rec.martial-arts FAQ - Part 1 of 3

"Internal" styles are styles that emphasize the more non-tangible elements of the arts. They utilize chi/ki/qi flow, rooting, and those elements which some people consider "mystical". They tend to emphasize meditation, body control, perception, mind control (self, not others!), and pressure points. `Typically' internal styles are soft. Taiji is an internal style.

"External" styles tend to emphasize body mechanics, leverage, and applied force. They tend to use weight, strength, positioning, and anatomy to optimal advantage. `Typically' external styles are hard. Tae-Kwon-Do is an external style.

"Complete Art" or not

-The basics of the style (what does it teach, what is it used for)
-The skill and the teaching style of the teacher
-The purpose and the logistics of the school.
See Section (5) "How do I choose a school" for the answers to the last two questions.

Also remember that more "complete" arts (ones with more techniques) naturally require longer periods of time for a practitioner to achieve a given level of proficiency. This is neither good nor bad; there are good points on both sides of the debate. This is simply another facet to account for in your decision.

(b) Advice of many experienced Martial Artists here on NetLand coincide in the point of "go, read, look around, ask---then decide".

As above the teacher and the school have as much to do with what you will learn as the style. Check out the styles in your area. Go see some classes of the different styles and see what interests you and what you think you would stick with.

(c) Many people change from one style to another. While this is a common practice, accepted as a means of development, it is known that the first style is normally the one that leaves the base, the more profound "marks". Try to choose a style that suits your needs and at the same time offers you a kind of "challenge" to go on learning.

This question is integrally linked with Question 4 "Which Martial Art should I study?".

A couple of things that are important parts to look at in the process of choosing a school:

• The environment where you'll learn and train
• The people that will be your partners
• The instructor
• The logistics of the school

Don't get impressed by the size of the place- just be sure that you feel "ok" in there.

Also don't necessarily be impressed by huge number of trophies. They may indicate a very successful competitive school (if that is an aspect you are interested in) or they could be all show. Check carefully.

If you are not allowed to watch any classes, you may not want to invest your time and money. Without seeing a class you will not be able to get a good feel for the school.

Ask questions- don't worry about looking stupid or asking the "wrong" question. They are going to be teaching and training you- you want to get any concerns or considerations you have out before you commit to anything.

If you feel bullied or threatened in any manner, look somewhere else.

(b) The people that will be your partners

Go, watch some classes (without participating), then ask to participate- see if the behavior of the students changes by the fact that there is a new person in their class.

What follows is a quick and dirty check list, to which you can add your own points, based on what you consider important. Remember: these questions and suggestions are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules. There will always be exceptions. But if you look in these domains you will have a solid ground to choose from.

- How good are the students?

This is more of a measure of the quality of the students as students than their skill at martial arts. See if you can picture yourself with these people. Are they attentive, respectful, interested in being there? Those are all good signs...

- Is there a mix of upper and lower ranks?

This is not always obvious in the styles without belt rankings, etc. It is generally a good sign if advanced, intermediate and beginning students are practicing together. Check the approach the higher ranked students take to you- their help will probably be very important in your advancement in the Art you choose.

Some schools have classes separated by rank though. Ask.

Is there a mix in the type of people in the class?

Although this doesn't necessarily mean anything if it is not present, it is a good sign if there is a mixture of males and females, older and younger people in the class. It is a pointer to the efficiency of the Art if it can teach a wide variety of people together.

- Do they move the way you would like to?

This will give you some sense of what you can achieve. Look to the senior students and see if they move the way you want to move.

- Do they help one another?

In a small class this may not apply, but in larger classes it is a good sign if the senior students support and assist the junior students. This kind of personal attention will aid you greatly in your training.

- Do the senior students seem fit and relaxed?

This will give you a sense of the atmosphere of the school. If the senior students are uptight, nervous, unfit, out of shape, or unhappy, it may be a sign to move on. However, do not be put off by a single occurrence, i.e. because on THAT day the senior student was in a poor mood. It should at least prompt you to look carefully though...

