planter007 Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 I am new to karate, I have some black belts in my family. I think they are extremely biased and closed minded toward dojo's and styles. What are your opinions on what I should look for in both???? atlanta karatebaby onesiesatlanta web designatlanta model makers prayer requests Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorinryu Sensei Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 I am new to karate, I have some black belts in my family. I think they are extremely biased and closed minded toward dojo's and styles. What are your opinions on what I should look for in both???? I think most people that are taking, or have taken a martial art, wil lbe biased towards that art. if they liked it of course. What you need to think about is what YOU wnt from a martial art and dojo...not what anybody else wants for you. Then you need to find the dojo that best fits what you want. My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian_guy Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Yes I agree with SS. In particular you should start about your motivation. Is it for self-defence, competition, as an exercise or just for the fun? You like more to strike or to grapple? You would like to be exposed to full contact or not? Do you have any particular thing you would like to learn? Starting from this questions we may help you to select a set of arts that may fits you then you can see if they are available in your area and take a visit to those dojo...and then you can chose. Wow I elaborated a complete plan.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian_guy Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 Oh sorry I thought we were talking about MA in general while I see we are talking about karate specifically.... Ok most of the things I say are still valid anyway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octopic Posted February 15, 2005 Share Posted February 15, 2005 I am new to karate, I have some black belts in my family. I think they are extremely biased and closed minded toward dojo's and styles. What are your opinions on what I should look for in both???? Here are the three most important things (in order): 1) The instructor 2) The instructor 3) The instructor Find someone you can work with, who you think you can learn from. It won't matter if it is a great style if the instructor is horrible. Go visit schools in your area and see how the instructor interacts with the students. Decide if their teaching methods would work for you. After going to see a few schools you'll start to see the different ways that people teach, and you'll get a better idea of what type of teacher you want. While style is important down the line, the best thing you can do starting out is to find an instructor who you will enjoy working with who can give you good training in the basics. Where do you live? Maybe some other people on this board can suggest some schools for you to check out. Nidan -- Shaolin Kempo KarateLearn Shaolin Kempo Karate at Loudoun Academy of Martial Arts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousOne Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 Find a traditional Japanese or Okinawan school where your grades are recognised by the World Karate Federation and a school where the training is extremely hard and demanding. If the training is as easy as an aerobics class forget it, thats not real MA training. Shotokan, Shorinryu, Gojuryu and some of their derivatives are excellent schools. Trace the history back and find out if its a legitimate school in Japan. 7th Dan ChidokaiA true combat warrior has to be hard as nails in mind, body and soul. Warriors are action takers and not action fakers. If you are cruising, make time for losing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G95champ Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 Everyone thinks his or her style is the best. Rightfully so you must think that if you hope to be sucessful if you have to use it. MA don't help much if you think you settled for second or third best lol. Im a shotokan guys and I love its balance and power. However style is second to a quality teacher. You give me a good teacher and he or she can teach you how to do step aerobics and defend youself. So find a good teacher first and your style will come. In the end all styles lead to the same place anyhow. Good luck (General George S. Patton Jr.) "It's the unconquerable soul of man, and not the nature of the weapon he uses, that ensures victory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pers Posted February 16, 2005 Share Posted February 16, 2005 I am new to karate, I have some black belts in my family. I think they are extremely biased and closed minded toward dojo's and styles. What are your opinions on what I should look for in both???? Here are the three most important things (in order): 1) The instructor 2) The instructor 3) The instructor Find someone you can work with, who you think you can learn from. It won't matter if it is a great style if the instructor is horrible. Go visit schools in your area and see how the instructor interacts with the students. Decide if their teaching methods would work for you. After going to see a few schools you'll start to see the different ways that people teach, and you'll get a better idea of what type of teacher you want. While style is important down the line, the best thing you can do starting out is to find an instructor who you will enjoy working with who can give you good training in the basics. Where do you live? Maybe some other people on this board can suggest some schools for you to check out. Excellent advice ! never give up ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chado Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Wow I liked everyone's advice...so mine will probably cross over with other peoples. The instructor of the school is obviously the most important, but that importance could also be in the instructor advising you that his school doesn't meet your needs...and not just taking your money to have another student. As others have said, decide what you want out of 'martial arts'. I say that because maybe Karate isn't what you want, I love Karate so if you choose a style of Karate...terrific. But decide if you want to just 'fight' or if you want to train spiritually...or if you want to workout in a safe environment... If you tell us what you hope to achieve after say 1 year of training...we could probably better direct you to a certain style (and then you can start looking at instructors) Oh! One other important thing...find out what kind of schools you have around you, and decide how far your willing to drive to train. For Goju-Ryu I drive 1.5 hour each way (2x a week) to train with my sensei...I have a lot of respect for him and I feel that the 25 dojo's I pass on the way to my school dont meet my needs as well as the school I go to (I'm sure for someone else those schools might be great! But not for me!) Hope that helps... Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koryu Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Personally I feel that the style does not matter, do some research and find one that you're interested in. Here's a hint when looking for a dojo. Go to different dojos and ask to observe one of their advanced (black belt) classes. Watch how they train. If they are working out hard, sweating, training to their full potential, then you will receive good training at this kind of school. If their black belts are just standing around, doing their own thing on the mat, off in separate corners doing different things and there is not a drop of sweat... Do not choose this school. Look for crispness in technique, and the spirit they put into the training. The black belts should be the ones to look up to, and should train the hardest all the time. This is the kind of school you want. "On Ko Chi Shin" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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