Spartacus Maximus

One of the guys from Black Eyed Peas(?) did/does train in wushu or Kung Fu(which kung fu?). Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko(?) again kungfu of some sort. It would not be a surprise if other Olympic athletes train in some sort of martial art in addition to their specific sport. As far as major celebrities it may be harder to find. Samuel L Jackson has a high dan grade in some form of karate and perhaps others

Nothing wrong with making training a habit. That is exactly what one is supposed to do! How else do people think somebody can keep training for decades? Why is it that a 70 year old expert can easily beat people less than half his age? Habit! When training is a daily habit, one no longer has to think about doing it or plan it because it is a natural part of the day. Like getting dressed in the morining. Nothing wrong with that at all!

Children are always watching the adults around them, especially their parents. Even more so when said adults are not aware or do not think they are watching. The best way to get a son or daughter to try something that one enjoys is to expose them to it. Talk about it and let them watch training as early as possible. When a child sees their parent passionate about an activity and really enjoying doing it, they are far more likely to develop an interest than if they are thrown into it or pushed. The rest is up to the child to decide.

It is probably more reasonable to earn a degree from a recognized accredited university in something that will be useful in a martial arts related field instead of martial arts. There are so many other subjects to study that would yield much much more rewards than just martial arts. Before making a choice, one would do well to answer this: what do I want this degree for? personal interest or marketable qualification? A degree in martial arts may be interesting, but it will never be as useful as one in physical education or something similar.

The same principle ought to apply to everyone, regardless of position in or outside the narrow circle of whatever martial art one has chosen. When training at another school, one must behave with courtesy and respect. Be friendly, polite and focus on training with good honest effort. If after all this one still does not feel welcome, finding somewhere else to train. However if one is there by invitation, train seriously and forget about what anyone else might think.

At first the idea that more time spent training translates to greater skill seems to make sense. It also makes sense that someone who does it professionally must be better than a person whose living does not depend on training. To say that it is the only way to train and that anything less is not effective sounds more like an excuse. The "long hours=greater skill" idea is to simplistic because it fails to consider training methods. To be effective, training must be focussed on specific goals for improvement. In addition, there are plenty of highly skilled martial arts practicionners who do not make a living from martial arts, are not professional athletes or have ever served in the military.

There seems to be a common opinion that to gain any significant and worthwhile skill in martial arts, it is necessary to spend hours training everyday requiring as much time as a regular job. Does this make sense or is it a kind of misconception? Does it mean that those who for any reason are unable to make martial arts their entire life cannot expect to ever reach a high level of skill?

Between one hour and two hours is fine for older teenagers(16-18) to adults but, anyone younger will have find it difficult to continue longer than 45min. This time length is identical to an average class in primary and secondary school. The total time can be over an hour, but how much of that time is taken up by direct instruction depends on a lot of things. In a 2hours period, 45 minutes could be spent on instruction and guided training, with the rest spent on individual practise of whatever was just covered.

It is true that people have a tendency to think that things were better in the past. Everyone does this, and it must have something to do with human nature. Looking at the exponents of the past generations and their training methods can help modern practicionners understand how they trained to achieve and develop their skills. Comparing also gives a good idea of how one might get similar results with what is available in this time.

Lineage allows one to know where and whom one's skills came from, but it is just as important to know where one is taking these skills and what one expects to achieve. At the individual level, the importance of lineage depends on personal interests. When one begins to seriously instruct another person, then it ought to be the responsibility of an instructor to know the lineage in greater detail and be able to explain it as best as possible.

Effort. Good honest effort and dedication are what makes a great martial artist or whatever else one endeavours to become, for these two qualities enventually overcome any hardship and compensate for natural ability or any other factor that might be an advantage in the beginning.

Lineage does matter but in the end, what is really important is not so much who one trained under but, what one has learned and how well. Lineage is valuable information to understand the origin of a system and its development. It is also a way to remember one's instructor and the previous generations with the respect their efforts deserve and thanks for their dedication to sharing and teaching what they; in many cases spent a lifetime learning. Of course all this only means something if the feelings and thoughts motivating them are true. Lineage is meaningless if it is reduced to nothing more than a reason to boast or exploit names for profit. Any fool can drop names or even make claims of being anyone's student. It is so incredibly easy. A lineage is where one comes from, but it does not and must not determine what or whom one will become. That depends on the individual alone and the decisions and choices made. Being the pupil or the son of a great man does not automatically make one a great man.

The average session in most dojo is probably around an hour to an hour and a half. This is sufficient for youth and children, but a worthwhile session ought to be at least 2 hours.

