Okinawa

[mkim680]

I will be moving to Okinawa and wanted to know if there are any kung fu schools in the area? I really want to find some internal schools but will take anything. I know there are plenty of karate schools but my background has always been in northern and southern styles of kung fu.

thanks

[pazman]

You are in luck because Okinawan Karate is southern and northern kung fu.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Going to Okinawa and doing kung fu is like going to China and doing Karate.

[mawali]

I was stationed (early to mid 1980's) there and there were no kungfu schools. If you are lucky, you may find the 'old' Naha-te systems but the training tends to be more "traditional" than mainland Japan (in my view).

Pazman is on target where he states that Okinawan karate is basically Southern kungfu, albeit transformed in Okinawa as we see and know today.

[SoCo KungFu]

There was no kungfu when I was there (2002-2006). At least none advertising. There was a Shaolin-Do school opening up on the street that runs across the primary gate at the air force base (I think it was 58, but its been a while and I don't remember street names). They used to be on the bases. I went once and left when I found out their blue belt trying to "correct" me had only been training for a couple months. Its the highway that ran down the west side of the island. In Naha all you'll find is karate and kickboxing. I think in Moromi there was a big goju school that accepted a lot of Americans, some of the guys I was stationed with went there but I don't remember where exactly it was. There were 2 judo gyms that advertised, but I'm sure there may be more.

Honestly, just pick a place. If its Karate, whatever. Find a place that has not an overload, but a solid group that isn't too big. Those are usually the places that offer karate in the day then at night they go at it hard and train people for their local fighting circuits. How many opportunities are you going to have to be able to say you trained karate in Okinawa?

[Dale Dugas]

If you want a style that is close to Kung Fu, go for Uechi Ryu.

My first style that is still paying me dividends from the training.

Very similar to White Eyebrow(Bak Mei), And South Mantis.

[HungKuenH]

this looks like a good place,to bad its in french but maybe u can contact the uploader...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRiI6kIdjmk

gojo ryu might be also of interest..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ure59Ub73g

[Pork Chop]

Just to be up front: I went to high school in Okinawa, I'm married to an Okinawan, and I speak the local dialect.

There was a kung fu school on base in the 90s, they practiced at Kadena USO near gate 2. That's where I initially came up. Offbase, you can probably find the Japanese Wushu Taiji Federation out Kadena gate 2, at the convention center east of the gate road (east of BC street).

All that being said, I think you'd do better picking up some Uechi Ryu/Pan Gai Noon, Shorin Ryu, or Goju Ryu out there. TONS of legit teachers and what you'll learn won't be too far from Chinese kung fu. Higaonna's Goju ryu is probably my favorite, but there are a lot of legit schools especially offbase.

[JamesC]

Dude, if you're in Okinawa and have the chance to train with some living legends of Karate-do why wouldn't you do it?

Most of those old guys have spent years putting their art to the test in sparring. Unlike most TCMA. That's a no brainer to me.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Check out the kid in the beginning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCrbZ...19601448503CC5

[Miqi]

Gichin Funakoshi's autobiography was a great book. I read it a few times - very inspirational.

[A BIONIC LEG]

I'm stationed at Kadena and I can tell you a few things. First, there is a wing Chun school about 10 minutes down the street (58). Second unfortunately the school right out gate one is closed he moved (PCSd for us military folks) I used to rent his space to practice my kung fu. And finally, I've been here for almost three years and have gotten rather close to some of the Uchi Ryu students. Withe that being said... If you don't find a kung fu school, Uchi Ryu all the way. Deep roots in iron body as well as some hung gar. The main school is a 3 minute walk from my house and the Master that teaches is one of the coolest peeps I've met on the island.

When do you get here?

[mkim680]

Can anyone tell me how uechi ryu or okinawan karate and kung fu styles are similar? The videos I saw, there were some similiarities between uechi ryu and the southern mantis systems. However, I was wondering if uechi ryu stresses internal development or is it simliar to muai thai conditioning?

thanks
mark

[Pork Chop]

Can anyone tell me how uechi ryu or okinawan karate and kung fu styles are similar? The videos I saw, there were some similiarities between uechi ryu and the southern mantis systems. However, I was wondering if uechi ryu stresses internal development or is it simliar to muai thai conditioning?

thanks
mark

Uechi Ryu has some of its roots in a bunch of Fukien short hand styles (Crane, Tiger, Dragon) - hence the similarities with southern mantis. I think Morio Higaonna set up a Sanchin/SamJin performance demo with people from the Okinawan and Fukien styles so you could can see them all next to each other. It should be on youtube.

Uechi stresses both the hard internal development and hard external conditioning (actually different than muay thai however).

[A BIONIC LEG]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUa9nSTujV8

I hope the link worked, but the gentleman in the video teaches right down the street from my house.