Overweight Karate Instructors

[Dobbersky]

being over wieght and being unfit is not the same ,some people have a great physique but not that skillful in karate and some poeple are not naturaly gifted pyhsically but they make up for it with skill and ability .

you need to look beyond their apearance and watch their ability

I think this is the kind of thing people need to keep in mind. Appearance means little compared to fighting ability.

Totally agree, solid post!!!!

[Shizentai]

Agreed. I have seen a 450lb purple-belt jump over the top of my head as if he were a bird in flight. I myself have never been that size, so my understanding of people's situation as such is very limited. However, to say that one is unable to do karate because they are big is, I am sure, not true. Is it easier to do when you are fit? Probably, but we all have our own personal battles, some you can see, some you can't detect with a judgmental cursory glance around a room.

On another unrelated note, these ads at the top of the page are so weird:

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[evergrey]

Agreed. I have seen a 450lb purple-belt jump over the top of my head as if he were a bird in flight. I myself have never been that size, so my understanding of people's situation as such is very limited. However, to say that one is unable to do karate because they are big is, I am sure, not true. Is it easier to do when you are fit? Probably, but we all have our own personal battles, some you can see, some you can't detect with a judgmental cursory glance around a room.

On another unrelated note, these ads at the top of the page are so weird:

Find Overweight Karate instructors near you. The Web's Local Search Engine!

Looking For Overweight Karate instructors?

Find What You Need. Look For Overweight Karate instructors Here Now

Searching for Overweight Karate instructors?

Top answers for Overweight Karate instructors

...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[judobrah]

Agreed. I have seen a 450lb purple-belt jump over the top of my head as if he were a bird in flight. I myself have never been that size, so my understanding of people's situation as such is very limited. However, to say that one is unable to do karate because they are big is, I am sure, not true. Is it easier to do when you are fit? Probably, but we all have our own personal battles, some you can see, some you can't detect with a judgmental cursory glance around a room.

On another unrelated note, these ads at the top of the page are so weird:

Find Overweight Karate instructors near you. The Web's Local Search Engine!

Looking For Overweight Karate instructors?

Find What You Need. Look For Overweight Karate instructors Here Now

Searching for Overweight Karate instructors?

Top answers for Overweight Karate instructors

...BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

lol.....

[andym]

IMAGE VERSES ABILITY / CONTENT.

“We are unique, gentleman, in that we create ourselves. Through long years of rigorous training, sacrifice, denial, pain. We forge our bodies in the fire of our will.”

Han (Shih Kien) , ‘Enter The Dragon’ (1973) written by Michael Allin.

Two perfect examples of the problem I have with view point - Anna Kournikova and Audley Harrison. Anna Kournikova was for a time the best known and best paid female tennis player in the world. She was fit and active, and looked the part. During this time, how successful was she ? She hardly won anything ! All the money and publicity was based solely on her looks : there’s no deigning she was beautiful. Between 1997 and 2003, she won only 3 second string events ! So none of the money and publicity was based on success and ability (content) - just looks (image). The records show Martina Hingis won 7 majors and over 20 second string events . And, Lindsay Davenport won 6 majors and over 20 second string events, during the same time period. When this era of tennis is looked back on, it is these players that are the talking point, not Kournikova . Now looking back, it is the ability, content, that is remembered, the image is forgotten ! Anna Kournikova looked the part, but the truth is , she was not.

Audley Harrison, sometimes known as ‘Fraudly’ Harrison ; need I say more. Talked the talk, but when it came down to it, couldn’t do the walk ! All image, no content. So, in Martial Arts terms, you want some ‘Dolly Bird’ teaching self-defence, that is either ineffective of itself. Looks good, but doesn’t work. Or , we’re too busy looking at how pretty she is, to notice she has no technical skill. It doesn’t matter that she’s inaccurate , badly co-ordinated, mistiming her stuff, no ability - has no content - so long as she has the image. A triumph of image over content.

The problem is ,we have this already - The McDojo ! Where the image of Martial Arts training has replaced the Martial Arts content , within the McDojo.

“We are unique, gentleman, in that we create ourselves. Through long years of rigorous training, sacrifice, denial, pain. We forge our bodies in the fire of our will.”

This is how we create CONTENT. It is this content that has created the IMAGE of the Martial Artist - that so many wish to have, but so few are willing to put in the work. We are now in a time where this hollow, contentless image, is taking over.

AT THIS POINT I WOULD ADD A PHOTO OF MYSELF, IF I KNEW HOW !

Just to show I’m not being defensive

So lets go to subject that started this off. A thread on ’fat’ instructors.

Link

Nobody within the martial arts chooses to be fat ! I believe that body type / Somatotypes (link= brianmac) have a far more import influence on this issue than is generally acknowledged. Why is a group, Endomorphs, being stigmatised ? Is it not better for the Martial Arts, to have a good instructor, rather than an instructor that looks good ? ( irrespective of body type)

[darksoul]

http://youtu.be/2HXokIqh13E

Funny thing is fat does not mean out of shape.

I'm not overweight, luckily, but I have trained under a few masters that were overweight (not 400lbs, but still chunky) and they were awesome.

[brickshooter]

Instructors are like "trainers." Cus D'Amato wasn't exactly built like Mr. Universe when he trained Mike Tyson to be world champ.

I think that most people have a "Karate Master" mentality when it comes to Karate instructors. We have unrealistic expectations. We want 100 years of wisdom in the body of a 20 year old athlete.

It's a little too much of hero worshiping. It's difficult to hero worship a fat instructor.

[DWx]

I think part of the problem is a lot of instructors started out life slimmer and more active but as they got older (like any athlete) their training slows down and they start putting on the weight. Injuries happen too and for whatever reason, they can't train on that level any more. But that doesn't mean they don't know their stuff and aren't good at conveying this knowledge!

Besides, bigger guys can be amazing martial artists. One of the most impressive people I've ever had the chance to train with was a Canadian TKD 7th dan who was overweight but I have never seen anyone who could move and kick as fast as that. In fact one of my favourite martial artist actors is Sammo Hung because he is a big guy and can do what he does.

[darksoul]

I think part of the problem is a lot of instructors started out life slimmer and more active but as they got older (like any athlete) their training slows down and they start putting on the weight. Injuries happen too and for whatever reason, they can't train on that level any more. But that doesn't mean they don't know their stuff and aren't good at conveying this knowledge!

Besides, bigger guys can be amazing martial artists. One of the most impressive people I've ever had the chance to train with was a Canadian TKD 7th dan who was overweight but I have never seen anyone who could move and kick as fast as that. In fact one of my favourite martial artist actors is Sammo Hung because he is a big guy and can do what he does.

Exactly! One of the Kempo grandmasters Kimo Ferreira isn't exactly the picture of perfect physique, but he is FAST.

[Chunmonchek]

While it a huge advantage that your Sensei is in top physical condition and can walk the walk, I don't believe that that's the end all and be all.

I first had the opportunity to train with my current Goju Sensei in 1983. At the time he was in incredible martial condition, and could use the art for real, but more importantly, he had the gift of being able to convey the arts efficiently and completely. Throughout the past 3 decades he has retained a high level of martial conditioning, and his teaching abilities have gotten even better. While my Sensei may not be able to maintain the same physical condition in the distant future, I am sure that he will still be able to convey and teach the arts.

I have had the good fortune to train with Toguchi Seikichi and Matayoshi Shinho, albeit while they were in their later years. While they were in no where near the martial condition that they were in their prime, they could still convey the arts...they still had lessons to teach.

At the end of the day, for me, the important thing is whether a Sensei can effectively convey the arts. If so, there are many more lessons to be learned.

Chris