[kortex]

Going from a black belt in Taekwondo (age 7-16) to doing Isshin-Ryū karate (with some BJJ, aikido, and budokai in between) was really eye-opening. Taekwondo is all about sharp form, clean lines, high kicks. Punches and kicks go to full extension, and the stances are fairly deep.

In Isshinryu, there's none of that. You stop the punch/kick before the joint goes to lock. The stances are much shallower. The movements are less dramatic. My sensei told me it is much more sustainable this way, and many of the old taekwondo folks end up with joint issues specifically in knees and elbows. I don't know if it's related, but my knees and elbows are the two parts of my body which are most problematic.

It's also possible my taekwondo instructor just didn't know about this, that was a long time ago.