Greetings,

I've been a practitioner of Uechi-Ryu Karate for at least 6 months. Currently a yellow belt (much of my time is spend at work due to overtime). Initially I liked the style I was in, but as I keep going to the classes, I realized that I was getting bored with the style. The instructor uses the same teaching routine day in and day out and I'm just getting bored with it.

I want to go to a different school that supplement with my Wing Chun classes at a different school, but my city of Grand Rapids, Michigan has a very limited range of styles in the city, predominantly Shorin-Ryu Karate (a karate style I use to take but didn't like) and Tae Kwon Do (a style that requires lots of flexibility, which I don't have).

I could really use some help. If anyone is from that area, please offer some advice.

I'm not in your area so I cannot offer any help in finding another school for you but I would say this. Take the TKD class, if you didn't like shorin-ryu then try TKD, it is very very different.. I wouldn't worry about the flexibility, they shouldn't expect you to come in the door kicking and flipping, you will work up to that over time. At least give it a shot, it could be what you're looking for..

I, too, am not from your area. However, if I may suggest, the advice that chiliphil1 offers is sound! Give TKD a try, and I agree with chilliphil1 that you're flexibility will not be a tasking issue at all because your flexibility will increase in time.

I'd say try TKD as you never know it might suit you really well.

I am very lucky here where I live that has a huge variation of styles of karate and other martial arts. Our own Wayneshin for instance has a few schools, and one is within' a 15 minute drive for me.

If one is bored with training and gives up after a mere 6 months, perhaps such a person is not suited for the martial arts. Martial arts by nature are boring and repetitive. No matter what the school or system, if one lacks the patience and determination to persevere through repeated training how can one expect to gain any sort of skill?

Too many people expect instant results and forget that those who are skilled got that way precisely because they trained the same things day in and day out. Over and over again. For many years.

If one is bored with training and gives up after a mere 6 months, perhaps such a person is not suited for the martial arts. Martial arts by nature are boring and repetitive. No matter what the school or system, if one lacks the patience and determination to persevere through repeated training how can one expect to gain any sort of skill?

Too many people expect instant results and forget that those who are skilled got that way precisely because they trained the same things day in and day out. Over and over again. For many years.

I agree. If really is that boring, then by all means, if going to class is not fun and enjoyable, then you shouldn't go. But, what I would encourage you to look into is whether or not the system is effective, as opposed to repetitive and boring. If its effective, then I'd urge you to stay with it, as you will reap the benefits of this in the future.

In the end, a system is only as effective as the methods employed to train. What is important is that no matter the method or purpose of practise, repetition is a major component of all martial arts. It requires focus, concentration and most of all dedication, diligence and patience to keep on doing it.

Consider boxing for example. It is relatively simple and when observing the typical training, boxers can be seen doing the same 4 or 5 punches. Jab, hook, cross, uppercut, day in day out. Surely an athlete with only 6 month of this at only a few days a week(the average training time) cannot expect to have the level of one who has been at it everyday for 5 years.

Too often there is a tendency to underestimate the time it takes to actually get good at physical skills such as in martial arts. It is not fair to oneself to expect to be able to do after 6 months what took the expert years to master. Patience and hard work make the impossible possible. It is just a question of how hard one is willing to work at it.

If one is bored with training and gives up after a mere 6 months, perhaps such a person is not suited for the martial arts.

Well... OK then? Thanks for the talk.

It sounds, to me, that you have an issue with the teaching style, not necessarily the art, itself. Spartacus Maximus and bushido_man96 have valid points, as well--effective training is often repetitive and boring, regardless of the style. You could ask your Uechi-Ryu instructor if it would be possible to do a wider variety of training, to liven things up. If you do insist on finding somewhere else to train, you will need to watch classes and talk to the instructor to see if they teach the way you want. The style isn't going to dictate that so much as the individual instructor, so don't rule out anything that you didn't like before.

It sounds, to me, that you have an issue with the teaching style, not necessarily the art, itself. Spartacus Maximus and bushido_man96 have valid points, as well--effective training is often repetitive and boring, regardless of the style. You could ask your Uechi-Ryu instructor if it would be possible to do a wider variety of training, to liven things up. If you do insist on finding somewhere else to train, you will need to watch classes and talk to the instructor to see if they teach the way you want. The style isn't going to dictate that so much as the individual instructor, so don't rule out anything that you didn't like before.

Good point. I'll see what I can find out.