there are only 2 types of Karate: one that is, and one that isn't.

This is an interesting thread and I must confess that I am a little equivocal about the whole thing. I have pounced on other folk who have laid claim to ambiguous heritages in the hopes of steeping themselves in the waters of historcal styles to tie some form of authenticity to what they do. This is becuase it is misleading. This is despite technical merit of the school...good, bad, mediocre...I was after truth.

On the other hand, general labels or categorical headings --I have no problems with them. Is it a Kleenex or another brand of facial tissue? Is it a Band-Aid or an adhesive, cut protector? By this, I mean is Karate a generic term with apparent similarities in technical reportoire? Or is it a specific title for a particular art that needs a lot of qualification to make it THE art?

By one definition, you would have any striking art, despite utility or its new emergence in the martial arts world and only owing it's heritage to Okinawa, under the same umbrella of Karate. However, something promoted elsewhere, but birthed from the same antecedent art, labeled not karate. And perhaps the art studied elsewhere might be closer in look and feel than the newer art that is being promoted.

For me, it matters little what it is called, just that your honest about its heritage and you train well.

I agree with Paul and Brian Karate should have a look and feel its should have it roots from Okinawa. But because it doesn't or is not called Karate doesn't make it less effective. I believe its time in training and belife in a system, alone with individual training effort that makes a fighter not what its called.

Let me tell you it still hurts if they hit you.

The style my instructor calls "American Karate" is a mixture of Traditional, Classical, and Sport. We do have competition classes (separate from the other classes), however we do point spar in class rarely. Most of the time it's "chain sparring", which is what my instructor calls our controlled free sparring.

There are only 2 styles of karate;

Good Karate

Bad Karate

God that was easy.

I'd agree but disagree, yes I agree there are 2 types but I would say it would be

* good karateka
* bad karateka

there is no bad karate