How to pick the right school... Any martial art!

[Luther unleashed]

Here's what my experience has thought me... It's NOT the style, it's the teacher that matters! We'll same holds true for associassions. There are many people that can teach you out there that are NOT with a federation of any type. There are a lot of instructors out there that can NOT teach you proper Techniques even though they ARE part of an Association/federation! All that means is that they pay money to be a part of that organization.

I walked into my karate school, I watched a class. The interaction from my master (master guffey) was like I'd never seen before. The way he SHOWED the way to do things was more important then his digital trail. He's an incredible teacher. He's an incredible martial artist with years of strength and Technique that you can SEE! This is how you should chose a school. Forget the politics of paperwork. If you can see he's good, then learn from a teacher that's good, it's simple. Iv seen some cheesy teachers that have world tang soo do federation on there walls and certificates that I would never take a lesson from, because it was that bad. You should be able to see what your looking at, when you see it.

Kung fu does not typically have this paper/accosiation problem. The goal was always supposed to be to learn from a good teacher that teaches well, and knows their stuff we'll, not who he pays to use a federation name! Style, should be treated the same way. All styles have their goods and bads. It's the instruction that matters most, espesially these days when there are so many schools that don't have a really good instructor.

Hope this helps anybody looking to find a school, take care!

[Zaine]

Kung fu does not typically have this paper/accosiation problem.

I would disagree. All martial arts suffer from bad teachers and all martial arts, regardless of whether it is kung fu or karate, have associations that you can be a part of. Like you said, being in this or that association has no bearing on whether or not you're a good teacher, but they exist in every part of martial arts.

[Luther unleashed]

Agreed... I think mainly the stand I was intending to take on that was simply that in Kung fu, vs karate and tae Kwon do (as en example) students "or" those looking to become students seem to need an explanation of what association clubs are with, more then Kung fu. I wrote it based on a thread in Korean martial arts about "should I train here" and the topic of Association came up which is what sparked this thought from me.

Just seems to be a bit more political in these styles... My personal experience of course but ALSO what iv read in the small time iv been a member here! For some reason it always seems to be the thought process! (Authentic instruction = part of a federation). UNFORTUNATELY!

[Luther unleashed]

Btw I like your signature, I completely agree and state it often myself, my % is slightly more lopsided though lol, training on your own being highly important!

[sensei8]

Very solid OP!!

Proof is on the floor!!

Not all BB can teach, and in that, not all BB have solid techniques for various reasons. Therefore, even the most basics become muddled with confusion because said BB can't connect the dots in a very distinct and concise manner. That's, imho, not the fault of any said governing body because the accountability lies solely in the lap of the practitioner.

The governing body is just the administrative segment of ones training, and in that, said instructor is another segment of ones training. The MAist, imho, must be proactive in their training at all times. Albeit, ones MA betterment belongs to the MAist.

If it's walks like a duck, and waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then guess what? It's a duck, and nothing will change that UNTIL said MAist takes charge of their training.

Sure, the governing body and the instructor plays an tangible part in ones MA training, but it's a small part. The largest portion of the responsibility, imho, belongs to the practitioner.

How so?

Being PROACTIVE in all things!! Train with a purpose in every aspect of ones MA training. As the things within the curriculum are presented by ones instructor, take what's being taught to the next level of effectiveness.

There must be a chemistry between student and instructor. The governing body, imho, isn't even a consideration in choosing said school of the MA. If the instructor meets all of your expectations across the board, then the rock n' roll music can play on and enjoyed.

Imho, choosing a school of the MA isn't rocket science, and in that, the gut feelings should be weighed carefully because there's a lot at risk. One's MA journey belongs to said practitioner alone. Whom the practitioner decides to travel with, is up to said practitioner.

To learn effective applied knowledge is all one's seeking, and all of the unnecessary baggage isn't going to help anything. Decide, and decide well!

[Wastelander]

Welcome to the forum, Luther unleashed--it's always nice to see another martial artist from Phoenix here! I would wholeheartedly agree with your recommendation on how to approach finding a school, but there is a bit of a caveat; you have to know what "good" looks like . When I found my current instructor, I had already been training in another style of karate, as well as judo, for several years, so I knew what to look for. I didn't even know what rank my instructor held for months after I started .

Your instructor isn't one that I've heard of, but it looks like you guys are out in the West Valley, so that isn't surprising. We're having some seminars and an open sparring event at my dojo over the next month, so if you guys are interested, we'd be happy to have you over!

[Luther unleashed]

Hey man, thanks for the welcome. Yeah, your right you have to know what good looks like, but I guess to me there is a good deal of instructors that make it easy to see what good looks like if compared to them, which is why I think shopping around always pays off!

As far as the offer for the sparring seminar, thanks for the offer man.i personally don't have time for stuff like that at the moment. I'm at the dojo many hours a week right now for various reasons. Plus I have 4 children so times pretty tight lol! Where is your school located, I'm assuming by your comment it's on the east side? Thanks again man!

[Luther unleashed]

And Sensai8, thanks for the nice post compliment. Your post was very solid as we'll. is there no way to "like" a post, or no "thanks" button? Weird!

[sensei8]

And Sensai8, thanks for the nice post compliment. Your post was very solid as we'll. is there no way to "like" a post, or no "thanks" button? Weird!

You're very welcome!! You can look at the various Emoticons, located to the left of the posting box, and possibly find one that can convey a "like" or a "thanks". That's what I've done; seems to work.