The Facts
In today’s world with the internet, facts are much easier to come by now than ever before. Years ago when I was growing up, it was literally impossible to check on a martial arts school’s back ground information. But those days are over. I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard over the years of this instructor saying that he is this rank or that rank. That he has traveled here or there and studied under all these different “Legends” . Only to be let down after sometimes years of training. This happens more often than not. I have to confess, knowing first hand how this feels, it is very important to check into what school you wish to train at, and what martial art you wish to train in.
The truth is that most all martial arts originated from the same roots and are all very, very similar. After training for many years, the correlations between the different styles become more and more evident. So here’s what is really important to anyone looking to get involved and possibly begin studying a martial art.
The most important thing when searching for a martial art is the “Teacher”. A good teacher should be the most important thing ANYONE should be looking at when searching for a good school. Many people list all these crazy accomplishments and titles and so forth, but the one thing that I have learned over the years is that many things can be bought or purchased for the right price. Its an unfortunate side to the martial arts world but it is real. Many organizations and groups have jumped up over the last 20 years and has really cashed in on this. So don’t pay too much attention to all the titles and awards that people show off and brandish openly today. You hear about national champions, and world champions and the list of these champions just continue to go on and on. So what makes a good teacher? Here are a few things you should look for when searching for a good quality school. Because today, they are really hard to come by.
Character. Go and talk one on one with the teacher of the school. If you get a comfortable feeling after that, then that is a good start. There is nothing worse than joining a school and then feeling really uncomfortable around the head instructor. For what ever reason it may be. If your not comfortable and feel welcome, you won’t enjoy your stay.
Students. Take a look at the members that are already there and ask them how long they have been training and what their opinion about the school is. There’s nothing worse than joining a school and finding out the person that you talked to about the school, doesn’t even teach the classes or has someone that you never got to meet teaching the classes for them. These are all problems that could be avoided if you had only spoken to a few current members.
This is the big one in my opinion. Does the instructor LOVE what he does. Really? You can tell real quick if he truly enjoys his martial art. If he really enjoys teaching people all that he’s learned over his/her lifetime. Does this person take the time and STILL train. Do they STILL travel to visit their instructors.
A good teacher NEVER stops training !
A good teacher NEVER takes on the attitude that they already know everything. My Sensei once told me that the moment the student closes their mind to learning, their journey on the path has stopped.
Now the journey or path being referred to is a LIFE long path. Okinawan Karate was designed to be practiced a LIFE TIME ! That is why in Okinawa, they have age requirements for rank advancement. Most don’t realize that to achieve the rank of 7th degree and higher, one must be at least 50 years and older. This what put into place to assure that the art remained a life long practice.
I hope if you have read this and are really looking to possibly make a change in your life, or just to give yourself a REAL challenge that will not only help you physically, but mentally as well that this has help give you something to think about. Okinawan Karate has made such a difference in my life, that I can’t even begin to give it all the credit that it deserves. I only wish that it had been available to me when growing up here in Ocala. But I was always told that“ if you follow your heart, you will always succeed. “
And I couldn’t be more happier.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the floor this week.
Robby