Your teaching

[Spartacus Maximus]

I understand your point of view and I do not see anything that I could disagree with. I would like however to elaborate what I said. In my opinion, reasons for a change are much more important than the change itself or how long ago it was made and by whom.

My point is that a change should make sense from an effectiveness and technical point of view. Learning to identify and explain changes is very important for personal training and even more important for anyone who wants to teach others. It helps understanding how and why something works and how it should be applied for maximum effect.

A change should be made for practical reasons or physical reasons. If it works for the intended purpose, than there a no reason to dismiss it. The rest is a matter of adapting it to one's unique characteristics.

[ninjanurse]

Shuhari.

[scohen.mma]

I'm not even a Shodan yet, so I'm not sure how valid my opinion is, if at all. But I feel that it's important to keep martial arts, traditional martial arts in particular, alive. With that said, as years go on, things will change, maybe not on purpose or because of how the individual works. So I think that it's okay if some things change over time, but the ultimate goal should be to keep our martial arts alive.

[sensei8]

Shuhari.

Absolutely!!

[CredoTe]

I agree with the idea of change and I am certain that it has contributed a great deal to the development of every martial art that exist today. Where I draw the line is when changes are made for the wrong reasons.

It is often very difficult to know when or why a change has been made. Especially if the source of that change is no longer around to explain. That is why I am always careful to question.

Changes and variations due to personality, body type or technical preference are inevitable. However I strongly disagree with the idea of changing or otherwise altering anything that would compromise effectivity and the original purpose.

The only thing I might change would be the intensity but I would try to follow exactly the same training methods. I absolutely refuse to be influenced by the sport/contest aspect. Nowadays the average person is too soft and lacks the drive to put themselves through that type of intense training. Nevermind doing it everyday. It isn't everyone who actually enjoys being sore all over nearly everyday and regularly coming home with bruises.

...If we have to question why a change was made when the one who modified it is no longer around, then don't we have to question the founders choices at the outset of the art as well?

For me, this is easy. Of course we do! But some artist have real trouble acknowledging this. Not saying that you do, just saying that a lot of people are quick to dismiss change on the grounds you stated, but balk at the idea of questioning a founder that was born two centuries ago.

This is key. For instance, I am a Matsubayashi-Ryu karateka, so Osensei to me is Shoshin Nagamine. That said...

The further I go on my journey, each time I train to gain in-depth understanding, I always have these questions in my mind: "What was Osensei's thinking? Why did he do it this way?" These questions lead me to better understanding of his background and technique, but equally important, to better understanding of my own technique and how my body is able to use them.

I don't practice Matsubayashi-Ryu to exactly mimic Osensei; I practice Matsubayashi-Ryu because I believe the kata, techniques, methods, and philosophy of Osensei's version of Shorin-Ryu best suits my personal development and understanding of MA.

The questions above inevitably lead to researching Osensei's historical/biographical background and training history; who did he train under? (Ankichi Arakaki, Chotoku Kyan, Motobu Choki, Chosin Chibana) What did they do, why did they do it? Who did they train under? And on and on it goes...

Being able to honestly question any instructor, even founders, are crucial to understanding your own personal karate and how effectively you are able to use it to save your own life (or that of your loved one). Additionally, it gains you better insight into the history, culture, and foundation of your chosen art.