Is Shotokan Karate Worth Learning?

At its core, Shotokan Karate focuses on defence. It is one of the most common and popular styles of Karate worldwide. If you are looking for a martial art skill that is useful for self-defence or in real-world scenarios, or just worth signing up for – you may be wondering if this Karate is the right program to enroll in. Of course, in a real-world scenario, the conditions are widely different from the control of a dojo. That doesn’t mean learning Shotokan Karate is not a good idea. In fact, Shotokan Karate is an excellent type of Karate to pick up if you want to build on self-defence skills. As its training system is almost purely focused on self-defence techniques, it can be very effective to learn with practice and training. With proper training and dedication, with Shotokan Karate, you will learn sufficient self-defence skills to take into the real world.

What is Shotokan Karate

Shotokan Karate is a style of Karate that uses techniques of punching, striking, kicking and blocking, which is common across all Karate styles. But, what Shotokan also teaches you, is character. It is proven to lead to better personal development, a healthy body and mind, discipline, focus, coordination, confidence, and social skills. Shotokan Karate was not founded for sport but emphasizing commitment towards a healthy life.

As Self-defence

As stated above, Shotokan Karate is built upon techniques that help you block and repel attacks. It is not a sport-based style that you see in Karate competitions. It gives students the tools to be better prepared should a real-world fight scenario arise.

Properly mastered Shotokan techniques enable one to defend. With Shotokan Karate you:

• Train until the techniques become natural to you through constant repetition throughout your classes
• Improves your physique and strength with a focus on arms and legs
• Improves mental toughness by sparring with different skilled opponents
• Learn the best skills for different situations such as when to use redirection, evasion, and distance, and which strikes to use

While the basics are enough to pass for effective self-defence skills, you would need to fully integrate yourself into the Shotokan system, through dedicated training over time to truly earn the benefits and effects. With proper Shotokan, technique comes patience and commitment.

Does it Use Weapons?

Shotokan Karate is an unarmed technique in most cases. There are some katas that bring in nunchaku or bo staffs among other weapons. It is often in higher years of practice that a Shotokan Karate student becomes weapons-inclusive.

 How Long Should I Expect to Train?

With Karate, it is always expected from serious students to be a lifelong commitment. With diligent training and frequent classes, a skilled student can reach the black belt in 5-7 years. Of course, that is based on an individual’s natural ability and skill. To earn a black belt it takes patience, time, commitment and dedication to training. 

It’s interesting to note that only 2% of students go on to achieve a black belt. So while up to seven years doesn’t seem like a lot of time, the commitment required can cause a lot of stress which leads to a majority of students stopping pursuing the black belt. While not necessarily out of reach to the average student, the black belt is a prestigious accomplishment in Shotokan Karate that is definitely worth training towards.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a Karate program that can teach you self-defence among a great variety of other skills and live traits worth learning, look no further than Shotokan Karate. The Powerhouse Academy offers Shotokan Karate for Kids in a warm, nurturing environment to help students excel.