Overweight Karate Instructors

[mathemajikian]

So, I've been to a few dojos in my area, and I’ve noticed that a lot of the instructors are extremely overweight. When they demonstrate techniques they look really bad and, horribly unbalanced; however, some of them seem to have a lot of martial arts experience/knowledge. Many of them have actually lived and trained in Japan! I've seen photos of these instructors when they were younger and they all seemed to be in shape, and I would have loved to train with them then, but now that they have let themselves go I'm sort of wary. So, what do you guys think? Can an overweight instructor teach you to be a good martial artist or will the fact that they can no longer walk the walk effect the training you’re receiving?

[judobrah]

they are extremly overweight?

run like hell

your instructor can be fat,there are some decent fat martial artists(not many),but if he is morbdly obese and look terrible showing the movements

just get out of there,and get a better instructor

think about it this way,if they are that fat it problably means they dont have that much dycpline and dont take that seriously,how many great karatecas were fat?i dont remenber one

they are suppost to be a "role" model,someone you can admire,not someone that strugles to breath when they runhalf a mile

[Harkon72]

I know a 7th dan who can't see his toes! He runs an international Mcdojo. No names here, and he is one of a few.

[JohnnyB]

with every Dan they go up a weight class?

[evergrey]

Is it because they have simply let themselves go, or is it because they have suffered an injury that makes them unable to exercise? Metabolic failure? If they cannot properly demonstrate because of an injury (and not ineptness) or the like, do they have an assistant who can?

If a person has a great deal of experience in the martial arts, and is in fact a great teacher, but something happened to them in their older years, I wouldn't immediately discount them!

If they aren't really good at martial arts and never were, then they might be living in a fantasy land of inflated rank.

You would have to watch them and know them and know the story to really know.

At a certain point, we all get older and our bodies change.

At the end of his life, Sosai Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin, was quite chubby and in pictures usually sat in a chair instead of kneeling in seiza. Does that mean he had no merit as an instructor or martial artist? I don't think anyone who knows who he is would dare say so!

There comes a time when a new generation is meant to be fighters. At that point, it might be wiser to judge an instructor by how his students to, rather than how they, in their 60s with arthritis and a ruined knee, look.

[DoctorQui]

Is it because they have simply let themselves go, or is it because they have suffered an injury that makes them unable to exercise? Metabolic failure? If they cannot properly demonstrate because of an injury (and not ineptness) or the like, do they have an assistant who can?

I agree with this completely and think this is the situation in the majority of cases. My former shian was very overweight and in her 60s but of years of MA she had to have her knee caps removed and can now only demonstrate punches and blocks and certainly cant manage the exercises anymore and hasn't since the early 90s. However, her 8th Dan status speaks for itself!

[evergrey]

OSU!

And also, don't judge by aesthetics alone. There are some super heavyweight fighters who can seriously throw down!

[sensei8]

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii31/sensei8_2008/089.jpg

I'm the one on the left. Please don't judge me by what's on the outside, instead, allow the floor to judge me.

Since 2000, I've lost just over 55 pounds, and this picture was taken about 2 years ago.

The floor has no mercy, let the floor speak for itself on my behalf, and as well as those who've shared the floor with me.

[Dobbersky]

I'm over weight, 120kg, I've put on about 16kg since I've injured my knee, waiting for scan on it. But as soon as its fixed I'm running the weight off.

I've not met many instructors who don't have the instructor pouch in front. It's sue to not as much personal training and more instructing.

But as you've said there has to be a limit,

[MasterPain]

On the other end of the spectrum, I have seen some very fit people teaching garbage.