None of us can tell you what will take place in your school. We can generalize, but the reality is we don't know as each instructor is different.
Best thing for you to do is go to Youtube, and search for Taika Seiyu Oyata.
Oyata is Shorin Ryu(and karate in general) the way it was meant to be taught and practiced.
He was a Shorin Ryu Master here in the US, who left a few great practitioners before he passed away.
Also check out Ryan Parker, who teaches Shorin Ryu the right way.
If you learn Shorin Ryu as described by Callsign, you will just learn the movements and not the art in its "completeness".
That's okay, because you can always search out someone who will be happy to reteach you your art.
Most karate in the west has no real substance. It is the "do" aspect that is being taught, and not the "jutsu" aspect.
Only a person who trained in karatejutsu can teach you the WORLD of a difference between the two. Those who never trained jutsu can only explain it in a limited sense.
Watch this video:
Shorin Ryu is a good base. As for real world defense, it really depends on who your defending against. random guy in the street that doesn't know how to fight maybe. A decent street fighter is going to put some hurt on a most so called black belts. Most people taking martial arts have never been in an actual fight.
Cross training is always the best route.
The term karate is very broad term. Anyone telling there are no blocks in Karate has business giving advice on Karate. One of the first things we teach in Shotokan is the Age-Uke the rising block. It's not the most useful IMO but they certainly exist.
There are good things to be learned from traditional martial arts as well as some really poor techniques that will get you KTFO in the real world. Take what's useful and throw out the rest.
Que the trolls..ready? ...GO!
@Darth gave the best answer I see here so far. there is a big difference between those that teach basic punch,kick, block and those that teach Karate as it was intended. Then an even bigger difference between those that teach the real art and those that teach the same arts in their earlier Jutsu form. Those that don;t have experience in it can't really understand it. Most people that talk about what they think is the real art or Jutsu are not even close to it.
Shorinryu is great. But there are different versions of Shorinryu. And as with all styles some instructors know much more than others. That is what determines what is what.
Never style shop. find the best, most knowledgeable instructor that teaches in a non commercial venue and you might get lucky.
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Depends on the school and the teacher. There are Shorin Ryu Karate schools that are Mcdojo, there are Shorin Ryu Karate schools that are sports oriented and then there are those who teach it for self defense. Neither the sports nor the Mcdojo are suitable for self defense. Make sure you picked a good teacher.
You'll learn basic strikes and kicks, which will be mechanically sound and very useful for hitting people. You may also be taught "blocks", some of which will be very suspect for actual defense. You MAY be taught some locks and throws, but they're generally not a focus in most modern karate classes.
The physical skills you learn can be used for self-defense. The most common training methods used in karate, however, generally aren't great for training you how to use those skills. I spent years in a "cousin" system to Shorin-Ryu and have also been to classes in a few other systems, but none of them were great for refining my skills. I got good at those kicks and strikes, but it wasn't until I started training and sparring in full-contact systems (boxing, Muay Thai) that I was able to put them to good use. That's my experience, and I think you'll find it a not-uncommon one. If you're interested in self-defense, you have to train, on a regular basis, with a high degree of contact. You have to do scenario training. You have to make yourself aware of what you're likely to be attacked by (the so-called Habitual Acts of Violence, or HAOV) and address those attacks specifically. Unfortunately, it's rare to find ANY class that does all of that. So you can learn some useful stuff in karate. You may even find yourself a rare school that places realism over dogma. But odds are, the training methods will not be optimized for realism.
Some have already mentioned that it does depend on the instructor and many do not know that they do not have the whole art. (I will admit that I do not know the entire art). That said, most people do not realize how the kata in the Shorin Systems work as they cannot use them in sparing. The true blocks are hard blocks with the intent being to break what is striking at you. In an interview with Pat Nakata said, “…Chibana Sensei blocked my fake which buckled my knees…( Noble et al part 2) In Okinawa, they would block your punch or kick and try to destroy your arm or leg…” (Noble et al part 3)
It certainly does, with good instruction.
Avoid the places that concentrate on sport, and find a protection trainer.
Karate is a complete martial art, all ranges included.
The sad part, as callsignfuzzy states, is that many instructors do not teach their whole art. That is not even their fault, they were not taught either.
All martial arts will be good for protection, as they were designed for that, unless they have been watered down too far by the sports crew.
Pick your trainer, not a style, and you will be ahead of most of the pack.
Callsign there are no blocks in karate
All the techniques that are referred to as blocks are traps, locks, throws, chokes, etc.
All karate has real world application, including shorin ryu. If I have be training a little bit lately.
Every martial art is applicable to the real world. You just need to be learning it under a good instructor. Seek a good teacher, regardless of style, and you will be all set.
I start next month, but wanna know if anyone here could give me a little knowledge on what practices I'll be learning? Like how practical is it for defense and what else will I learn besides defense?
