goju1971

Do you guys have modified programs for people over a certain age? If so, is it a different rank type (striped belt, etc.?) I have a few and I know they're going hit a pretty big wall soon and I don't want to discourage them.

It's funny, I too run what I consider a no nonsense karate school, what I consider traditional. I don't know that I've had anyone leave me for a McDojo (that I know of!), but those schools are everywhere so you never know. When I talk to potential students I stress that there's something for everyone out there - you just need to go where you'd be happiest. You watch a new class, an advanced class - does it look like what you want? With that I think most of my students know what they're getting into. But I did lose someone once after training with me two years and I have a feeling it was because he only a red belt and he coasted through a few other styles getting a black belt in a very short time. But he left me for an MMA school because he wanted "real life" training. And I'm kind of okay with that. Not everybody has the patience for karate, traditional anyway. And to be honest, it's the MMA advertised schools that are becoming McDojos from what I've seen - just as much as do-nothing belt factories. I've seen the promises of "real world" martial arts and they don't do anything different than what we do. But I'm stupid and stubborn enough not to slap an MMA sticker on the window just because the paper tigers on the internet equate it with "I will become a feared fighter and gain the respect and awe of my co-workers." But I guess it all depends on if you're trying to get kids or adults. Ah the business side of this thing is awful sometimes!

Thanks for the replies, and I've decided to keep doing what I'm doing. I don't think I could've followed through on tournament point sparring anyway. Our sparring is too close to boxing; it wouldn't have worked. Thanks again for the feedback.

I have a traditional school, as much as it can be, and I too was skeptical about Olympic Karate. Still, as a dojo owner I thought I should at least educate myself on it. I didn't want Karate to become the new TKD. This isn't a slight to TKD in general, but Olympic TKD is abhorrent. I checked out the WKF and Team Japan doing team kata won me over. It was wonderful to see traditional kata and I was excited to learn that only traditional kata would be allowed. The sparring was better than the TKD sparring I've seen in the olympics, but it can still devolve into that twitchy jump around nonsense. I don't know they don't just have kickboxing for the Olympics and leave Karate & TKD to kata. The MA competitors could do kickboxing too, but they could keep it separate. Frankly we all know sparring isn't real fighting no matter what your rules are, but the WKF kata made me very happy!

I'm curious what the you guys think about karate being in the next Olympics and are any of you thinking about how it could impact the ordinary martial arts school? I'm thinking of crossing over into the WKF sparring rules, using their approved equipment, etc. Currently we spar, but ours is more like 1980's kickboxing rules with groin shots, sweeps and takedowns. We also do a lot of strikes to the head. WKF rules would probably be more endorsed by parents, but I don't want to become a powder puff school, if that's not too rude! Anyone have an opinion on this?

Hi everybody, I have been training in Goju-Ryu for about 15 years, have a school, etc. I came here to get the opinions of some like minded people or unlike people!