- How common are injuries?

As most martial arts involve vigorous physical activity and contact, injuries will occasionally occur. However, if injuries are common and/or serious, there is likely a problem in how training is supervised, and you will probably want to look elsewhere. It will be difficult to tell what the frequency/severity of injuries in the class is in one or two visits. Ask the instructor.

(c) The Instructor

-You'll need some basic trust in the individual, as a beginning.

The instructor is the person who is going to be guiding your development as a martial artist. You need to feel comfortable with him or her, and feel secure in receiving instruction from them. If you have some unease or personality conflict with the instructor(s) you might want to look elsewhere.

- Do the students get personalized attention?

This will be a good judge of how valuable your time will be. If there is a good amount of instructor to student attention there will be more value for you.

- Does the instructor differentiate between forms and function?

Another good indication is to find out if the instructor(s) differentiates between form and function. In other words do they do it "because it looks good" or "because it works." This may not apply if you are looking for a martial art as a performance art or as an exercise (though then you want to look at the efficacy of their exercises...)

- Does the instructor(s) differentiate between tournament and self-defense?

As above, your reaction to this question's answer will depend on what your goals are. However, there is general agreement that tournament training and self-defense training, while highly related, are different. If the instructor does not differentiate the two- that may be a danger sign!

- Violence in the class

If you see an instructor hitting students, or a senior student hitting students, be very clear that it was appropriate before you consider that school. Though be aware - if you are unfamiliar with the art, medium or full contact sparring may seem overly violent to you. Violence as discipline is to be avoided.

- Are adjustments made for students of differing body types and limitations?

Another good sign is if the instructor adjusts the training of his or her student's physical realities: telling a slow person to work contact, a fast person to work ranges, a heavy person to work leverage, a light person to work speed, or, conversely, concentrating on their weak areas to compensate.

(d) The logistics of the School

-Money

This is an important element to be clear about. You don't want to commit to a school if you can't afford it. It is impossible to address what a reasonable price would be here, because the benefits offered, the local economy, the quality of instruction, and the amount of instructor time are all variables in the equation. The best way to determine if a school is being reasonable is to compare what they offer for their prices.

Find out if there are extra charges for going up in rank, find out if there are organizational dues, tournament fees, mat fees, etc.

But do not be upset when a Martial Arts instructor charges money- they need to eat and have a place to stay. In our culture money is the way that happens. We do not feed and house wise old men, and unfortunately the costs of a school, equipment, and insurance are frighteningly high.

There are several options for those short on cash who still want to learn a martial art.

First, many school's will work with a student who truly wants to learn but is tight on cash. Talk to the head instructor. Frequently a deal can be struck that involves cleaning the school or some such.

Second is the option to find what I call "Garage Schools." These are instructors that teach out of their garages and basements. They almost always have a "day" job and teach simply for the love of the art at a vastly reduced price; Sometimes $20 a month or less. Sometimes these Garage Schools teach through your local Park and Rec. program at similar cost savings.

Third, for High school and college students, check with your Student Association or similar body. Schools and universities frequently have Martial Arts Clubs opperating through the school. You can usually join these clubs at no or minimal cost if you are a student. Sometimes these clubs are open to non-students as well. Further, some progressive universities offer a Martial Arts class for credit as part of the physical fitness curriculum.

Naturally, there are sacrifices in each approach. To cut a deal with an instructor, you may have to eat humble pie by admitting that you're in a tight spot right now. It's something that many are loath to do. Finding a Garage School has it's own challenges as well. They usually don't advertise and so you only hear about them by word of mouth. You have to expend some effort looking for them to find them. Sometimes they are upper rank black belts in another school that they themselves travel some distance to train in. The advantage of a Garage School is that the instructor is interested in passing on the art, not making money, and the classes tend to be rather small. Thus, you typically get a very high level of instruction. Finding a Park and Rec. program is a bit easier, but you still have to contact the Park and Rec. program or admin. to find out. You can usually do this by contacting your local Civic Center or, for people entering a new area, check the contents of your Welcome Wagon basket. With both Garage Schools and Park and Rec. schools, you typically have a more limited selection and may not be able to find exactly the school you want. In the university and school programs, as with the Garage Schools, your selection is frequently more limited.

