Just Train

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Its amazing how much one shift in culture can shift the entire future of an art.

In the west, and even in Japan now, with the advent of the internet and the world's complete over-exposure to information, everyone has this desire to try to completely understand how something works before even trying it! This drives me up a freakin' wall...but I get it.

Everyone always asks me why the blind dedication to a particular art. Isn't it better to get multiple perspectives of something to make you more well-rounded? The answer is yes, but put it into perspective. What is missing is the public's understanding of how long it takes to "get the perspective". How about this... 15 years. That's right. You must do something with complete dedication for 15 years before you are ready to move on and "mix it up".

In Japan, the idea of having a 300 year old martial art means that the track record of the style implies that it works! It has survived 300 years... in a feudal and warring environment. Thus, the concept of trying to learn the history, technique, and philosophy of the art BEFORE attending the first class is completely non-existent. The history of the art speaks for itself. This is why I dedicate myself to the "archaic" forms of martial arts and refuse to divert my attention to something with a more "Modern" approach.

These arts with the modern approach are all created by these same people who shopped around for the techniques they personally like and feel work better for their situation...without really knowing what the situation is! Someone with no experience in martial arts has absolutely no business deciding for themselves what is best for them in a martial art. Yet, it is this person, one who floats from dojo to dojo trying to find what works for him that, after 20 years of floating around with absolutely no stability or commitment (one is never going to be shown the "secrets" of something if there is no commitment) decides "they've got it" and decide to start teaching their own "new" art.

THIS concept of martial art training has actually been going on for SO LONG that it is now perceived as acceptable. The person is looked upon as having "20 years of experience", not "hopped around from dojo to dojo for 20 years never truly learning the art and committing to the school".

Don't confuse this with realizing after a short time that you may be in the wrong environment. If after a few months, it doesn't feel right, then by all means find another school. But, what is the root of this process, anyway? Money. Ego. Disregard for authority. Could be many things. But, why is someone shopping around schools based on price and what "looks" good instead of actually using all of that internet power and actually investigating the history of the martial arts, the history of the different styles, and for God's sake why not actually look up the credentials of the instructor?

The state of the martial arts today is quite sad. Anyone can get a black belt. The public thinks that a black belt is a black belt is a black belt. 10th degree black belt grandmaster...? SURE America's full of them! There are more in New York than all of Japan. ITS A JOKE! How can someone who has never been to Japan claim to be a grandmaster of a Japanese art!!?? But, the public keeps these people in business because they simply don't know to run the other way.

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