri]

First of all my main art is not Thai Boxing.

Secondly, you seem to be agreeing with the things I say without even realising it.

Thirdly, being a martial artists should develop you as a total person........ but it should also help you learn to fight. The vast majority of TMAs, for reasons you have so eloquently pointed out, don't. ON BOTH COUNTS!


Keep trying. You'll keep failing.

[DAT]

Read it again, slowly. Keep a dictionary by your side and don't be afraid to use it.

I've expressed my opinion. You've expressed yours, apparently quite a bit on this forum, let the readers decide.

In case we meet again on this forum it's my policy to respond once to a reply as to not perpetuate back and forth nonsense. So, you may have all the final words or says that you want. Peace my friend.

[Thai Bri]

How can I read it again?

I haven't read it once yet.

CONVINCED!!!!!

[darrianation]

hi all i am new here this is my first post but i have been lurking around for about a week now checkin out the threads and what not.

so just to get straight into, i know a lot of you hate karate and thinks is worthless, but plz try to put that aside to help answer my question.

i studied Isshinryu karate for about 4 and a half years, got my black belt in it, and enjoyed it for a while, but just didnt think that it was my style, i beleive everybody has a style that works for them best or that really calls out to them, and Isshinryu wasnt it. So i was wondering did i waste my time studing Isshinryu, is it viable in any sense, and yes i know a lot of people say karate sucks compared to muay thai or mma, or bjj, and even if that is the case does Isshinryu rank high or low in the karate ranks, is it the worst or best or somewhere in the middle, what are everybody's views on it, and what styles would i be easily able to pick up do to my training in Isshinryu, besides the obvious Goju ryu and Shorin ryu, sense Isshin ryu is a combination of those two.

thanks in advance and plz no replies like there is no good karate, or it all sucks.

Ahh Karate sucks

It really depends on what style/system you try next. Some systems can be difficult to make the transition after doing Karate for so long. I began in karate then went into Muay Thai, it took awhile for my MT to stop looking like karate. Then after a couple of years I moved and couldn’t find a MT gym so I began training in Karate again. After 3 more years I started training in MT again.

Now when I do karate the karate guys say what the hell is that? That’s not how that’s done. When I am training in MT the MT guys say that’s not how that’s done. I am always being told to stop doing that do it this way, or that way, blah, blah, so on, and so on, etc.

Still I am glad I did Karate and I am still glad I did MT. I wish I could have stuck with MT and not keep bouncing back and forth between the two but I couldn’t always find a MT gym in the different places I’ve lived. Your time in Karate is not wasted you’ve learned some valuable lessons and techniques.

It’s time to move on if you wanted to stick with striking I would do MT or boxing, but since you already know how to strike why not try some grappling. Judo, BJJ are both good and easier to find than Some MMAs (Vale Tudo is good) or submission wrestling styles (unless other choices are available to you). If you’re interested in weapons like Sticks and knives Kali/Arnis is good, if you want practical self-defense try Krav Maga, or JKD or some other more modern reality based system.