Martial Arts Seminars--Worth The Time/Money?

[Sohan]

I have attended various martial arts seminars over the years, and though I listen attentively, take notes, and participate as fully as I can in each, in most cases I don't really feel I have benefitted all that much more than I would have by training regularly in my own dojo with my own sensei.

I admit that it is usually an enjoyable experience to spend a weekend training with a grandmaster or other high ranking karateka (though I have had a few that were not), but I rarely seem to take away much more from these seminars and workshops besides a touch of motivation and insight and a few cherished snapshots. Personally, I'd rather be working the heavy bag, sparring, or hitting the weights.

Now, if I could train for a month or two with the Grandmaster, that would be different. But a one or two day seminar doesn't seem worth the time or the money anymore.

Curious what your thoughts are.

With respect,

Sohan

[ps1]

I think it usually depends on who you see. In general, the more interactive the seminar, the more you will learn. For example. I was at a seminar with George Anderson, he put us through a bunch of drills and taught some ippon kumite but overall, I felt the same as you about it. Don't get me wrong, they guy is a wealth of info...but a few hours with him wasn't enough.

On the other hand, every BJJ seminar I've been to has been quite productive. I always come away with at least one thing that revolutionizes the way I do things. It's all because these seminars are designed for the people there to ask questions and become interactive.

[lordtariel]

I really like going to them. I might not learn that much, but it's fun to go somewhere new and see how different people teach and train with people outside your dojo.

[Sohan]

I think it usually depends on who you see. In general, the more interactive the seminar, the more you will learn. For example. I was at a seminar with George Anderson, he put us through a bunch of drills and taught some ippon kumite but overall, I felt the same as you about it. Don't get me wrong, they guy is a wealth of info...but a few hours with him wasn't enough.

On the other hand, every BJJ seminar I've been to has been quite productive. I always come away with at least one thing that revolutionizes the way I do things. It's all because these seminars are designed for the people there to ask questions and become interactive.

I haven't been to any BJJ seminars yet, but I suspect my experience would be the same as yours. I rarely come away from a BJJ class having not learned something.

With respect,

Sohan

[pariah]

In my opinion seminars are good places to seek out the subtle nuances of different techniques, as they applied by the masters. I have many years of experience, but still on occasion I find new and different ways to hone a particular technique. You can learn several techniques in a single years, but you can spend a lifetime molding, shaping, and chipping away at them in your pursuit of mastery. So while I go to seminars for entertainment mostly, my eyes are always open, and Im always ready to ask a key question in regards to improving a technique. Worth my time, definately. Worth the money, I dont know they tend to be a bit pricey to me.

[patusai]

I stopped going to seminars years ago. Althought there is always benefit I did not think that it was worth the money considering. If the seminar is history related or lecture related that might be one thing. Perhaps the problem was that I never found the right seminar to go to. I think it would be different if the seminar was more one on one and not like a 100 level college course where there are 300 people in a lecture hall.

[bluez4u2]

Depends on who is teaching them and how much time you spend discussing and practicing the techniques. I've heard that seminars with Dan Inosanto are a waste for beginners because he goes so fast. He tries to cover so much that you only get to spend 5 or 10 minutes on a technique before he moves on to something else. I've attended Wing Tsun seminars with Emin Boztepe and those are fun and you learn a lot. Regardless of whether you are a beginner or not.

[bushido_man96]

Personally, I don't get to a lot of seminars, so I can't really answer for myself. However, I do have a friend who tries to hit 2 ICHF seminars in a year, and he has come back with tons of info. He enjoys them greatly, and there is usually several options for him to choose from when he goes.

By going to the ICHF seminars, he has hooked up with J. Hock Hochiem (spelling?), and has gotten to the point where he can teach some of the material, and has worked with me on it.

In the end, I think it depends partially on who you are, and also the content of the seminar. A Karate guy going to another Karate seminar may not come away with much more than slight variances, or a different idea of how to teach things. A Karate guy going to a BJJ seminar, since it is so different, may bring back a ton of information to share and work with.

[glockmeister]

It it worth the time and money? only you can answer that. Because each person is different in their needs and what they hope to gain in seminars.

I have been to a few. One was a great "street grappling" seminar another was a Hapkido seminar and at another time "Shogun" Rua was at our school doing a weekend workshop. One day ground fighting and the other day stand up fighting. Most recently I was at a BJJ seminar with another instructor from another city who did a great job and I was very pleased.

The Hapkido seminar I was somewhat disappointed. It was hosted by Master Geoff Booth of Sydney Australia. It wasn't bad, but I didn't think I carried much new material away from it.

Some will give you some new insight and others may not. I am always on the look-put for something new to put in my overall "toolbox".

One thing I am leary of is people who charge incredible amounts of money simply marketing their names. I won'y mention them on here, but I am sure we have all seen some famous MA's who were offering seminars at outlandish prices mainly because they can. They have managed to build fame and people are willing to spend a lot of money just to say " I personally trained with Master So- And- So."

[dragonwarrior_keltyr]

I've only been to one but I found I got a lot out of it. The teacher's style worked well and there were lots of high belts to help others with their techniques. Tsuruoaka-sensei taught us all and then the high black belts helped the lower blacks while the all the black belts helped the even younger. It worked quite well. I found it well wroth the time and money.