Despite the advertising - "Our style is for everybody!" - martial arts is just not for everybody at all. It's a big con just to get people in the door and paying money.

Um..... Is there a reason why you made this comment?

Probably not that much of a con, after all you usually get badges, certificates, nice belts in a variety of colours AND the chance to dress up in a set of white pyjamas and get all Oriental.
Occasionally you get to shout "KIIIIAAAAAIIIIIIIIII" and "OSSS" and pretend you`re Jackie Chan or Steven Seagal. UNLESS you do Tai-Chi of course, when all you get to do is to dress up in your OWN clothes, and move very slowly for two hours a week.

Thats called working.

Yep


Not so much a con perhaps, but I think it's misleading to say martial arts is for everyone. For some people it just isn't the 'right' thing for them to be doing, because they won't really learn much, or because they'll think they're invincible, or... lots of other things I guess. They don't get "the bug".

Hey... I agree with the comment.

I just wondered what triggered it in the first place.

What happened to give you the thought in the first place?

Nothing specific - I sell martial arts daily, it's part of my job.

I would have said that while anybody can learn a martial art, not everbody should for all those reasons. And while everybody could learn a martial art, I don't think there's a single 'style' that suits everybody - there's no real "one size fits all" unless it's watered down so much that anybody can do it. That's not to say that somebody can't teach anybody, but they can't teach everybody in exactly the same way - they'd have to know what they're doing enough that they can tailor the training to each person as needed.

I can tell you how to achieve mastery in 6 easy steps though...

Step 1. Send cash.


Mick

And the rookie comment of the day . . . Karate has been "westernised" from the day coloured belts were introduced. Making a dollar out of a franchise is also a western thing. On the other side, I guess they are trying to find those people that have "the bug" in them, but don’t know it. Every person that steps foot in a dojo for the first time, potentially has it in them, otherwise they never would have walked through the dojo door in the first (unless of course they are dropping off their kids or something).

Us fairly old people (ahem), grew up on martial arts movies. After doing shotokan when I was 11, we dressed up in ninja black clothing and ran around at night thinking we were cool! haha! Still not a black belt, as this is my 3rd attempt at going all the way.

I tell you this because I now believe its in my blood to do this. I am not the greatest martial artist around, nor am I that co-ordinated, but I still enjoy it, and I always have since I was 11. Anyway, some of us were born with the bug, some of us need a little inspiration, some of us may need a knock on the door to say....hey, you have the potential!

Just thoughts.

Hi FE,

Actualy I used to think that as well but the Okinawans taught karate to put food on the table and to keep a roof over their head. Many an American Serviceman went home after a relatively short with high dan grade certificates. There are as many shonks in Okinawa and Japan as there are anywhere else. Japan exported karate to the world and used a pyramid system similar to Amway. All the profits funneled back to the top. If anything, GKR has simply done it better through solving the problem of having qualified or experienced instructors. Poor old 'westermer' didn't start that one. You are right about the coloured belts, Jigoro Kano is responsible for adding the white and brown belt but the Tracy Brothers, maybe from Canada (?), introduced the rainbow effect of many coloured belts.

Cheers,
Boz