What has happened????

Mr. Hart I'm located in northwest ga. I would be glad to hear your recommendation of sensei's. I may know them already.

I truly understand where you are coming from.....I loved martial arts.. I had reached 4th gup in the fall of 1986, and then my teacher had personal problems and went away...needless to say over the next 20 years(and no training) I formed a opinion on what I believed martial arts to be, what a shock I was in for when I started to search for a good place to train with my daughters. Like you I had found that all I had known and loved had changed to things that my wildest dreams could not fathom.

The best advice I can offer is to look into all the training options in your area and chose the best that you can and be very selective in whom you associate yourself with..
and to be truthful you might have to look inside yourself to consider just how much your willing to bend to the changed times...
I was lucky in my chioce, the more I find out about my instructors the more I like the art. I found a instructor that is a 6th Dan and personally trained with General Choi in ITF and that is what he based his blended art on , and even Named his art after a dream that the General had and that was a Unified Korea. Tong il Lo (Path to Unity)

Mr. Matt Sommers, he is located in South Georgia, but to be honest, I do not remember exactly where. If you can find him, you will be happy with what you get. I will check with my sources to find someone near you if possible.

It is a sad thing, but "traditional" just doesn't have marketing appeal. Adapt, or close your dojo.
I remember years ago, "ninjamania" was the fad, and many schools quickly clamored to the bujinkan to get some sort of accreditation.
Then came the cinema hits of "Karate Kid"... and there were special kids classes formed.
Now the UFC and PRIDE have exploded on the scene, and everyone wants to learn the so called "mixed martial arts".

For traditionalists to endure, it seems that the attitude is that there has to be some sort of recognition on a huge scale. AAU, Olympics... gold medals and trophies... perhaps this will engender some sort of reality TV show like "Karate Idol"?

I encourage you to endure. Good luck.

I'm not sure when, but it seems that the training climate has gone from Budo to Buisness in many cases. If you look closer though, it may not be as bad as it seems. Could the traditional Karate be returning to it's own obscure roots? It looks like it, or at least I think so. Many schools seem to be adopting the give them what they want philosophy.While others just close and return to teaching out of garages and back yards. No advertising, the potential students finding them by reference or luck. This is how it was in the begining I think. So maybe It's not a matter of Traditional Karate disappearing, but coming full circle. Just a thought.

Good Luck!
Mike.

It really starts to become the question of what going to keep your doors open? General Public see it on TV, Movies books and Tournament they really think this is what REAL KARATE is about. They think this it. The winning of trophies placed in a window brings in more students, having several top Kata, Weapons and Kumite competitors brings in more people. It even takes students from other dojos or schools that don't stress such things. When you go commericail all your dreams and ambitions sometimes have to take 2nd place to success and eating and keeping the doors open. And opening another dojo!! Until reality seeps in.

When I was teaching the really big classes 85% came in thinking they knew what Karate was all about and wanted the Tournament scence school. After years of training both sides some just don't want to learn how to really fight bc theres no immeadiate graditifcation or Trophy for learning how to do that gross dangerous to my opponent stuff.

Sometimes you have to sell your soul to the devil and hope that they finally get it or get what you are really trying to offer. Its Ok to know both sides but understand ones a game of tag and fluff the others serious buisness. Private teaching for people who want that special training is where its at, they come because thats what they want serious training.

Though I am a Beretta man, I hated when Gun seller at the gun shows that say "This is the Beretta such in such it was used in Lethal weapon 1&2". Lost sell, bc of hype. I don't care about some dumb movie using a fake copy of the real gun, with a script and fake actions. Does the general public seem that lame????

Sounds like a Tournament don't it. Pardon me, spilled milk. I'm through.

Just1Mike,

Thankyou for your post, in my mind you have hit the nail on the head.

Thank you all for responding. I've got to admit that I was shell shocked visiting all my old sensei's and seeing them stress things that would have turned their stomaches 10 years ago.Maybe you're right just1mike. A fellow Karateka and myself opened a dojo last year. We're not in it for the money.( Well, if it helps pay a bill or two GREAT ) We did it for the fun and also just to have a life outside work and house upkeeping.Well, there is one more reason... We were sick of the mcdojo's that are popping up, so we thought that maybe, just maybe someone out there wanted real karate. We are fortunate taht so far we do have two students that we also teach privately for free at our homes. Even if we have to close the dojo doors, we'll still teach them and anyone else interested. So I guess it is like returning to the roots before gi's and obi's and dojo's.. I still feel just a little bad that the sensei's of my youth sold out. Bye the way I think I'll still practice in my gi and not my loin cloth. on second thought........

If your really looking for good strong traditional martial arts who don't focus on tournaments and focus on the art and the traditions, bunkia and breaking down of techniques, the philosophy and ettique, as well as an organization that is like a family for traditional karateka then I think these guy might what your looking for:
http://www.ryubeikan.org/index.html
I went to their summer camp just last weekend, was blown away by everything they did, and joined.
Look them up see if a schools in your area, if not next year go to the summer camp and see what you can do.
Hope this helps you out in the journey for truth in real traditional karate.
Namaste

Hi folks, I'm glad I could contribute. The students that change thier kata's for the tournaments, Do they revert back to the original kata technique when they train for themselves?

Good Luck!
Mike.

some do, some dont Mike.

personally I dont train for tournaments, and my pet hate is 'versions' of kata so I just have one naihanchi, passai, chinto etc etc it works for me, im big into simplicity and application and different versions cloud my mind!!

Now of course each kata can be performed in many ways according to what im trying to achieve/represent etc etc, so maybee I do have different versions after all!

That's fine. I agree with slight changes to kata's for application purposes. Just don't add flash and high kicks to impress judges.

Years ago in my first and only venture to an open tournament. One of my co-competitors told me If I had added a few high kicks to my kata (Pinan Godan), I could have placed in the top four spots. I told him then it wouldn't be Pinan Godan. He laughed and said "Who cares as long as it wins trophies?" I suppose he had a point as far as tournaments were concerned. If someone else wants to tweak a kata for open competition, It's none of my buisness I guess. But as far as myself I couldn't, it just doesn't seem right.

Shoshin, As you desribe it, It doesn't look to me as though you have variations to your kata. It looks more like just different applications to the same moves. Nothing wrong with that at all IMO.

Good Luck!
Mike.