Starting my own style/system

[chrissyp]

So having studied martial arts for many years, i've decided I eventually would like to teach, and start my own style / system, as I truelly believe I can bring something new to the table.

I have a few questions and thoughts I wonder if anyone could help me with:

Who has developed and taught their own system? Why did you go about this? what would you recommend for someone doing the same?

Is it even nessesary? I could probally just sell it as a "tweaked version of muay thai in a gi" but I feel i'd be selling my selft short, but I also feel like would people take it seriously by name alone?

Any thoughts and advice is greatly appreciated!

[Nidan Melbourne]

Have you taught previously in your respective arts?

I haven't started my own system or developed it. I would recommend you figure out your curriculum etc before you open your school.

Are you going to teach a combination of Muay Thai and Shotokan or just one of them with hints of the other?

What do you feel like that your going to bring to the table?

Once you open your school are you going to affiliate yourself with an association (i.e. here in Melbourne, Australia if i opened a karate school i would affiliate myself with Karate Victoria and the Australian Karate Federation)?

[chrissyp]

Have you taught previously in your respective arts?

I haven't started my own system or developed it. I would recommend you figure out your curriculum etc before you open your school.

Are you going to teach a combination of Muay Thai and Shotokan or just one of them with hints of the other?

What do you feel like that your going to bring to the table?

Once you open your school are you going to affiliate yourself with an association (i.e. here in Melbourne, Australia if i opened a karate school i would affiliate myself with Karate Victoria and the Australian Karate Federation)?

I have taught muay thai and assisted in shotokan.

It would be a full contact system consisting of the shotokan and Muay thai elements combined, with an influence of sabaki and the use of gi, for take downs and throws. It would look something, on the competition side, if Enshin and Combat Sambo had a baby.

I would affiliate I believe, I'd like to grow what i'm teaching.

This wouldn't be for another 5-10 years, so i'm still working on the ciriculum and working on growing myself as a student and teacher.

I Initially wanted to do version of a full contact shotokan, but then i reliezed what i'd be going for might be much more than that.

[vaporman]

10/10 would get the book.

[chrissyp]

Ty! Another reason i want to do as a system, like Karate with a belt structure, is for reaching purposes. I've been to a few Muay thai and MMA schools, and the way they seem to be historically structured, while they work on basics, they kinda seem to throw you in the middle of things, don't really have a foundation to start with. What I loved about karate is the teaching strucutre, build a foundation and expand upon it. I think that's a better way to establish good basics and teaching

[bushido_man96]

Why can't you just do Shotokan, promote as Shotokan (if you are of rank and experience to do so), and pepper in your own personal touches with the Muay Thai? As you go, you could tweak what you do with the Muay Thai, adding what you feel fits and removing what doesn't. But if it doesn't work, then you and your students always have the consistency of what Shotokan offers as a fall back.

[Wastelander]

I haven't started my own style, and I don't plan to, although one day I'm sure I will customize what I teach to my own students. I'm not fond of the idea of "creating styles," honestly, and I like bushido_man96's approach better.

I do know someone who started his own style, though, for whatever that's worth. What he did was take the karate he learned, changed the body mechanics and some of the movements to be more like the Chinese arts that he studied, and added a bunch of drills/techniques from American Kenpo and Filipino martial arts. He also did not promote himself to a higher rank--he holds a Nanadan (7th dan) ranking in karate, and that is the rank he goes by.

I will say that people who are looking to train, or sign their kids up to train, are looking for something they can Google. Things like "karate" and "kickboxing" are much more widely searched for than specific styles. Calling what you do "modified karate" or "modified kickboxing" is going to get you more hits than "chrissyp-ryu." It isn't really selling yourself short when you simplify what you call it, so long as you are open and honest about your background and influences on the art.

[chrissyp]

I haven't started my own style, and I don't plan to, although one day I'm sure I will customize what I teach to my own students. I'm not fond of the idea of "creating styles," honestly, and I like bushido_man96's approach better.

I do know someone who started his own style, though, for whatever that's worth. What he did was take the karate he learned, changed the body mechanics and some of the movements to be more like the Chinese arts that he studied, and added a bunch of drills/techniques from American Kenpo and Filipino martial arts. He also did not promote himself to a higher rank--he holds a Nanadan (7th dan) ranking in karate, and that is the rank he goes by.

I will say that people who are looking to train, or sign their kids up to train, are looking for something they can Google. Things like "karate" and "kickboxing" are much more widely searched for than specific styles. Calling what you do "modified karate" or "modified kickboxing" is going to get you more hits than "chrissyp-ryu." It isn't really selling yourself short when you simplify what you call it, so long as you are open and honest about your background and influences on the art.

I thought about doing what he said, but I feel the final product would be so much different than shotokan or muay thai, that it wouldn't really be fair to call it either...though that was my orignal idea, and still is a possibly of going about it as shotokan offshoot/variation for many reasons

[bushido_man96]

It doesn't really have to be a Shotokan "offshoot," though, if you retain the Shotokan curriculum. You are just flavoring in your own other skills and curriculum along with it. This is really what lots of Martial Artists do as they advance in their training.

Also keep in mind that by sticking with Shotokan, it will be easier for your students to be recognized through whatever governing body your Shotokan is tied through.

[chrissyp]

It doesn't really have to be a Shotokan "offshoot," though, if you retain the Shotokan curriculum. You are just flavoring in your own other skills and curriculum along with it. This is really what lots of Martial Artists do as they advance in their training.

Also keep in mind that by sticking with Shotokan, it will be easier for your students to be recognized through whatever governing body your Shotokan is tied through.

that is my mindset too, and that's the idea i'm thinking about taking it... so is essential i'd be teaching full contact shotokan, but it'd still be teaching the classing shotokan curiculum