Karate comes in various flavours, known as styles. There are four big ones worldwide. Please don’t get offended if yours isn’t one of them. In no particular order, they are Shitu-Ryu, Wado-Ryu, Goju-Ryu, and Shotokan. In BC, we have all of these types, and Chitu-Ryu is also big here.
They all have interwoven roots clear back to Okinawa. Each style is quite distinctive. Some have higher stances, some lower. Some perform basic blocks one way, some another. Some kick differently. Some Katas exist in more than one style, while others do not.
Which is the best style? The short answer would be Shotokan, the style I train in. The longer, and better answer is that there is no best.
In tournaments competition, there is no way to predict a participant’s chance of winning based on style.
Shotokan seems to suit my temperament, and physical type. However, there’s a very good chance that I would feel the same about any other style if that was what I’d originally learned.
I recommend any of them to a beginner. My advice is to find a nice teacher, and a friendly club.
Or drop by, and join us.
I am a 68 year old retired teacher living on the west coast of Canada. I spent over 30 years as a student of Karate until my knees stopped liking it. My current passionate activity is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which I've been at for about 13 years.
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