Here is something I have observed at my dojo and at the dojo of friends. Those of us who teach real martial arts will see only about 1 out of 100 enrollees stick with the training for a year or more. Only 1/3 of them will earn a black belt. Only 1/3 of the 1st degree black belts will earn 2nd degree. Only 1/3 of the 2nd degree black belts will go on to become masters. Only a 1/3 of the masters will go on to become grand masters. Why is this? It is because real martial arts is hard work. It is physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausting. The warm up routine makes military PT seem like an enjoyable jog through the park. Then after a 30 minute warm up harder than most peoples complete workout routine, we train for another hour. We thrust our fingers into buckets filled with sand or gravel. We punch and kick bags filled with sand or gravel. We beat every surface of our bodies. It is common to go home bruised, swollen, and bleeding. Leaning motor control and timing as well as memorizing the large number of techniques with variations in the proper order is mentally taxing. But not only that the mind is further taxed learning physics, biology, geology, medicine, psychology, sociology, culture, traditions, and forgien language. To be a real martial artist one must be smart. The emotions are tested as the same technique is practiced again and again. even after boardom as set in the tehnique must be practiced again and again. Muscles will ache. Joints will ache. The body will tire and frustration will set in. But you must toil on doing the same thing over and over again regardless of pain. The proper attitude must be maintained. You must have the right spirit to perserver through the training. Real martial arts is hard work. Not only this is the problem as to why so few ever master the martial arts but today the pool of candidldates has dwindled because of the entitlement and the I want it now attitude. To earn a 1st degree black belt in a real martial art it take a student a minimum of 5 years of training which is made up of training 5 to 6 days per week 2 to 4 hours per day. Why would an entitled person work so hard when they can go to the local pay to play dojo where black belt can be purchased in six months to a year and the only thing required to pass the test is to make sure the dollar amount written on the check matches the bill and that your check clears the bank. I am not comproming my martial arts to have a ton of students. I would wrather produce just a handful of high quality master black belts and preserve the intergrity of these arts. With that said, I do teach a generic karate class as an application process to the real martial arts. I teach generic karate at the local YMCA where kids and families can have a fun activity to do together. But out of that class I hand pick students to come and learn real martial arts. Kevin Hughes Kaicho Koryu Bugei Hozon Kenkyukai PS I have tagged some of my current and former students in this post. If you would like to learn real martial arts then give me call or message me. Leave a voice mail if I do not answer. 217-433-4956 or koryusamurai@gmail and I will interview you to see if you have what it takes to learn real martial arts.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:20:27 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015