What are the defining characteristics that make shito ryu different from the other arts?

One characteristic, I can think of, are front kicks. Snapping front kicks.

Permalink Reply by Kurokawa Martial Arts on July 4, 2009 at 9:41am: I have found that Shito Ryu is one of the few styles which include Kobudo training in its curriculum. I have also found that Shito Ryu tends to have closed stances, few flying kicks and low stances. I have been training in Shito Ryu Karate for over 20 years and have yet to exhaust its extensive Kata Library.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Patrick J. Hurley on August 11, 2009 at 4:36pm: Another defining characteristic of Shito-ryu is the blending of hard AND soft (Shuri-te and Naha-te) techniques into the kihon's, the kata syllabus, and self-defense takedowns. It is indeed the best of both worlds... long and linear along with short and round. From somone who started out in Shotokan and thought the sun rose and set on it (and I still have much love for Shotokan), Shito-ryu is a larger universe and it's a really great style.; ▶ Reply to This

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