I thought the idea of there breathing was fun and interesting though a little off. I had already at that time been doing Kung Fu! Like Taiji and Pagua and Hsingyi and Wing Chun for about ten years when I started Goju. Goju is what caused me to look for different Chinese system to study though. The Yin and the Yang seeking balance in the body of the practitioner. Have you seen Pangai Noon they strike fast as well as slow with a little tension so that has a the mix that Chinese system would be trying to get across.
The most Chinese is definitively probably Uechi or its parent Pangai Noon. In 2019 the Okinawa Konan Ryu Karate D Association (): Founded by Itokazu Seiki and currently headed by Itokazu Seisho, changed the name of the association to Uechiryu Karate-do Kona-kai (). Also, when they focus on the breath it is not just one singular breath they use at a time, but in Goju that is what they did. The Hung Gar that I have seen and done myself are not just one move. Yea, I was just wanting to see what you thought! I do Goju Ryu and definitely don't see the Chinese connection. Shoto used to be much higher than nowadays,also, but was still Shotokan.Right about the hips.Uechi doesn't snap them,and no older Karate systems snap 'em like Shotokan. In crossing hands with various practitioners of the above systems over the years I must say that the same holds true in that context.More similarities twixt the earlier Okinawan systems and their Japanese descendants than twixt any of them and Uechi when mixing it up.Even GoJu,which has the strongest Chinese flavor of the Okinawan systems. In short, both those styles are far closer to Uechi than Shotokan." - stoneheartĪny lay person observing the katas of GoJu,Shoto, or the various Shorins would see these various systems aren't hugely dissimilar.They would see a larger difference upon observation of any of the three original Uechi katas.I do not deny that Uechi has become less Chinese over the decades especially with the addition of other kata, but is still somewhat removed from the other Okinawan/Japanese systems.
No huge emphasis on hip rotation like Shotokan either. Once you get the chance to take classes again, visit both and decide for yourself which you like better."Both Okinawan Goju-Ryu and Shorin-Ryu have far shorter and higher stances. Or a Shotokan and a Wado school, or Shito and the Parker kenpo lineages, or Goju and Kyokushin, or Kyokushin and Ashihara. I would lay money that the difference between the average Uechi school and the average Goju school is smaller than the average difference between two Goju schools or two Uechi schools. Still, the difference between the two is really small. Probably the biggest difference in terms of the experience of a typical student is that Goju is organizationally associated with the JKF and Uechi isn't, so in competition a Goju guy will be competing with Shotokan, Wado and Shito guys as well. It's a difference of degree rather than kind. Uechi has a touch more Chinese influence, but not to the extent that you could show any particular kata or technique to a Huzunquan or Baiheiquan student and have them nod in recognition and say 'yeah, that was pretty clearly lifted from us without significant alteration.' They also tend to be a little more hardcore about body hardening and exotic striking surfaces than Goju, but then you could say the same about Goju, relative to other karate styles. Both of them had a name at one point that translated to some variation on 'hard-soft'. Both of them share a bit more of a connection to karate's Okinawan roots than somewhat more common styles like Shotokan- Naha-te specifically- while still having their curriculum be comprised more of Japanese elements postdating the 1930s than anything else.