The expression was popularized in the West and elsewhere outside Japan starting from the Kyokushinkai. Nowadays it is used in many dojo teaching different Japanese martial arts. In Japan, however, it is mostly limited to Kyokushinkai and offshoots because of the cultural significance it carries in Japanese society. Originally "osu" is a very rough expresion and it has militaristic and underworld connotations. In Okinawan karate circles it is never used and some sensei will explicitly speak against its use. Of course, most people are ignorant of this and it would be unreasonable to expect people who train or teach outside of Japan understand.

Provoking fights is probably not legally defendable, nor would it be a very smart action. However if the GKR were given a taste of their own medicine, such as people showing up unannounced at their dojo trying to recruit their students; it is doubtful they would have no objection.

There are literally hundreds of martial arts systems that are called "Kung fu". The best is whatever Kung fu one commits to training. Some are very rare outside of China or Chinese heritage communities. Others are very popular with branches and schools easily found. The first step is to see what is offered within an accessible area. It is of little relevance if one wishes to learn Wing Chun, but the nearest Teacher or school is in another country.

Agreed about the insurance issue. Even Olympic boxing requires the boxers to wear that protective headgear. Sparring without padding has the advantage of being as close as possible to the reality of physical conflict. It also allows the practicioner to feel correct techniques and develop proper movement unhindered. On the other hand it is a high injury risk activity and requires one to be in complete control with the highest degree of concentration. It is cringe-worthy to imagine the kind of injuries that would result from a TKD match where one or both lacked adequate control.

So the GKR people really did interrupt a training session in progress by entering the dojo space uninvited and unannounced? Minus the challenges or actual fighting, this incident sounds an awful lot like dojo-storming. Not only impolite and unethical, it is a grave insult. How would these "karate salesmen" react if a group showed up at their dojo in the middle of training and attempt to intice students to leave while shamelessly flaunting their own martial art? It should not be left unresolved and would certainly require a firm and polite warning to the GKR authority to whom these "salesmen" answer. In person with witnesses is best. Fortunately for them, most instructors are disciplined enough to restrain themselves, but if GKR continues engaging in this type of action, someday they will upset someone who might be less than gentle.

One of the only reliable sources of infirmation on this subject is the writings some of the 19th and early 20th century martial arts experts. Unfortunately very little is available because of the secrecy of training and because the culture. It was extremely rare for anyone to write anything about history, especially martial arts and even when something was written, there was always a good mix of half-truths and outright myths out of respect or admiration of famed experts. In contrast to the Okinawans and Chinese, the Japanese martial arts had an organized set of teachings. When a student had learned all of the techniques included in the school, the result was the "menkyo kaiden". It literally means "license". This meant that the student was now licensed in that school and recognized as an inheritor who could take on students. Depending on the type of martial art this probably varied and many teachers did not always teach each student everything. Only a few would be worthy to recieve the entire system and become "licensed" According to online resources on pre-war and classical martial arts, the menkyo kaiden is supposedly equal to 30(!) years of training.

Has anyone ever thought about the old pre-war system of teaching martial arts in Japan and Okinawa? How long did a student in those days train before being considered skilled enough to take on students of their own?

if this happened in a public facility, there is nothing to be said. However, if these GKR people barged in unannounced and uninvited and interrupted a training session in progress; it is very rude. One simply cannot interrupt people training to talk business and expect people to say nothing. It is common sense and basic business ethics. It's just not cricket! It might have been borderline acceptable if they attempted their information or recruiting campaign afterwards, but during practise? No way.

Someone more familiar with these systems could provide a more detailed answer. However, what makes BJJ "brazlian" is a distinct focus on newaza or techniques that are done from the ground. The Japanese jujitsu schools, and there are many, tend to work more from a standing position. This is because historically, being thrown to the ground or pinned meant certain death to an amour-clad samurai. When JJJ was brought to Brazil by Japanese immigrants, it already contained ground work and the successive generations of Brazilian teachers chose to focus on these ground technique and elaborate them. The result of their work is a new, uniquely Brazilian system.

Yes, Hanshi(his teaching title) Nakazato is in his mid nineties and has passed on the Shorinkan to his son. It is doubtful that at his age he is still teaching. Most likely, if he is, it is in a more advisory function and limited to only his most senior and closest students.

The laws about weapons are the main reason why it would be wise to train only empty handed if one is inclined to doing it in a park or other public open space. Location is the most important thing, as others have pointed out so far. Time is also important to think about as well. It is best to stay in an area that is familiar instead of a random spot that might look great at first glance but has hidden potential obstacles or problematic features.

The fact that there are such differences within a styles ought to be enough to conclude that everything depends on how a particular system is taught and the methods of training. Training for the ring or competition will make one good in the ring. Training to deal with social/criminal violence will prepare one for that. The path matters very little if it leads to where one aims to go. TKD, karate etc are just different paths.