Whenever I see anything related to judo or taekwondo, it instantly takes me back to my school karate classes. Those were the days when we truly felt like Power Rangers or ninjas—fearless, confident, and ready for anything. We gave it everything we had, pushing ourselves to our physical limits while enjoying every moment. Those memories still remind me of the excitement, discipline, and courage we built back then.

#missingmysportsday

Hello everyone,

I am currently a 10th-grade high school student. I first started doing Shotokan karate back in the 5th grade. However, at the club I attended back then, I could never really find that deep-rooted, traditional spirit I was looking for. The training revolved entirely around WKF (World Karate Federation) sport karate and point-based tournament systems. There was hardly anything related to Bunkai (kata analysis and applications) or deep Budo philosophy. Because the dojo experience left me unsatisfied, I unfortunately had to quit. And i started judo now.

Despite the time that has passed, my curiosity and passion for karate have never faded. Right now, I am practicing judo, and while I really love the grappling dynamics of judo, my mind still drifts back to karate—specifically its traditional roots. I have a few key questions for the experienced practitioners and martial artists here:

Is Learning at Home Realistic?: Without a physical dojo environment, is it a realistic goal to learn traditional Budo karate (basic techniques, kata details, and Bunkai logic) to a certain degree through solo practice at home? Or is this path a dead end without an instructor's guidance to correct fundamental mistakes?

The Kyokushin Alternative: Since I grew tired of the WKF system and am looking for a full-contact, rigorous, and realistic school, people around me frequently point toward Kyokushin. As I try to escape the sporting nature of WKF, is Kyokushin karate my last resort and most logical path forward, or should I keep searching until I can find a traditional dojo that stays true to the roots of Shotokan?

I would love to hear your thoughts, especially the advice and guidance of anyone who has gone through a similar journey. Thank you in advance!

Am I right that gloves (in many schools) are the norm unless it's weekends training for competion? That's what I got from googling.

When did gloves start, does anybody know? I'm talking about gloves with knockdown rules. So still no face punching.

I was recently cleared to return to sports after tearing my ACL in Judo last year and want to train some Karate. I want something that is more long term sustainable than the MMA/kickboxing I've done in the past, plus I'll own it, I like wearing a gi. I have been to a few schools to see how classes and have four schools in mind:

1. Shorin Ryu Minnesota- $128/month, class M-Th, liked the training, seems pretty legit, the Sensai cross trains, about 20 minute commute

2. Unified Martial Arts- $125/month, class M-Th, Sat, chinese kempo, the class I watched was mixed some stuff was good, some felt meh, and a lot of exercising instead of martial arts, they do some interesting weapons work, about 10 minute commute

3. Peak Performance Shotokan- $75/ month, class T-Th, have not been but looks to be pretty standard shotokan, about 20 minute commute

4. Shinkyokushin of MInnesota- $200/month, class M,W, the class i went to was great, exactly what I expected from kyokushin, 40 minute commute

I can commit to training twice a week, while also practicing Judo.

I really want to love the kyokushin school but the price is steep for twice a week, classes are fairly late, plus it's a long drive without traffic. So unless the Shihan is a famous practitioner it's probably a no-go.

Peak performance I am tempted by the price but with the schedule I can probably only train once a week, and I am not crazy about shotokan. I've trained MMA, Judo, BJJ, and wrestled so I like something a little more hands on, but I am past my hard sparring days.

I am leaning toward the Shorin Ryu school. I feel like it is a good fit with my background, with what I am looking for, and the commute is not too bad.

I would love to hear from anyone who has experience in the area's opinion, and am open to checking out any other places in the east metro, before I commit somewhere.