Style developing - Change name and embrace?

[Wastelander]

It sounds like your question really boils down to "what do I call this thing I'm doing?"

Now, I imagine it is pretty clearly karate, so you could just call it "Karate" and be done with it. Alternatively, I suspect that it is strongly based on Wado-Ryu, so you could keep calling it "Wado-Ryu," regardless of the changes. The important thing is that you are transparent and honest about what you do. Be truthful about who your teachers have been, how much experience you have, and how what you do is the same or different from what you've learned. As long as you're honest, I don't think you'll have a problem.

[Sentoka]

It sounds like your question really boils down to "what do I call this thing I'm doing?"

Now, I imagine it is pretty clearly karate, so you could just call it "Karate" and be done with it. Alternatively, I suspect that it is strongly based on Wado-Ryu, so you could keep calling it "Wado-Ryu," regardless of the changes. The important thing is that you are transparent and honest about what you do. Be truthful about who your teachers have been, how much experience you have, and how what you do is the same or different from what you've learned. As long as you're honest, I don't think you'll have a problem.

Noah, mate,

Absolutely on point.

It's great to hear this, and I think you hit the nail on the head. A major concern of mine is will my credibility be brought into question. This really does help. Thankyou.

[ShoriKid]

It sounds like your question really boils down to "what do I call this thing I'm doing?"

Now, I imagine it is pretty clearly karate, so you could just call it "Karate" and be done with it. Alternatively, I suspect that it is strongly based on Wado-Ryu, so you could keep calling it "Wado-Ryu," regardless of the changes. The important thing is that you are transparent and honest about what you do. Be truthful about who your teachers have been, how much experience you have, and how what you do is the same or different from what you've learned. As long as you're honest, I don't think you'll have a problem.

Noah, mate,

Absolutely on point.

It's great to hear this, and I think you hit the nail on the head. A major concern of mine is will my credibility be brought into question. This really does help. Thankyou.

Sentoka,

Looking at all of this, I see we live far too far apart to sit down and have a few drinks over this subject. I've raised this very question, or something very close to it here in the past. There are no really right or wrongs that I can see, only decisions you can sleep with. I spoke with the man I consider my current head instructor tonight about something else, a pretty happy prospect. Some day, he and I are going to have a long conversation, I hope over a good bottle, about what I am doing up here in the sticks with our tiny, tiny dojo. My personal approach, personal method, and disposition to teach is very different than the Matsubayashi-Ryu I started with, the Shotokan, Kenpo, etc. etc. I've trained in since. What I teach isn't that same old method. One my first instructor would not approve of I do not think.

I think at a certain point, as long as you are honest about what you teach, and where you learned it from, you will be fine. The challenges to your credibility will come any way. They would come even if you toed the party line and taught exactly what was expected of a Wado dojo. About the best you can do is defend those challenges with results in your students. The primitive, old school guy in me says invite them on the floor to experience it first hand. But, that is frowned upon in polite society. In some ways I guess I have mellowed as I've gotten older, but other things I'm less forgiving of.