Would it be OK to train for the fitness alone?

[OneKickWonder]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

[JR 137]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

So long as you’re working hard, meeting your teacher’s expectations, and being respectful (ie not saying “this would never work), I hate to say it but I don’t see a problem. Not everyone in the dojo is there to be the next ultimate fighter. Everyone’s got their reasons for joining and staying, and none of them are inherently wrong.

I look around the dojo I train at, and I can tell who’s there for the exercise, who’s there to socialize, who’s drinking the Kool-Aid, and who’s there to fight (in a good way). None of that makes any of those people not worthy of being there.

That said, there’s no where else to train that better fits your expectations?

[OneKickWonder]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

So long as you’re working hard, meeting your teacher’s expectations, and being respectful (ie not saying “this would never work), I hate to say it but I don’t see a problem. Not everyone in the dojo is there to be the next ultimate fighter. Everyone’s got their reasons for joining and staying, and none of them are inherently wrong.

I look around the dojo I train at, and I can tell who’s there for the exercise, who’s there to socialize, who’s drinking the Kool-Aid, and who’s there to fight (in a good way). None of that makes any of those people not worthy of being there.

That said, there’s no where else to train that better fits your expectations?

I watched my teacher the other day, set the class off doing a form, then turn his back on the class while he spoke to another instructor about something completely unrelated. I notice these things more than ever because I'm currently sidelined due to injury. This might go some way to explaining why I don't get corrected as much as I did in other styles, despite me knowing there is a lot of correcting to be done. I know I'm a very long way from perfect, do if I'm not being corrected it means one of two things. Either it's not perfect but it's on the right track, which is what I used to think, or its not perfect but nobody is watching.

As for somewhere else to train, I'm sure there is. There's plenty of clubs in the area. But right now I feel disillusioned with martial arts in general. I have yet to find one that isn't fundamentally flawed. They all seem to assume that you have a fully working body free of faults. The flaw there of course is its about combat at the end of the day. Advice like 'keep moving all the time, stay light on your feet' etc is great. Until you consider that in a real fight, your enemy is going to try very hard to make you physically defective, and he only needs one half decent leg kick and all your footwork and agility and solid structure goes out of the window. Or there's BJJ which seems to be the only one that considers that. However while they're considering the ground game, they seem to ignore the multiple attacker scenario or the possibility of weapons being used.

[sensei8]

I don't think that you can have one without having the other. If you're there for the fitness and fun, then the MA attributes will be there nonetheless, practical and/or non-practical.

Of course, from your OP, I believe that you're already getting what you want...cardio...fun...the club and people you love!!

[singularity6]

Our own expectations (of ourselves, or of others) are sometimes our worst enemy.

We will never reach perfection in a martial art.

No martial art is perfect.

No instructor is perfect.

Your disillusionment and the noticing of flaws in your school are probably feeding one-another. Perhaps you should reflect on that? I use a pretty simple technique to determine whether a situation I'm in is the problem, or if I am the problem. I simply stop, and try to look at the situation objectively. Sometimes I end up swallowing some pride then changing course.

[JR 137]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

So long as you’re working hard, meeting your teacher’s expectations, and being respectful (ie not saying “this would never work), I hate to say it but I don’t see a problem. Not everyone in the dojo is there to be the next ultimate fighter. Everyone’s got their reasons for joining and staying, and none of them are inherently wrong.

I look around the dojo I train at, and I can tell who’s there for the exercise, who’s there to socialize, who’s drinking the Kool-Aid, and who’s there to fight (in a good way). None of that makes any of those people not worthy of being there.

That said, there’s no where else to train that better fits your expectations?

I watched my teacher the other day, set the class off doing a form, then turn his back on the class while he spoke to another instructor about something completely unrelated. I notice these things more than ever because I'm currently sidelined due to injury. This might go some way to explaining why I don't get corrected as much as I did in other styles, despite me knowing there is a lot of correcting to be done. I know I'm a very long way from perfect, do if I'm not being corrected it means one of two things. Either it's not perfect but it's on the right track, which is what I used to think, or its not perfect but nobody is watching.

As for somewhere else to train, I'm sure there is. There's plenty of clubs in the area. But right now I feel disillusioned with martial arts in general. I have yet to find one that isn't fundamentally flawed. They all seem to assume that you have a fully working body free of faults. The flaw there of course is its about combat at the end of the day. Advice like 'keep moving all the time, stay light on your feet' etc is great. Until you consider that in a real fight, your enemy is going to try very hard to make you physically defective, and he only needs one half decent leg kick and all your footwork and agility and solid structure goes out of the window. Or there's BJJ which seems to be the only one that considers that. However while they're considering the ground game, they seem to ignore the multiple attacker scenario or the possibility of weapons being used.

So class looks different from the outside looking in, rather than from the inside? It’s always an interesting phenomenon, seeing what the teacher sees rather than what you’re accustomed to seeing.

Honestly, it sounds like your issue is how the art is being taught and explained, and how the teacher’s teaching style. My advice is to look around and see what else is out there. Either your priorities have changed, or you’ve gained enough experience to be able to see the flaws that inexperience covers up. It’s like when I first started out as a white belt, I put the black belts on a pretty high pedestal. They were so good. Their technique was flawless. Then when I got closer to that rank and even more so earned that rank, that pedestal got a lot lower. I recognized the flaws; I saw the imperfections, and I saw them struggling with their material just like everyone else. I still had a ton of respect for them and all they’ve done, but I realized they’re human too. Now that you’ve got a better eye for it, look around.

As far as training for multiple attackers and against weapons, I’m of the (perhaps very small) camp that those things are largely a waste of time. Just about everything I see with weapons disarms is a guy standing there holding a weapon out and freezing for the counter. Just about everything I see with multiple attackers is like the movies - one attacker at a time with his “friends” waiting their individual turn. Maybe I’m jaded.

[tallgeese]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

Not at all. One hundred percent you can just train for fun. There's nothing at all wrong with this. Martial arts are big and if we're all honest with ourselves they can be very fulfilling. Training for something we don't actually want adds stress and decreases from this fulfillment.

Have fun.

[MatsuShinshii]

I've done a lot of soul searching lately. I currently practice a style that is not real world practical, and has such ridiculous sparring rules that it's just cardio.

I've decided I'm either too old or grown too disinterested to pursue more real styles, such as the wado I miss so much ( do I miss wado? Or do I miss being young and athletic, I don't know).

But I love the club and the people in it.

Would I be in some way insulting my instructor if I train just for the fitness and fun?

We all go into the arts for one reason or another. Fitness and fun are or should be apart of your training. If your only looking for this aspect and you are able to get the exercise you require then so be it.

The only thing I would caution is if you belong to a small school. Large schools tend to loose the individual in the mix. However small schools are of a different focus. The instructor tends to be more involved and focused on the individuals training. If this is the case he may be more invested into you developing the art rather than your cardio. If this is the case you may want to be up front an honest so there are no misconceptions down the road.

Other than that, it's your journey and your experience. Make it what you want.

[TJ-Jitsu]

It's never why you train but how you train that will or will not disrespect your instructor...

[bushido_man96]

In the end, we all have our own reasons for training. In fact, our reasons for training tend to change throughout the course of our journey, as our goals, needs, and physical abilities change.

I'd say you are doing right by yourself, and it is definitely ok.