-Location

If you are intending to spend a lot of time at the school you want it to be accessible, and convenient enough for you to get their after work, on weekends, etc.

-Classes

Another thing you want to be clear on is when you can go to the school and when classes are. Some schools are open almost all the time and have lots of classes. In some schools you can only come when an official class is being held. An open school is usually better for obvious reasons- convenience, practice time, access to mats, etc.

-Commitments and Promises

This is an important thing to know about any school you will be joining. Be very clear on what they will expect of you and what you expect of them. Some teachers want to teach only people who are willing to commit to them and their style, some are willing to introduce you to their style and let you dabble, some will teach you as long as you show up. None of these are intrinsically better or worse, but you want to know where they are coming from so you and they are not surprised.

Find out if you are required to attend classes, find out about being late, find out what the policy is on school rules of behavior and etiquette. Find out how you are supposed to interact with the teacher and other students. There are many styles for all these things so make sure you find out. The easiest way is to ask these questions.

There may be other questions you want to look at and specific questions you have about an instructor, school, organization, or style you are looking at. Know the questions you want answered and you will find the perfect school for you!

(a) This guy says that his style will make a Full Certified Warrior & Killer out of me in 3 months---is it serious?

(b) What do I do to become the deadliest person in the world ?

In brief: You can't.

While a Martial Artist does learn combat skills, the final objective of a Martial Art is not to become the deadliest person alive.

The Martial Arts recognize there will always be someone who is bigger, stronger, faster, has a bigger knife, a more powerful gun, a longer range missile, and so on. The objective, then, is to become the best that you can be, regardless of how good anyone else is.

A brief history of kyu/dan ranking systems and belts, contributed by Steve Gombosi, is given below:

Before Jigoro Kano invented Judo, there was no kyu/dan ranking system. Kano invented it when he awarded "shodan" to two of his senior students (Saito and Tomita) in 1883. Even then, there was no external differentiation between yudansha (dan ranks) and mudansha (those who hadn't yet attained dan ranking). Kano apparently began the custom of having his yudansha wear black obis in 1886. These obis weren't the belts karateka and judoka wear today - Kano hadn't invented the judogi (uniform) yet, and his students were still practicing in kimono. They were the wide obi still worn with formal kimono. In 1907, Kano introduced the modern gi and its modern obi, but he still only used white and black.

Karateka in Okinawa didn't use any sort of special uniform at all in the old days. The kyu/dan ranking system, and the modern karategi (modified judogi) were first adopted by Funakoshi in an effort to encourage karate's acceptance by the Japanese. He awarded the first "shodan" ranks given in karate to Tokuda, Otsuka, Akiba, Shimizu, Hirose, Gima, and Kasuya on April 10, 1924. The adoption of the kyu/dan system and the adoption of a standard uniform based on the judogi were 2 of the 4 conditions which the Dai-Nippon Butokukai required before recognizing karate as a "real" martial art. If you look at photographs of Okinawan karateka training in the early part of this century, you'll see that they were training in their everyday clothes, or (!) in their underwear.

Most other arts that have ranking/belt color systems adopted them from the Japanese.

14.1) Martial arts schools in North America

The rec.martial-arts FAQ and Newbie Guide are available on rtfm.mit.edu in the directory pub/usenet-by-hierarchy/rec/martial-arts, with the filenames rec.martial-arts_FAQ_part_1_of_3, rec.martial-arts_FAQ_part_2_of_3, rec.martial-arts_FAQ_part_3_of_3, and rec.martial-arts_Newbie_Guide.

