I have a 16 month old daughter and I was thinking of getting her into martial arts when she is 4 or 5. As some of you may know, I have been in kickboxing/Muay Thai for 20 some odd years now but I think that it would be too tough for her and have always said that MT should be for early teens.
There is a Kyokushin dojo just a few blocks from my house and I thought this might be a style that we both could enjoy. They do kids classes, but also have some pretty highly ranked fighters in Kyokushin tournaments etc...
Would anyone with experience give me some advice on wether I would enjoy it? Is there a lot of katas (I HATE katas). Lots of sparring (I LOVE sparring). Would a guy with a lot of MT history enjoy it?
I'm pretty open minded, just want some opinions for the wealth of knowledge on here.
Thanks.
Hey Canuck34,
Where do you live?
There is quite a few katas but how many of them you do depends on the dojo. You need to know the katas for belt testing, but some dojos do more fighting than kata. If you find a good club with experienced fighters then you will enjoy it. You should check it out.
Chad
canuck34 -You probably won't even notice the difference, imo. I started with Kyokushin and still love it years later.
Would anyone with experience give me some advice on wether I would enjoy it? Is there a lot of katas (I HATE katas). Lots of sparring (I LOVE sparring). Would a guy with a lot of MT history enjoy it?
I'm pretty open minded, just want some opinions for the wealth of knowledge on here.
Thanks.
Cool, thanks Abe. Do you train MT now?
I love MT, but I'm getting old and my wife doesn't love the idea of me sparring with 22 year old fighters anymore.
Also, as I said earlier, I think that MT is too rough for little kids.
I like that Kyokushin had leg kicks and a guy who used to kick my ass in MT sparring started out in Kyokushin and had a really cool style of fighting that threw a lot of guys in the gym off.
I'm thinking I'd like to start up soon because I'd like to be experienced by the time my daughter starts up. I think my wife would like it more than MT as well.
I'm a Muay Thai guy mainly but Kyokushin is an awesome style. Kyokushin is an awesome base to have before you go into MT as it gives a great base in power kicking to the head, as you're not allowed to punch the head.
Great knees too. Tough sport.
canuck34 - Cool, thanks Abe. Do you train MT now?I switch between MT and Kyokushin depending on what part of NYC I'm in. Seriously, I think both really compliment each other. You'll pick up something from each.
It looks like they should have some pretty good fighters there. You will likely enjoy it alot.
The fighting tends to be closer quarters than most styles without the clinching. Just watch your ribs, since there is no head punching guys get great at breaking ribs.
As for the kata think of it as a fitness tool. Practice all your kata's with a weight vest on and use it to build the strength in your legs.
Goodluck and enjoy.
OSU!
Thanks for the input guys.
I think I'll have to try it out. Going to be hard not to punch in the head though after 20 years of boxing/kickboxing and Muay Thai! Wearing a Gi will be a weird change as well.
I'll be a white belt!
canuck34 - Thanks for the input guys.That's why I say they compliment each other. In Kyokushin you focus on 'breaking the body down' with strikes, mostly to the torso and hard leg kicks. A lot of times the body is ignored in other styles, including Boxing. Keep your MT training and add on with Kyokushin.
I think I'll have to try it out. Going to be hard not to punch in the head though after 20 years of boxing/kickboxing and Muay Thai! Wearing a Gi will be a weird change as well.
I'll be a white belt!
I keep thinking I'll check out Kyokushin but the no head punches is such a turnoff to me. Why, why, why...
abe, where in nyc do you recommend taking kyokushin?
this 110 pound chick thinks her karate will beat my grappling
If you have trained with heads punches for years Kyokushin will really improve your game. I have boxed for years and I really like the change. I find now when I start punching to the head peoples bodies just scream at me to hit them. There are few things that will make you feel better than folding someone in half with a good body shot.
OSU
one more thing...
Can you catch kicks in kyokushin? I've watched some vids on youtube and I only saw one guy catch a kick.
It's something I do A LOT of in MT. I went back and trained regular kickboxing from time to time with my old instructor and found myself constantly catching kicks (which is against the rules in above the waist kb).
You could be a black belt by the time your daughter is 4-5 years old .
What's the sparring format? I know there are points, but is it continuous? Or how often do they stop and restart?
Kyokushin is pure awesomeness. I trained with Yasuhiro Shichinohe, the Kyokushin branch chief of Okinawa. In his classes kata was hardly trained at all, only before belt testing. Most of the classes were bag and pad work, conditioning, basics, and sparring.
Kyokushin is a fantastic martial art. The instructors tend to be hard as nails. The instructor at a Kyokushin dojo in Edmonton had a broken hand but he still did finger pushups in the class warm up. This particular club was into full contact sparring even at the white belt level. They also taught Brasilian Jits.