Can someone tell me the difference between shotokan karate and tae kwon do?

Question

They have the same forms tekki, taegue and the pyung on hyung.... I know what i was taught, but also realize there was propaganda involved, would like to hear more sides to the argument

Tae Kwon Do students punch very hard thank you :)

Answer 1

GGM Li Won Kuk (who founded modern TKD) studied Shotokan as well as Tang So Do before founding TKD (actually Tae So Do, originally). So, there are a lot of principles from Shotokan that appear in TKD (shifting body weight comes to mind - yes, others do it also, but the TKD princple of shifting comes out of hte Shotokan principle).

As for having the same forms, they may look similar and have a bunch of moves in the same order, but (for the most part) they are not performed the same way or with the same emphasis (i.e. Shotokan may emphasize deeper stances or varying breathing techniques that are not emphasized in TKD). One of the biggest differences in Shotokan doesn't emphasize kicking high, whereas, TKD does. (And for the haters out there that say that high kicks are useless in a real fight, I would much rather hit you in the ear with my foot from 3 feet away and knock you out completely. Much more efficient way of fighting than to allow you to grab me or even get a punch off.)

Answer 2

Shotokan was founded by Master Gichin Funakoshi in Japan. It was brought to the United States (and much of the western world) by several key Funakoshi students, perhaps the most famous and well known being Tsutomu Ohshima, founder and Shihan of Shotokan Karate of America. I'm not just saying that because I'm a member of SKA, but this is a fact widely recognized by martial arts historians around the world.

If you want to learn about Shotokan, pick up a copy of Funakoshi's book Karate Do Kyohan (translated by Ohshima). It is the "master text" for Funakoshi's teachings.

Hallmarks of Shotokan are strong linear techniques that equally emphisize kicks and punches. Shotokan is also a true "karate" style in the litteral translation. There are no weapons, although modern schools will teach some knife, and bo staff. Also, in SKA, the original ranking system that Funakoshi introduced is still used. There are only 3 color belts, white (8 levels), brown (3 levels), black (5 levels), and no stripes to indicate the level.

Answer 3

Karate means empty fist and Tae Kwon Do mean the way with hands and feet. Some ting like that and YES Tae Kwon Do students do punch but we also do A lot of kicking. Tae Kwon Do uses the bottom half of your body and Karate uses the top half :)

Answer 4

One of the main differences is that Shotokan Karate is Japanese based whereas Tae Kwon Do is Korean (even though it was derived originally from the Shotokan style) and Kung Fu is Chinese. As opposed to most Korean styles where kicking techniques are more emphasized, in the Shotokan system of karate, kicking and punching techniques are emphasized at about equal amount with the hands being emphasized slightly even more.

Answer 5

I agree with poster # 2. TKD may be a little more difficult physically, due to the flexiblilty and balance requirements for the high kicks (depending on age and athletic ability). Karate, for the most part, does not kick above the solar plexus (mid chest). As far as 'guy help', go take a class with him (or just watch a class) and show him that you are interested in what he does. As far as preparing for either, start stretching every day. 90% of martial arts training injuries are from not being stretched out and/or warmed up enough. Good Luck!

Answer 6

karate is japanese, tae kwon do is korean. vary different styles and fundamental. tae kwon do has barrowed a lot of ideas from other fighting styles to fill in missing pieces of the form since all korean fighting arts were banned during the japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945(ish) that might help to explain the same forms, but then again most martial arts share simular concepts. also there is different versions of TKD that varry from association to association or federation or whatever they call it now. karate shares a lot with kung fu but has its own variations of shared knowlede. as for modern comparisons of the 2 styles, both are heavy on the strikeng side. TKD has more flashy kicks and wastes a lot of energy(imo) while karate isnt as flashy as jean claude vain dame might lead you to believe with poses.

Answer 7

i've heard that Tae Kwon Do is the 'Americanized' version of Karate.

Answer 8

TKD tends to be ninety percent kick technique and ten percent hand technique oriented. That has changed somewhat especially with the influence of American instructors and schools where they tend to be seventy or eighty percent kick oriented and twenty to thirty percent hand oriented in the United States. Shotokan is more fifty-fifty with respect to kicking and hands and stresses low to medium kicks to the body, groin, and knee while TKD stresses higher kicks to the head as a target.

TKD does not emphasize the hip in extension in its front kicks or counter hip rotation in executing punches like Shotokan does. Also the traditional TKD side kick stresses full extension of the hip at more than nintey degrees in its side kick before it reaches the target. Hence in a TKD side kick you are looking over your shoulder slightly at the target. In Shotokan they stress projecting the hip into the kick and it getting their with the leg and foot at the same time and only rotating it ninety degrees to the target so you look down your shoulder and leg not over it.

Shotokan is very linear and when you watch two Shotokan stylists fight it's like two freight trains colliding. The strong emphasis on power and lower stances and center of gravity and "one technique" theory make it a very strong attack style if you are in front of the train as it rushes in on you.

In TKD there is also more emphaisis on spinning kicks and using that action as a means of generating power in your kicks and method of attack. In Shotokan spinning techniques are minimal and de-emphasized. Shotokan also teaches more open handed strikes that are very target specific. Strikes like the spear hand thrust, one knuckle, and thumb knuckle strike to certain parts of the body cavity are examples of this.

Culturally these two styles are very diametrically opposed as a result of WW II and earlier prior to WW I and how the mainland was dominated by Japan. TKD was developed as a means of quickly teaching self-defense to its Korean army members originally in the 1940s. At the same time many of the mainland influences present in Japanese martial arts were strickened from them as they were thought unpure. Japan and Korea only exchanged diplomatic relations in the past 25 years as a result of all the war attrocities commited in the early and mid 1900s by Japan on the mainland, including Korea.

Answer 9

Well for starters tae kwon do students don't punch.

Answer 10

most forms of karate include more a mix of punches and kicks. though punches are more important in karate.
taekwondo is also a mix, but is kick oriented.