Own Syle

[elbows_and_knees]

i trained in shindo jinen ryu ryobu kai for five years then quit. i still trained at home everyday, but without instruction i began to merge my own style and philosophys into my training. my techniques changed to fit my own beliefs on battle and fighting. Does anyone think this is a good idea or is continued traditional training the way to go. i just think that someone always has to branch out and evolve martial arts so it can become even greater. the exploration of the ultimate style i guess.

It's good and bad. It's good because developing your own flavor of what you train is a natural progression in martial arts. you aren't creating anything new, really, you are just taking what you have learned and are focusing on the portions of it that you like.

The bad thing is that you have no instructor. unless you are very advance in your style, then it's to your benefit to have someone that can make corrections.

Next, you have nobody to train with. Therefore, you can't really train realistically, which somewhat leads into my last point:

you said that you are basing this on your own BELIEFS about fighting. this is where techniques based on theory come into play, which is never a good thing.

[Jay]

Nothing wrong with it but you must learn more. Everyone as an individual has their own style anyway.

[DokterVet]

One more point:

What if I told you I wanted to be a great surgeon, and that I quit medical school halfway through it and decided to just create my own style of surgery without the help of others, and without testing it before putting it into practice?

It's pretty clear that that is not a good idea. As a species we have accumulated hundreds of years of medical knowledge and surgical practices that I should learn and practice under an experienced surgeon.

Martial arts are the same way. As a species, we have thousands of recorded fights and the culmination of centuries of knowledge about the best ways to fight. So why try to reinvent the wheel? Why not become proficient in proven fighting styles, then see what you can add?

[Red J]

What if I told you I wanted to be a great surgeon, and that I quit medical school halfway through it and decided to just create my own style of surgery without the help of others, and without testing it before putting it into practice?

Q- Would you bring back the use of leeches?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5319129/

Ah, I'm just having some fun. You made a good point DV.

[Isshinryu_heart]

One of the greatest aspects of karate is the fact that it is an individual effort. Your karate is never going to be exactly the same as anyone else's.

When you begin to study any style, you are taught the basics. As you move up and progress in your training you are given more and more techniques and katas. However, the katas that you learn are only "patterns" - it is up to you to apply them to your own karate, in a way that fits your own body type and way of doing things. So eventually (I must add that this takes many years of experience) you are able to create your own karate, within the style that you study.

However, just keep in mind that even after this is achieved, you should still have a mentor - someone to look up to, to help you through your training, and the only way you can do that is if you keep training. A good instructor will never force you to be a clone of him/herself. He/she will allow you to develop your karate in a way that best suits you, but will also keep you on track.

Maybe it would benefit you to try another style of karate that suits you better. Not every style works for everyone.

Hope this helps a little!

[Sohan]

All the masters have masters. It is very difficult to create a truly unique system today on your own, and it seems today that certain new "styles" become more a function of the founders' egos as opposed to any real innovation in technique.

IMO, you shouldn't even be thinking about starting your own style after such a short time. Learn as much as you can about your art, learn other arts as well, pay your dues, and by then you will probably change your mind about creating your own style anyway.

With respect,

Sohan

[Brandon Fisher]

Seijitsu Shin Do is not that unique in reality it does have some rare or unheard of blocking in some the more advanced techniques such has blocking a strike and trapping it not only using your arm and hands but shoulder as well. It does fit my body style and sight ability very well as there are sensitivity training learning to react off of feeling and not just sight which is not extremely common. However this is only small parts of the system. But I would never claim it being completely original. The weapons kata cirriculum is though except for 2 kata and is expanding.

[jaymac]

I think I agree with all other posters. It is good you have ambition and motivation to keep training on your own. However, only 5 years of experience with an instructor is maybe not enough time, especially if you are thinking about trying to teach this to other people. You are lacking credentials with only 5 years training. Sorry.