Why people are losing interest in Karate?

[turonaga]

That is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard... well, read.

always analyzing things.

[Guest]

yes, i do.

[Drunken Monkey]

here's a semi-wild idea.

 

i think the apparent lose of interest in karate, in younger people anyway, is because in the matrix, neo said 'i know kung fu'.

 

imagine now, if he said 'i know karate' instead....

[Jade]

.... and also the breaking awayin some schools from traditional values of martial arts, such as dedication, respect, hard work and perseverence.

True...once, during a lesson centered in basic techniques, i heard an almost 3rd dan black belt saing "Master.....i'm bored...why we still practice Heian Shodan....at my level, if i haven't learnt it now i'll never learn it..."

[Guest]

So you're saying he addresses his instructor as "Master?"

 

That's messed up!

[aefibird]

here's a semi-wild idea.

 

i think the apparent lose of interest in karate, in younger people anyway, is because in the matrix, neo said 'i know kung fu'.

 

imagine now, if he said 'i know karate' instead....

 

Do you know, I think you've got something there Monkey. It'd be interesting to see how many people joined Kung Fu clubs after the release of the Matrix films...

[Jade]

So you're saying he addresses his instructor as "Master?"

 

That's messed up!

yes...now i can't remember exactly......but that's not the point.

[Monkeymagic]

I mean...at least here in Italy the dojos are not so full like 10-15 years ago.......i trained in two different gym since i started practicing Karate and after few years there were lack or persons...why that? May it be they didn't get the true spiritual essence of karate?

 

What do you think about?

 

I actually think more people are taking up some form of eastern practice, karate included.

 

we here in the west are continually bombarded with the martial arts in films, yoga, tai chi, etc.

 

In films we have Jackie Chan, had Van Damme and Bruce Lee... they had a massive influence and there was very probably a large amount of people joining karate and such when they were big on the screen.

 

Now it's part of our culture. it is not really something that is seen as an asian art and that we are not aware of. People think about taking up a form of fitness, sport or increasing their flexibility. They frequently choose karate or a similar form of martial art.

 

Karate is the most popular, least aggressive (in most peoples eyes), most comercialised and accessable. There are more clubs than ever, more styles, more people telling others about it. going back to films, there are more action films which have the main characters use some form of karate - this is a major inlfuence.

 

People are starting to see karate as a way or path towards something, rather than a way to learn how to beat people up. It feels good for people to say they have a coloured belt in karate. people's lives in the west are so busy they find it hard to keep fit and be motivated to keep it up. How many people join the gym, pay a monthly membership, then hardly ever go.

 

With karate clubs, you pay your membership, then feel motivated to go, to learn something new each time, are motivated by others who go (thus building a social circuit too) and is most styles have a good belt system which give you that incentive to carry on.

 

What do you think?

 

[aefibird]

I actually think more people are taking up some form of eastern practice, karate included.

 

we here in the west are continually bombarded with the martial arts in films, yoga, tai chi, etc.

 

I agree with you about the point that a lot of people are now taking up some form of 'Eastern practice', but I wouldn't necessarily say that it was karate, especially not in the UK. The use of yoga and non-MA Tai Chi (ie that sort that is taught as nothing more than a fancy dance with an instructor who learned it on a weekend course!!) is on the rise, a point that can be seen if you go into any book shop, especially one of those 'cheapie' ones. There's always loads of books about meditation and yoga and tai chi, but I am yet to see any book about karate on sale in a general bookstore.

 

 

People are starting to see karate as a way or path towards something, rather than a way to learn how to beat people up. It feels good for people to say they have a coloured belt in karate. people's lives in the west are so busy they find it hard to keep fit and be motivated to keep it up.

 

Karate is a path and a way, but to a lot of non-martial artists it is still all about karate-chopping things whilst shouting Haiii-ya! That's why people often choose Yoga or commercialised Tai Chi over karate - it has all the health and mental/spiritual benefits that karate can offer but without the stereotyped image of it just being people fighting whilst wearing white pyjamas and coloured belts.

Karate is the most popular, least aggressive (in most peoples eyes), most comercialised and accessable. There are more clubs than ever, more styles, more people telling others about it. going back to films, there are more action films which have the main characters use some form of karate - this is a major inlfuence.

 

I wouldn't have said that karate was the most popular or even the most commercialised of MA's. I would say that that dubious 'honour' goes to TKD. It is a very sad fact that for every one decent TKD club there are a hundred or more McDojangs out there, ready to give out black belts in as short as time as possible for maximum amount of profit. Unfortunately, Karate is heading the same way.

 

As for films, I would have said that many people associate Kung Fu with MA or action films, rather than karate (unless you count The Karate Kid series of movies!). Most MA action stars are Kung Fu stylists and, because of Jackie Chan, Jet Lee, Bruce Lee et al, the public will continue to assume that all MA in movies in Kung Fu.

[Fish]

Well, recently I came to Karate quite late (so I understand) at the ripe old age of 35, after years of athletics. It takes a lot of patience, practice, perseverance, and coping with frustration as we attempt to refine and perfect difficult techniques. The rewards are great - after a few months I'm starting to get into better overall physical condition than I was from running, I can touch my toes for the first time in years, I feel more energetic etc. etc. But these rewards take time. I guess people drop out for many different reasons. Maybe they had false expectations, or they just decide it's not for them (just like football, basketball or cricket are not for some people), or they don't have time. Like most other time consuming endeavours, you have to love it to stick at it.