The Aikido Dojo Directory Listings is FTP'able in ASCII format from:
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• GroundAndPound - http://www.groundandpound.com covers news, commentaries, techniques and tape reviews from all of the martial arts.
• Isshin-Ryu Karate - http://www.physics.sunysb.edu:80/~gene/MA/isshinryu.html
• World-Wide Martial Arts Supply - http://www.corp-reflection.com/dojo/index.html
• Judo Information Site - http://www.JudoInfo.com/
• West Los Angeles Karate School - http://WLAkarate.com
• The Official Karate CyberDojo Web Page: http://www.ryu.com/CyberDojo
• The Karate CyberDojo Journal: http://www.jkr.com/cyberdojo/journal
• Japan Karate-Do Ryobu-Kai: http://www.jkr.com
• Qigong/Eastern Philosophies: http://vitamins.net/forums/eastern
• Uechi-Ryu and Traditional Okinawan Karate: http://www.ici.net/~uechi/home/pulse.html
• Brazilian Association of Krav Maga: http://www.kravmaga.com.br
• Latosa Escrima: http://www.uni-koblenz.de/~keller/renel/renel.html
• The Korean and Filipino Martial Arts web site: http://www.MartialArtsResource.com
• The World Martial Arts Academy WTF style KoreanTaekwondo site: http://www.worldtaekwondo.com
• The Virtual Library: Martial Arts: http://microbiol.org/vl.martial.arts
• Martial Arts DataBase: http://www.madb.de/index.en.html
• Ready-made sticks:
  • http://www.bloodsport.com/index1.htm
  • http://www.stickman-escrima.com
  • http://www.mdenterprise.com
  • http://www.canemasters.com
  • http://www.dls.net/~vama/eskrima/stix.htm
  • http://lugani.com/visayanlegacy/index.html
• Raw Rattan:
  • http://www.weavenet.com/brw.html
  • http://www.franksupply.com/bamboo.html
• Training Knives/Live Blades:
  • http://www.cutleryshoppe.com
  • http://www.abc-direct.com
  • http://members.aol.com/rburgee876/edges.html
  • http://www.invis.com/kriscutlery/
  • http://www.coldsteel.com/
• International Shao Lin Kung Fu Institute & Triad Kung Fu and Arnis Academy
  4825-B Country Club Rd., Winston-Salem, NC 27104;www.dokungfu.com
  Phone: 336-774-1943 Email: tkaa@dokungfu.com
• Hontai Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu in the United States (and worldwide): http://www.hyrusa.com
• American Martial Arts Supply: http://www.amas.net

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ORDO IUSTE (Order Justly)

