Decisions, decisions.

[DelicateSound]

Are there too many martial arts out there?


I mean, I've been studying on and off for years, and still can only give a reasonable description of most arts. There are many I know nothing about.


How can novices begin to make an educated decision?


What effect will be had upon smaller arts, especially now that most people are fixated on modern sport-styles?


Do certain styles need to have a stronger identity?


Will be end up losing the more "minor" arts under a blanket of Brazilian Ju-jitsu?





Insert your imput below :)

[Liokault]

I do not think that there are to many arts....the world has a population of 6(?) billion totaly differant people who are all looking for somthing differant.


How can novices begin to make an educated decision?

What effect will be had upon smaller arts, especially now that most people are fixated on modern sport-styles?

I think that before sport styles when every thing was genuine and a teacher taught maybe 3-4 guys (probably his sons) then any art would have been good because bad arts would not survive.


I like to think that oneday "sport freestyle kungfu/wushu danceing" will die and the only place teaching it will be an old man teaching his sons/a few good puples in his back yard, no money, no hype just training hard in the old stuff.

[The Willow Sword]

Are there too many martial arts out there? YES

how can novices begin to make an educated decision? THEY CANT.

What effect will be had on smaller arts, especially now that people are fixated on sport-styles? IT WILL EFFECT AND AFFECT THEM GREATLY.


Do certain styles need to have a stronger idenity? YES IF THE STYLES ARE MORE EGO BASED AND HAVE ALOT OF TROPHIES IN THE WINDOW.

Will we end up losing the more minor arts under the blanket of brazilian ju-juitsu? NOPE.


Many Respects , The Willow Sword

[Merryprankster]

I think that before sport styles when every thing was genuine and a teacher taught maybe 3-4 guys (probably his sons) then any art would have been good because bad arts would not survive.

Ahhhhhh yes.... the old "things were so much better THEN," argument.

Alternately, the arts developed in a vacuum thanks to long travel times between places and bad stuff could survive more easily.

As for the will we lose everything under a blanket of BJJ? Nope. Like boxing, wrestling, Judo, MT, or San Shou, most people don't actually want to work that hard. If you lose it under a blanket, it will be to TKD--and since that hasn't happenned YET, it's not likely to. :)

[DelicateSound]

To elaborate my point a little, my feeling is this:

With the modern commercialisation of the already jam-packed martial arts world, will more minority arts die out. Let's talk reality here, you take a newbie who's read a little about MA and is thinking of taking part. Ask him what style of Karate is "the best" and he'll say Shotokan. Now I'm not up on my Karate but I know that there are way more styles than Shotokan, and that no style is "the best".


Furthermore, with the extensive commercialisation of mainly modern arts, are more traditional schools going to suffer. Take BJJ. No knock to the art, but it is VERY commercialised. GJJ in particular is run like a business, and during the grappling craze many kids fell straight for the adverts. How will this affect the local Bagua stylist teaching a few students i his back room? I think not much. However, larger organisations I think could really suffer. I'm thinking Wing Chun, JJJ etc.


Over in the UK proper JJJ is very hard to find.


Like Willow Sword said, people these days seem to go for trophies and medals. If sport is your thing that's OK, but many people don't want that, and there may be the danger that sport-styles will be the only choice. Like you say, TKD.


My last "Traditional Kung Fu" class that shall remain nameless but not blameless was a sport-orientated McDojo. [You know what it is Scotty :eek: ]






No?

[nospam]

Are there too many martial arts out there?

No..there are just too many instructors out there.

nospam.
:cool:

[DelicateSound]

Possibly Nospam. There are so many factions of arts it's unbelievable. I feel that one day Wing Chun might just collapse under the weight of its own politics.

[dezhen2001]

lol DS, those darn WC politics :D

if you give a dam about politics and trophies and things then it will affect you. If you don't and just get on with your training then it won't... How many students does a teacher need for his art to survive? only 1 (providing nothing adverse happens of course).
Does the teacher need to have students compete and make the style well known: depends on his motives. Generally no, most ppl i have trained with don't care about that.

Kinda like: new students and lots of ppl are great. But if no one turns up it just means we can get on with our own training :cool:

david

[DelicateSound]

I'm just p!ssed off about my Judo that's all. I turned up to train on Tuesday to be told that the class had been cancelled through lack of attendance.

Now we're talking a grimy little room above a bayliffs here, nothing commercial, but Sensei decided that it wasn't worth the cost of the room hire and of the petrol. They've all moved to a class 15 miles away, that I can't get to. I'm not angry at my Sensei, as there were only three of us training, I'm just annoyed.

In contrast in my town [only about 7,000 people] there is a HUGE commercialised Kickboxing school with about 30 people training each night.

I just really feel that more traditional arts can really suffer through this. On the other hand, it's sorted out my choice regarding Wing Chun.




Some silver lining. :)

[Liokault]

LOL i know the feeling....i have been to classes where i am the only student to turn up.

You dont need 30 guys a night to have a great learning experiance. The best times training I have had have been when only about 3 good guys turn up.

Also I train 1 on 1 with my teacher in his backyard most days. Good times.

Also I am probably the reason that most beginers dont stick it so long .....my instructor has long had a policy of keeping me away from them for as long as he can.

[Budokan]

It's not the arts, it's the unqualified instructors that are the problem in MA today.

[DelicateSound]

Yeah, I'll second that Budokan. Too much chaff and not enough wheat.

:(