Shorin Ryu Karate

[dbulmer]

Can someone tell me about Shorin Ryu Karate?
I have searched the web for some good solid information about the style but found little. I am interested in its techniques rather than history. The websites I found seem to suggest that it's all Kata but I suspect there's more to it than that.

Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.

[Former castleva]

I´ll send some links that I find during search process.
http://www.shorinryu.com/
http://www.inch.com/~sritter/
http://www.shorin-ryu.net/
http://www.matsubayashi-ryu.com/
http://www.sczenkarate.org/
http://www.soton.ac.uk/~shorin/
http://www.okinawan-shorinryu.com/
http://www.sentex.net/~sensei/RSK/
http://www.shorinryu.com/Denver/denver.htm
http://www.tanega.com/shorin-ryu/

There seem to be more,this is a part.
I know very little about this style,but I´ve got the idea that it is a respected style (reading this site)
I also believe "shorin" is "shaolin" in chinese,and shaolin is "small forest" in english.
Having this knowledge I believe it´s roots lie in China (as there are japanese and okinawan styles) Chinese martial arts are believed to be the root of Okinawan karate.


I also think it is one of the "big" styles of karate (in this case,probably okinawan) well recognized style.
:)

[omegapoint]

Shorin Ryu (Shaolin Flow) is one of the original, major systems of Okinawan Karate. It is the parent style of Shotokan, TKD, Isshin Ryu and many others. Depending on the system, most ryuha (subsystems) teach a punching and kicking based art with a lot of Okinawan Tuite (Okinawan Grappling) mixed in. Weapons are also an integral part of the advanced training (Kobudo/Kobujutsu).

The most orthodox ryuha include Matsumura Seito (Orthodox), Kobayashi and Shobayashi. Matsubayashi is a little faster and more linear than the others, and many on Okinawa think of it as the most modernized.

As you may know all karate comes either from the Okinawan Naha-Te or Shuri-Te traditions. Tomari-Te was integrated with Shuri-Te, and became Shorin Ryu. Goju Ryu and Uechi Ryu are the two most popular systems of the Naha-te tradition. Naha and Shuri are cities (actually in the same area of the island) where these arts came together. Shorin is an amalgamation of Shaolin Chuan Fa (as taught to Sokon Matsumura by Sifu Iwah), Okinawan combatives or "Te/Ti", and Jigen Ryu Kenjutsu, the Satsuma Samurai Clan's way of fighting. One of the original cross-training styles!

Okinawans love grappling and Matsumura Seito great Hohan Soken was very fond of groundfighting and standing tuite (especially dian xue or pressure point manipulation). These are aspects of fighting you will not find in modern Japanese styles like Shotokan and ****o Ryu. I found while cross-training in BJJ that my sensitivity and application of ground techs was quite refined for a white belt. My instructor Caique said I was a natural, and I told him that "no it was my training in Shorin that made me this way".

It is a good art, and Shorin stylists pride themselves on knowing and practicing a great tradition (with some modern tweaking of course). It can be fast and furious, or soft and yielding, like all karate was meant to be. If you want real karate try Shorin, Goju or Uechi. You can't go wrong. Good luck and train safe...

[rogue]

"Okinawans love grappling and Matsumura Seito great Hohan Soken was very fond of groundfighting and standing tuite (especially dian xue or pressure point manipulation)."

Any books or sites for more on this?

[dbulmer]

Thanks for the info guys.
I do Wing Chun and was curious about the style. I'll be checking out the links so many thanks again.

[omegapoint]

Originally posted by rogue
"Okinawans love grappling and Matsumura Seito great Hohan Soken was very fond of groundfighting and standing tuite (especially dian xue or pressure point manipulation)."

Any books or sites for more on this?

Rogue, here's an article about Hohan Soken. Actually it's an interview. As far as books is concerned, I don't know of any. If you have a Matsumura Seito dojo or instructor in your area then you could ask him. Well, here's the link to that interview...

http://www.geocities.com/suiken000/dojo.htm

Later...

[rogue]

Thanks Omegapoint.

[omegapoint]

You're welcome, Rogue-san. Have a great weekend, brother!