I Just have my Go Ju Ryu Karate training for a month. So I want to compare the difference between Go Ju Ryu Karate and Taekwondo which I have practice for many years.

I won't discuss too much their history here, I would focus on the current Taekwondo and Go Ju Ryu I found in the dojo I join.

They are both traditional martial art, but I would say Taekwondo is somewhere between modern martial art and traditional martial art(maybe more close to modern martial.) My grand teacher's teacher once told him,
"Taekwondo has Taekwondo whithout do". I guess since then, Taekwondo start to move to modern martial art.

  1. Their Kata. In first glance, you will feel they are very similar. However, in the deeper look, you will find some difference. You will find Taekwondo is more linear. Everything in Taekwondo is in a line. And Go Ju Ryu or most tradition martial art is circle. For example,
    [two graph of 180 turn]
    Another example will be round kick.
    [two graph of round kick]
  2. Training,
  • I feel Taekwondo is 90% sparring and 10% kata, Go Ju Ryu training is opposite, 10% sparring and 90% kata.
  • Also, Go Ju Ryu skill training has a lot of air punch or air kicking, but in Taekwondo, we hit target most of the time(I feel it is better for knee and you can have more feedback on you attack or defence).
  • Their endurance training is difference. Go Ju Ryu is old school training like push up. But Taekwondo introduce a lot of modern training like plyometrics. Takewondo training is more comprehensive include endurance and boost.
  • Sparring, I am not sure about this because I haven't have any karate sparring training. Taewkondo sparring rule is more like boxing so we won't stop until judge stop you. Our heel never touch ground so we are always agile(but also unstable..), we stand more linear, so you can hardly see my chest when I am facing you.
  1. Skills, in theory, they should have almost same a mount of skill, however, as I said before, Takewondo practice sparring 90% of their time so they give a lot of hand skill and defense skill(Taekwondo still teach them but won't go deep on that). Go Ju Ryu as a traditional martial art, practice a lot on those skill.

Overall, They are all good if you know what you want. I am still have hard time transit from Taekwondo to Karate. But I won't give up so easily. Training, Training, and Training!