• Academy of Karate Martial Arts Supplies
  405 Black Horse Pike
  Haddon Heights, NJ 08035
  609-547-5445
• BLT Supply Inc.
  77 Mulberry Street New York, NY 10013-4438
  Tel:212-732-8388 Fax:212-385-2519 Toll Free:800-322-2860
  http://www.BLTSupplies.com E-mail: info@BLTSupplies.com
• Bugei Trading Company
  http://www.bugei.com
• California S and P Inc.
  10545-B San Pablo Ave.; El Cerrito, CA 94530; USA
  415-527-6032
• Century Martial Art Supply, Inc.
  1705 National Blvd.; Midwest City, OK 73110; USA
  800-626-2787
• Chris Nickolas American Arts Karate
  Martial arts supplies (wholesale/retail)
  4858 S. Main St.
  Akron, Ohio 44319
  216-645-0818
  Internet: mark.juszczec@bellhow.com
• Defense Arts, Inc.
  P.O. Box 1028; Smyrna, GA 30081; USA
  404-434-0370
• East West Markets Exchange, Inc.
  5533 North Broadway; Chicago, IL 60640; USA
  312-878-7711
• Far East Books
  2029 North Park St.
  Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3K 4B2
  902-422-8142 FAX 902-422-1998
  Internet fareast@fox.nstn.ca
  Chinese Martial Arts, Religions, and Healing Disciplines; catalogue available
• Honda Martial Arts Supply Co.
  61 West 23rd St.; New York, NY 10010; USA
  800-USA-NYNY or 212-620-4050
• Kim Pacific Martial Arts Supplies
  1451 Doolittle Dr.; San Leandro, CA 94577; USA
  800-227-0500
• Kiyota Company
  2326 North Charles St.; Baltimore, MD 21219; USA
  800-783-2232 or 410-366-8275
• Macho Products
  10045 102nd Terrace
  Sebastian, FL 32978
  800-327-6812
  e-mail macho@bb.iu.net
• Martial Arts Supplies Co., Inc.
  10711 Venice Blvd.; Los Angles, CA 90034-6294; USA
  213-870-9866
• Master Guard Chest Protectors - specializing in women's chest protectors
  http://www.qp-sport.co.nz
• Musashi Martial Arts
  1842 S. Grand Ave.; Santa Ana, CA 92705; USA
  714-557-4274
• PAIS Enterprises
  P.O. Box 518, Miliken Post Office; Milliken, Ontario, LOH 1K0, CANADA
  416-299-8168
• S & P of New York Budo, Inc.
  P.O. Box 2; Depew, NY 14043; USA
  716-681-7911
• Saghafi Enterprises
  1604 Niagara Falls Blvd.; Tonawanda, NY 14150; USA
  716-832-3322
• Top Brands
  Box 51331; New Orleans, LA 70151; USA
  504-522-4540
• World-Wide Martial Arts Supply
  P.O. Box 3132
  Bethlehem, PA 18017
  martial.arts@corp-reflection.com
  http://www.corp-reflection.com/dojo/index.html

Scandanavian Sources (most from a MA chain store called SBI)

• SBI BUDOSPORT
  Sodra Forstadsgatan 66
  Box 17092
  200 10 Malmo SWEDEN
  Tel: +46 (0)40 101585 Fax +46 (0)40 301405
• SBI Stockholm
  Torsgatan 40 (S:t Eriksplan)
  113 62 Stockholm SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)8 308808 Fax +46 (0)8 331884
• SBI Leksand
  Insjovagen 48
  790 30 Insjon SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)247 40654
• SBI Umea
  Backenvagen 87
  902 51 Umea SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)90 31285
• SBI Ostergotland
  Nygatan 31A
  582 24 Linkoping SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)13 126680
• WOLFGANGS JUDO & SPORT
  Box 88
  820 77 Gnarp SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)625 20580
• JT BUDOSPORT
  Box 3022
  850 03 Sundsvall SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)60 158002
• SHINPRO
  Gullberna Park
  371 06 Karlskrona SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)455 27974
• Intersport Lulea
  Storgatan 26
  951 31 Lulea SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)920 17320
• Charles Harbour Sport
  Gustavsborgsvagen 10
  374 38 Karlshamn SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)454 19600
• Budoshopen
  Slakterigatan 6
  721 32 Vasteras SWEDEN
  Tel +46 (0)21 143218
• Orebro Gym & Kraftsportcenter
  Drottninggatan 29 =
  702 22 Orebro SWEDEN
• Fighter Sport Storgatan 37
  Postboks 4781
  0506 Oslo NORWAY
  Tel 22114055 Fax 22208708
• SBI Fighter Shop
  Jagtvej 70
  2200 Kopenhavn N DENMARK
  Tel 35374700 Fax 35374702

Other sources:

• Agate Impex
  457 Model Town
  Sialkot, Pakistan
  www.agateimpex.com.pk
  info@agateimpex.com.pk

Some answers given may reflect personal biases of the author and the martial arts FAQ listing's contributors. The answers contained herein pertain to discussions on the rec.martial-arts group, and are by no means exhaustive.

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-- 
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