My Story

[bushido_man96]

The final chapter:

Ok, after alot of eperimenting, thinking, and a long discussion with my karate instructor, I have decided to resume my karate training.

The break helped me put alot of things in perspective and sortouf what i really want. I learned alot of things and am glad i left training on good terms with the instructor because it allows me to come back now that i see the benifits of his training.

I will continue boxing for a while, for the conditioning aspect, but i realise that karate is where my heart is and that its a life long persuit.

Thank you everyone for your replies, advice and constant posts that help me organise my thoughts and put things into perspective.

Good luck...It's refreshing to see this kind of testimony of searching and training. Thank you for sharing with us.

[Medici]

Thank you everyone for your replies, i will address some comments and hopefully shed a little more light on the situation.

What were you not happy with with traditional karate?

To me it was the whole training 'format' i guess.

Like i said, i want to train to stay fit and be able to defend myself. In karate training we did the basics, kata, sparring, bagwork on a very rare occasion, some partner work.

Most of the class time was spent working on technique, which i dont have a problem with because good technique is important, but i think there is a point where you need to move on and practice the technique in application.

There just wasnt enough of this in the class. I learned around 10-15 kata, none of which i have been shown the applications for, i learned the japanese names for all the techniques. etc etc... none of which helps me in achieving either of my goals.

All of the above are nice things to do, and suit some people, because not everyone has the same goals or needs from their training. But for me personally i dont want to spend my time doing that kind of thing, when i could be training in other ways to achieve my goals.

I guess it comes down to me wanting to train more like an athlete and less like an "artist".

I know what you mean. Unfortunately, this is the state of just about all (maybe all period) of traditional martial arts. The result is less effective and inferior techniques to that of boxing, kickboxing, etc. In my experience, I haven't once seen any karate or traditional anything school with a real emphasis on sparring and conditioning.

[cross]

Was looking through some old posts and thought i would update everyone on my current training situation. I stopped training in karate about half way through this year. After alot of thinking (mostly about my reasons for training and what i was getting from training) and changing my mind and then more thinking, i decided that it was best for me to stop doing karate.

I havnt really looked around for any other martial arts in the area. Instead i am training at home regularly(more regularly than i ever trained karate) and am enjoying it quiet alot. My training consists of a large variety of things to keep me from falling into a pattern. I include weights, bagwork, skipping, running, shadowboxing, knife and stick training, swimming, cycling, various bodyweight excercises. Im very aware of the limitations of solo training, but also am noticing alot of benifits, including getting more of a sweat and a better all round workout than i ever got in my karate training. And when i get the chance, i still spar with some like minded friends working on all aspects of self defence including scenario training.

I have also been doing alot of research into self defence related topics and adding various things to my training including aspects that involve pre and post fight phases.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this, best wishes for the holiday season, and good luck in training.

[jaymac]

Nice to hear that you keep up your training at home. It sounds like you have an awesome workout.

[bushido_man96]

Keep us posted as to what directions you take your training, cross. It is fun to read about.