What are the differences in karate styles?

Answer 1

There are way too many to count! First you can divide it by the country where it is currently practices. While the source countries are considered Okinawa, Japan and Korea, there are also variations developed in many other countries, including the US. And there are divisions within the countries. In Okinawa, there are three major divisions, and each of those has dozens of sub-groups.

Answer 2

Yes and No. The primary influences of karate can be traced back to a single area, but as it 'travelled' from country to country, local skills were mixed in to create something different. Karate originated on the island of Okinawa, now a part of Japan. It was created by combining the local Okinawan art of Te with influences of Chinese Kung Fu.

Several hundred years later, Okinawan teachers went to Japan and taught karate there. Elements of the existing Martial Arts were incorporated and merged to become various styles of Japanese Karate.

From Japan, karate was taught in Korea, merging with the native martial arts there to develop a slightly new style. Each of the styles puts the focus on slightly different things. But if one watches a variety of skilled practitioners, you will begin to see differences and similarities between the different branches. But the ultimate goal of all karate-ka is to become a better person.

Answer 3

There are dozens and dozens of styles of Karate. Three of the major divisions are based on the primary country, Okinawa, Japan and Korea. All of the types have a large part of their origins in the Karate of Okinawa. For starters:

Okinawan

• Shorin Ryu - Created by the students of Anko Itosu
  
• Isshinryu
• Goju Ryu - founded by Chojun Miyagi in 1930 - student of Kanryo Higaonna
• Shuri-te
• Shito-ryu (founded by Kenwa Mabuni in 1932) - student of Kanryo Higaonna and Anko Itosu primarily

Japanese

• Shotokan - founded by Gichin Funakoshi in 1936 - student of Anko Azato and Anko Itosu
• Wado-ryu (founded by Hironori Ohtsuka in 1938) - student of Gichin Funakoshi and Shinzaburo Nakayama

Korean

• Tang So Do
• Tae Kwon Do

According to the Dai Nippon Butokukai (the Japanese governing body for martial arts that is a part of the Ministry of Education) there are four major styles of karate in the world.

Goju-ryu (founded by Chojun Miyagi in 1930) - student of Kanryo Higaonna

Shito-ryu (founded by Kenwa Mabuni in 1932) - student of Kanryo Higaonna and Anko Itosu primarily

Shotokan (founded by Gichin Funakoshi in 1936) - student of Anko Azato and Anko Itosu

Wado-ryu (founded by Hironori Ohtsuka in 1938) - student of Gichin Funakoshi and Shinzaburo Nakayama

Karate is a Japanese art that originated in Okinawa. Arts developed outside of Okinawa or Japan are *not* karate, but may have ties to those systems. Ex: Tae Kwon Do... General Choi studied Shotokan in Japan, but when he returned to Korea blended it with a native Korean system to create TKD to teach to the military.
there are many some derived or made up from others, some very original, some original but modernized and improved.

Answer 4

There are dozens, of not hundreds, of styles of karate. Here is a quick sampling of some of the more well known, each of them can be broken down into multiple sub-styles.

Okinawa

* Shorin Ryu * Goju Ryu * Isshin Ryu * Shito Ryu * Wado Ryu * Chito Ryu * Shudokan * Kyokushin * Shuri Ryu * Uechi Ryu

Japan

* Shodokan

Korea

* Tae Kwon Do * Tang Soo Do

Answer 5

There are undreds of karate styles. ANd eaach one is differnt to other in some way or other.

• Kyukushin is more aggressive and involve some groung combat too.
• Shito-ryu is a light style with more emphasis on self-defence than being aggressive. It has most kata.
  
• Shoto kan is the most popular style. It has some hard techniques.
• Wado-ryu is a very fast style.
  

Answer 6

In general, the difference focuses on the techniques that are considered most important. Some stress kicks, other grappling techniques and still others on specific types of strikes or blocks. But because the human body only moves in certain ways, the basics remain the same.

Answer 7

There are hundreds of styles, so no list is going to be complete, but here's a start:

• Shorin Ryu
• Shotokan
• Goju Ryu
• Tai Kwan Do
• Tang So Do

Answer 8

Goju-Ryu, Shotokan-Ryu, Wado-Ryu, and Shito-Ryu are the types of karate.

Answer 9

There are a number of different martial arts, and karate is one of them.

Answer 10

There are too many to name. There are three primary country divisions, Okinawan, Japanese and Korean. Within those there are dozens, if not hundreds of smaller groups.