Save Me From The Nothing I've Become

For the love of God, let Hedgehogey out of the Sin Bin FAST. Whatever he said about reverse punches, the TMA world needs him. Severely.

I have been labouring under the delusion that Shotokan is an alive, mercurial style. I have defended it against TMA bashers who say it is rigid robotic rubbish...What rubbish have I been talking???

I was training yesterday doing one point attacks under the supervision of our Sempai - any Shotokanistas reading this will know the sequence, age uke, soto uke, gedan barai, gyaku zuki. Well, I have a habit of rolling to the side when blocking the kick (I usually dodge them when fighting) and this was anathema to the Sempai who said I have to stay in a straight line. He told me that evasion is a good instinct to have, but I can't dodge until I'm a brown belt. He also told me that I was 'getting advanced before my time.'

For God's sake! If dodging a kick is advanced, god help the TMA world. It's an instinct, for flip's sake. How up our own arses does he think the rest of us are?

This is not the only example of TMA rigidity I have seen. We were actually told that we had to move a certain way in kata, not because it was necessary, but because it looked good! WAKE UP!!!! THIS IS A MARTIAL ART!!!!!!! You don't do a martial arts move because it LOOKS GOOD!!!!!!!

We also have to do junzukis with the hips square rather than turned in to generate power again, because it looks good.

I am seriously becoming worried I will become a "McDojo fighter". Comparing Shotokan to the more agile, 'mercurylike' styles (i.e. MMA!!!!!!!) I am sure that they could kick my ass. There, I've said it.

What shall I do???

 

Take time out, try something else for a while. Experience provides objectivity...

 

GET OUT OF THERE!

seriously find another school. The powers to be in that class seem severely misguided and lack basic understanding of what MA is about.

Try finding a school where they allow you to develop more freely rather than being told to do things in a certain way because your still a begginer!

People are different so how can we all possibly move/think/react in the exact same way......madness! :bang: :woo:

 

Some lessons can only be learned one way - through experience

 

Find another scholl and air your concerns to your sensei. I'll be honest about not being a fan of TMA's atleast in my (and seemingly your) definition. I would suggest finding another place to train, maybe you can find the spark for the art again.
Failing that start something effective without line dancing .
Its a trajic state to be in. doing something because it looks good !.
I can understand the motive (I think) about getting you to block an attack. Maybe you won't always be able to dodge due to lack of room etc..Maybe it will allow you to counter the attack. But giving you a reason of not being "Allowed" to do it untill a certain grade is just obscene !.
I hope you manage to prevail

Thanks

J

 

Rolling and dodgeing should be natural movement. The object should be to train that movement so you can get the most out of it

With kata it really doesn’t mater if you do something that looks good as kata has very little to do with sparing or fighting.



Look for someplace you like.

If it’s up for a vote I also say let Hedgehogey out.

 

Is that your objective opinion?

 

Look on the bright side, shotokanwarrior. If you do decide to change tracks, I think your experience in shotokan will be a benefit. Not a hinderance. You've now got a finely tuned sense for what you do and don't want, what you will and will not accept, and how what you learn now is an improvement on what you know already.

Really, it's not a bad position to be in.


Stuart

 

Very true...and to add to that you're still young and have ALOT of time ahead of you to train.

good luck.

 

I'm not a fan of most TMA either because of the way theyt train.

You surely do one that trains in the way i have in my mind.

Listen to Stuart, be happy about what you've learned.

 

Not being allowed to dodge a strike until brown belt, frankly, is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard and I think you're right to be concerned. Block AND get out of the way if you can, that way you double your chances of not getting hit. A lot of the practises I've seen in karate schools lately strike me as a little odd, especially compared to the style I studied which was very loose and fluid.
Reading this and other posts by you recently, I think it's obvious that you're not happy with your school and it may be time to look for another one, or at least raise the subject with your sensei. There may be something in your area which will suit you better

 

Get your butt out of there mate if you're being told that you have to be a brown belt before you can evade strikes then something is VERY wrong :woo: :woo:

footwork and evasion are the basics just as important as striking and even more important than blocking.

Sounds like this sort of training makes punch bags of lower belts by restricting the basic elements of fighting for beginners and higher belts train diferently (more realistically) so that they will outclass beginners.

 

It's as realistic as you make it but the class in question seems to be limiting shotokanwarriors own martial development.

I'd say to shotokanwarrior: do some research on different MA's and go and check the classes in your area to see what they are like.

When you find something you like then go for it!

 

the idea of not being allowed to dodge a blow until brown belt is disturbing. but i have a suspicion that you have misunderstood him. did he not mean that in that particular excercise, you are only supposed to move in a straight line? we do stuff like that at our dojo, where we only move in straight lines, but obviously, thats not how we would actually fight.

 

That's the thing though. What's the rationale for training that way if you're not going to fight that way? That's the concern. Generally, YOU ARE going to fight the way you train.


Stuart

 

its only a small part of the training, as long as you know that it shouldn't be used in a fight, you can get benefits from it. just like any other excercise like press ups and situps for example.

 

shotokawarrior it sounds like you have hit that spot in your training where you have to decide if it is what you want to pursue or you need to move on. Frankly, from the sound of the comments your sensei made, I'd move on.

You need to find a style, be it TMA or MMA, that suits you and lets you develop in the direction you want and need to go in. You may be best suited for an MMA environment or a more progressive or hard-hitting style of TMA (as Kgirl suggested with Kyokushin).

Trick is, explore. Go out there, check out schools...you would be surprised what you will find in TMA and MMA schools. I hope you find the one right for you.

 

word...go kyokushin... its worth a shot. Kgirl is right, similar roots to aid you in conversion....but maybe enough different to keep ya