yeah, it's one of the youngest styles of karate. I believe it was founded by Mas oyama. Unlike other styles of karate, it has been relatively open and is one of the first styles of karate to actively use leg kicks and what not. Many of the successful fighters appear in K-1.

 

Right on, at least some people have heard of it. Its wierd, I dun run into many people who know or have heard of Kyokushin yet im told it is one of/if not the most widely practiced Karate sytles in the world...oh well...

 

Hmmm... I don't think I've heard of kyokushin karate either
The big ones around here are shotokan (obviously ), kenpo, goju, and Okinawan styles like shorin-ryu.
Looks like I'll have to do some research into it, unless someone would care to provide a link to an info page for me
I don't think I've noticed kyokushin in K-1 recently either. Most of the fighters seem to favor kickboxing techniques, whether it's Muay Thai (yeah!), savate, or homegrown variations (e.g. Ernesto Hoost's Dutch style). Unless... Satake Masaaki wasn't kyokushin, was he? I sure hope he wasn't hehehehe.... because if you remember Satake, you sure wouldn't want him to represent your style internationally LOL

 

Funny, same thing is said of Choy Lay Fut for kung-fu. I think it's the most widely practiced because most of the people practice the style. Maybe Asians in Asia train in martial arts than other places and therefore it is the most widely practiced in the world.

 

I believe Andy Hughs, Francisco Filho and Nicholas Pettas, all K-1 fighters were/are predominantly kyokushin. Of most of the styles, kyokushin is probably the one that is more combat oriented. Shotokan doesn't even officially practice kicking to the legs. Another tidbit is that the founder of K-1 practices Seikodan, an offshoot of kyokushin.

 

If i ever get into a little bit of shape I'm gonna go up to oakland and learn eight immortals zuiquan.

 

Are you refering to Ba Ji Quan? If so, nice style. It develops enormous linear power for the practitioner.

The 1994-1998 World Muaythai Tournament (in Bangkok) champion utilized Bajiquan and Tanglang (praying mantis) styles to win. I'm sure there are more recent people from any system who can match winning four times in a row, but it'll probably never be broken since the tournament is now held every two years instead of four.

 

Yeh...I know Andy Hughs was, if I remember correctly he went from Kyokushin to Seidokan... I admit though, I probably dont watch any kind of tournament/championship fighting events as I should, mostly cus I dont have access to them!

 

zuiquan is loosely translated as drunken fist. eight immortals is a a style consisting of various drunken forms of shaolin kung fu. There's a fellow up in Oak-town (tall brother by the name of Troy Dunwood iirc) that runs a school.

 

i always wanted to learn jeet kune do ( i hope thats the right spelling ) , but because of my size ( 6'1, 275 ) i might have to mix up two arts, like judo/jiu jist, or find a vale tudo gym around here

 

jive -- thanks for the heads up!
Impreza01 -- ah, okay I didnt' realize that Filho and co. used kyokushin. Thanks for the info.
Walter -- you might want to consider an MMA style that mixes boxing and hard takedowns/wrestling considering your physique. Leave jeet kune do for the lighter guys that are built like Bruce Lee or Spike Spiegel

You know, it's interesting how regional martial arts can be. Just take kung fu for example. In Hong Kong, the most popular form hands down is Hung Gar (AKA Hung Kuen), the technique invented by Hung Hei Goon and perfected by the legendary Wong Fei Hung. But here in the States, particularly the West Coast, it's not a very form at all. It seems like the biggest one here is Wing Chun, a style that I don't particularly care for. Choy Li Fut is also quite common here on the West Coast, but rare elsewhere it seems. Truly rare is baji quan, AKA Eight Extremities Fist, at least outside of Northern China and especially the Hebei area IIRC. If I were to learn any sort of kung fu, it'd be baji quan or Hung Gar due to the sheer power of these two styles Or San Shou, if you count that as a kung fu.

 

Oh and BTW, that MTV special sucked donkey *****. They didn't accurately depict Muay Thai at all. All they said was "brutal, bloodsport" BS like a Van Damme flick. Nothing of the respect of the Wai Kru, nothing of the gracefulness and power of the Ram Muay, nothing of the rich history of Muay Thai and how it served in defending Thailand against the Burmese and other enemies for centuries, nothing about its modern history as a professional sport. Just a pair of testosterone spouting meatheads from Las Vegas that overpowered a pair of Thai countryside fighters with sheer protein and dietary supplements, not fine technique or good technical skills. The overall attitude of both the American fighters and of the production itself seemed to be very disrepectful to the Thai people and culture as well. And why the hell did they fight in a tiny **** ant village? it's because they probably weren't good enough to take on the national Thai champions at Rajadmnern or Lumpini Stadiums in Bangkok. Pathetic. MTV even edited out the Wai Kru/Ram Muay and the traditional music during the fight. Deplorable. A shame to the noble sport of Muay Thai.

Then again, what else did I expect from MTV?

 

I wanted to see that...sounds like I didnt really miss out on anything. Heh..i only have basic cable!

 

I'm batman!!!! bumpin' this thread meaninglessly... Choku Dori are there still Eggete's meets in So. SF?