Yoga and Karate Cross-Training
Practicing two martial arts or sports on a regular basis is not a new notion. But a cross-training combination that you might seldom read about is karate and yoga. Yoga has become increasingly popular over the last 10 years among suburbanites and the health-conscience. Its benefits have been postulated for millenia and more recently shown to be valid in ways that were originally unknown. Some of the health benefits include improve circulation, muscle tone, dissolution of lactic acid buildup, mental rejuvenation, increased flexibility and improved balance.
Membership Fees: Comparing Karate to Other Activities
This is just about impossible to nail down exactly as different clubs have differing parameters within which they operate. Some charge more or less depending on the size of the club, the purpose or intention of the instructor(s), whether or not they own their own building, and resources available to club members. Factors influencing membership fees will be discussed in more detail in a future article.
The prices I’ve found are not definitive. These prices will vary depending on city, target audience, organization, facilities, etc. I can’t give an authoritive summary of what it will cost to get into certain activities in your city, but what I can do is give an idea of what to expect when you join a club here in Halifax.
The Business of Karate
Why is it that when “karate” and “money” come up in the same sentence, the crowds emit a look of shock and awe? Among traditionalists, its a sin to make money from offering karate classes or providing karate training or study material.
“That’s not what karate is about!”
“Karate should be shared for the greater good, not for financial gain.”
“The ancient masters didn’t make money from teaching karate!”
… wanna bet?
Supersize my karate
“Welcome to <insert name here> dojo, may I take your order please?”
Dare I use the forbidden M word?
Are McDojo’s the future of martial arts clubs as we know it?
The problem is that martial arts is becoming something that is being offered to the masses, no longer do we see small clubs of a few highly skilled and hard training and devoted members; more and more clubs are popping up all over the place and advertising to attract members. But how did this start? where did the shift come from? Is it the natural progression of things and are we witnessing the end of the small “secret” club?
The main problem that I think is the root of this issue is money. Sooner or later, what it all boils down to in the capitalist culture that we live in is a rectangular piece of paper, with some old dead person’s picture that nobody can really recognise anymore anyway. Because dojo’s need cash flow to survive, they are forced to do what they can to attract a larger student body. The result? Martial Arts for the Masses. Unfortunately, in any sport the people that train the hardest and become “super athletes” are not the average joe, they are usually only represented by less than 5% of the population (ok I can’t support that statistic) and unfortunately it is the remaining 95% that pay the bills. Pushing everyone to their limits generally only attracts the hardcore ahletes, the ones willing to really put in the effort to see the major returns. This strategy unfortunately drives away a lot of students, which means less dues and a tougher time at making the rent. Even if these clubs can make rent, where does that leave the instructor? More often than not they have to volunteer their time… Is it any wonder that in all popular media the “superhuman martial arts instructor” that runs the club/dojo that our hero joins to train at is struggling to break even or living at the dojo to keep costs down?
So what is the solution? I don’t think there really is one… some dojos / clubs have gone the other way, bumping up the fees so that they can get by with fewer members. The problem with this approach is that it excludes the people who just cant afford exorbitant fees…. so what next? A return to backyard dojos?
I just don’t see this epidemic going away. McDojos are here to stay and they are a fact of life as it really is the natural progression if we are trying to make martial arts accessible to the masses.
Commitment Issues
Perhaps the most frustrating part of sparring for me right now is my inability to commit certain techniques. I throw something like a roundhouse, front snap kick, or back fist strike, and it ends up coming short of the distance needed to score a point. At times, my body feels like it has a governer on it, restricting my attacks. Even when I tell myself that I need to get in, get the point and just tap the persons abdomen with a good solid (but non-excessive) front snap kick, my body does otherwise. Its really just as well I talk to someone else’s leg.
The House of Nakayama
中山正敏館?
“Shotokan” literally translated means “house of Shoto” (Shoto being the pen-name of Gichin Funakoshi). Karate practiced by followers of Gichin Funakoshi is very much the way of life Master Funakoshi was hoping for, with little emphasis placed on competition as he did not feel it was in the spirit of karate, but later allowed some minimal amount of competition to avoid inter-dojo fights and to open Shotokan karate to a larger audience. Instead, more time is spent on being good human beings who push their own personal limits. This is justification for why the passing criteria for a belt level is flexible to some degree, as individual growth is variable and so cannot be pigeon-holed into a rigid predefined box of grading criteria.
Karate in the Olympic Games Part 3
Based on a recent interview with Okazaki Sensei published by “The Shotokan Way” (see here), it seems unlikely that karate will ever be in the Olympics under the governance of the ISKF. This should not come as a surprise to many, however, given that the WKF has already been identified by the IOC as the “governing body” of karate. Not that karate will be in the Olympics in the near future .
Okazaki Sensei’s comments re: Judo bring to light an issue that has been swirling in my head since talk of Karate in the Olympics first came onto my radar. Does sport competition really turn the martial arts into less of a martial art? On the flip side, does increased competition make things better?
Sensei Yaguchi’s new book “Mind and Body: Like Bullett” expands on this concept at one point, explaining that free sparring was set up to last for only 1 point because any more and competitors would lose the “life or death” feel that is integral to martial arts. I think this is the key component to whether sport competition detracts from the “martial art” aspect of any of of our martial arts; the mindset that you as the competitor have towards the tournament and/or training.
I both agree and disagree with the aforementioned masters, I think that sport competition has the potential to cause the arts to become more of a sport and less of a martial art, but only if we let it. Only if we as the competitors go into competition with the mindset that it is just a game will it turn the arts into something else. Indeed multi-point rounds, such as those used by the WKF, do not have to cause you to lose site of the “life or death” mentality, though I can see how this would happen for many people. By always having a second chance the severity of being scored on does not sink in.
Perhaps the point that the aforementioned masters are trying to make is that there are no second chances in real life.
phil
Looking Forward to ISKF Canadian Nationals 2010, Winnipeg
Many are just returning from the 29th ISKF Canadian National Karate Championships in Calgary and I think all would agree that it was a great success. From an attendee’s perspective, the organization of the event was flawless. From a competitor’s perspective, the quality of competition was fierce.
Karate Survey: How do you like your Karate Tournament?
Medium? Rare? Well-done?
Wondering what people thought about the most recent ISKF Canadian National Karate Championships in Calgary, I thought I’d put together a brief survey to get your feedback. Prefer hotel tournaments over a gymnasium? Tatami mats vs. hardwood floors? Let us know.
phil
