Military Service Member Starting Karate

[Danielsan]

I am in the U.S. military and currently stationed in England. I would like to learn martial arts. From my limited experience I prefer Japanese/Okinawan styles (4x karates, Kenpo/Kempo, and Aikido) There are not many dojos/clubs in my area to choose from. As a military member who moves every 2-4 years, I would like to be able to continue my training where ever I move to (both U.S. and overseas) and hopefully not have to restart everytime I move. Also, I would like to be able in the future to provide training to fellow service members if I could and do not want to restrict my option to do so. Finally, I may in the future be stationed in Japan and would like the option of training with a dojo in Japan; would like to be accepted with what I will/have learned in Europe and the U.S. My questions are:

1.) Should I go with a newer martial art such as Aikido since there is less variation in that style and many instructors recognize previous training; and is this true?

2.) Should I look for an instructor who trained with an international organization like ITKA, JKA, WKO, etc.?

Very Respectfully,

Danielsan

[tallgeese]

If making certain that you're rank, ect. transfer each time your moved then hooking up with a school tied to an international organization probably isn't a bad idea.

I always suggest checking out each school that you currently have access to by watching a class and then taking a class to make sure it's a good fit with what you want out of ma's. I also encourage people to take a look at the other members there. This will go a long way towards making your training enjoyable, and therefore keep interest up and your progress continuing at a good pace.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Checking out the schools first is a great idea. Worry about associations and politics later. It's understandable that you want your rank to transfer, but knowledge tends to speak for itself.

Think about what you want more as well. Do you like striking? Do you like grappling? Do you want hard contact training, do you want lighter contact? etc.

The only things I know about England are that they have a lot of Shotokan and a lot of Kyokushin. Kyokushin is full-contact bare knuckle knockdown. Shotokan is one of the most wide spread styles of Karate.

[joesteph]

I think the above posts make good points. Since you've studied a variety of martial arts, do you find yourself preferring a striking art (with takedowns) or a grappling art (with joint locks)? I thought of Shotokan and Jujutsu in terms of both being widespread. Sometimes a school even offers more than one martial art, such as that my teacher offers a Korean art, Soo Bahk Do, but she has an arrangement with a JJ sensei (Vee Arnis Jujitsu) for certain nights and Saturdays for his school.

What martial arts have you studied, and have you watched any classes or taken part in any classes in neighboring schools?

BTW, Welcome to the Forums, Danielsan!

[bushido_man96]

If rank is your main concern, then I agree with finding an international organization to go with. The bigger it is, then the more likely it is to find a club wherever you go. Not guaranteed, though.

You could check into an army team or some such thing. Maybe there is a TKD team there you could look into? That way, when you do transfer, you might find another team at the next station. Just a thought.

Also, I second the thought about checking out the schools around. I'd go with knowledge gained over rank retained any day. Your rank may change, but knowledge is the more important aspect, in my opinion.

[Danielsan]

The only reason why I care about rank is that I would like to be able to instruct in the future and that it seems that you should be a black belt before you teach others by yourself.

I did Shotokan as a kid for a few years, but I also see the practicality in joint locks - especially for military.

More info on what's available in my area:

1.) non-affiliated Shotokan karate club (used to be JKA, but broke away)

2.) Aikido club

3.) JKA affiliate club, but it's an hour drive one way. This would be difficult to make on a regular basis.

What say you folks?

[isshinryu5toforever]

If you have to choose between only Aikido and only Shotokan, and both schools look like they're good schools, then go with the one you want to do more. Aikido is mainly about joint locking, small circle and large circle theory, and using the other person's momentum. It takes a long time to get proficient to the point that you can apply it in most situations. Shotokan, you said you took as a kid, so you know what that's all about.

Like I said, don't worry too much about associations, because knowledge doesn't go away. You can't just walk into an association as a 4th degree black belt and expect them to say, "OK, come teach our students!" but if you apply to their association, they may test you, and if you show the necessary skill and knowledge, they will let you retain your ranking. So like I said, don't worry about that so much. Figure out if the martial arts you will learn are good, then worry about associations. I would rather learn from a non-affiliated instructor who is very good and solid as a martial artist (which I did growing up, and still do), than learn from a full ranked associate who isn't a very good teacher.

[Danielsan]

That is good advice. I also just read about what you said, that I may apply to affiliation, which may test me and allow me to retain a rank equal to or maybe slightly lower than what I will achieve with the local karate club. That makes sense. I've been worried about the politics of karate and how it could affect me. Don't know how people who've invested their lives deal with it. Oh well, I order a GIKO 14oz gi this morning and after my string of 6x12 hour graveyard shifts on the Watchfloor, I'll attend my first session in almost 15 years.

I'm still open for discussion as I have six more days before I go to my first session.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Depending on the person who has dedicated their life to martial arts, politics can mean everything or nothing. Sounds kind of ridiculous, but it's true. As of August 27th, I'll have spent by 18th year actively doing Karate on a nearly daily basis. That's all but 5 years and 7 months of my life. And honestly, associations don't mean a thing to me. I have never belonged to one, and I don't plan on belonging to one in the near future.

In Taekwondo, I am in an association, but because you basically have to be to compete. Seeing as how I'm almost positive I've finished competing, I no longer worry about that either.

So yeah, just start with a school, see how much you like it, and if you never get bored, keep doing it.

[Patrick]

Welcome aboard, Danielsan.

Great thoughts, everyone.

Patrick