| So you are thinking of starting to train in okinawan | | | | okinawan master, Gichin Funakoshi introduced karate |
| karate. There are a lot of choices as far as okinawan | | | | to the japanese school system. His shotokan style |
| karate schools are concerned. Which school do you | | | | became one of most popular karate styles in the |
| choose ? What is the best school or system? If you | | | | world. Often students would leave to create their |
| are a parent, what okinawan karate school is best | | | | own style. Many honoured their teachers instruction |
| for your children?Karate began in Okinawa, which is | | | | to preserve the art but often, students would have |
| one of the many islands which make up Japan. | | | | disagreements with their teachers and move out on |
| Okinawa was invaded by the highly organized samurai | | | | their own.Regardless of original okinawan karate style |
| clans from the larger Japanese islands. The islanders | | | | or mixture, it is important that the style has a |
| developed okinawan karate to defend themselves. | | | | detailed curriculum, chance for future advancement |
| Okinawan karate was kept alive, passed down from | | | | to ranks above black belt and lots of students and |
| master to student through the generations and | | | | many instructors. You want to be sure if the school |
| eventually became integrated into the school system | | | | is going to be around for a long time if you are going |
| for all of JapanOriginal Okinawan karate wass divided | | | | to be devoting years of study.Some schools are run |
| into styles which were named after the cities in | | | | for profit while others are not. You could say |
| Okinawa that they were developed in. Shuri-te, | | | | not-for-profit schools are closer to the Original |
| Tomari-te and Naha-te are all derived from cities in | | | | okinawan karate system where karate was passed |
| Okinawa. Okinawan karate is heavily influenced by | | | | from father to son, master to student. Of course, If |
| Chinese kung fu or kempo. Okinawans often traded | | | | we trained like they did in original Okinawan karate, |
| with mainland china and maintained friendly | | | | there would only be 1 or 2 students!So long as the |
| relations.Today, there appear to be a enormous | | | | karate school has the students welfare at heart, |
| number of karate styles. However, all are derived in | | | | operating for a profit is not a bad thing. |
| one way or another from okinawan karate. One | | | | |