Should i learn kung fu or karate?
That is a tough decision to make. I started Goju Ryu karate here in Boston in 1968 because simply that was all there was. We have a great Chinatown in Boston, but back in the ’60s the Chinese were not receptive to non-Chinese students. Now that I have been exposed to several excellent styles of Kung Fu and have sparred with good Kung Fu students, if I could start all over again, I think I would have studied Kung Fu rather than karate. I see kung fu as much more versatile in a street situation that karate. Karate has a very formidable “reverse punch’, and takes a typically Japanese minimalist approach to fighting, but it is kind of basic and stunted for a lot of unexpected street situations. Kung fu tends to be a bit more earthy & realistic for street fights. In fact, in several street fights I’ve had, I had to make instant improvisations to deal with extreme attacks which resembled kung fu methodology. I seemed to have re-invented some kung fu techniques simply by adapting to street si
