I was reading Dr. Craig Reid's article “But Still” (Martial Arts Cinema) in the May/June 2006 issue of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine about the parody of certain martial art “teachers” in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. I agree that there are far too many charlatans out there, all claiming to be the best or whatnot. But still....
It also seemed to me that Dr. Reid has perhaps some contempt for anyone claiming to have 'created' or founded a martial art in this modern day. The reason I got this impression was his closing remark about combining his 34 years of training in his mentioned styles and, “Presto, I'm now a master of two different martial arts”. Well, while I get his point, that is also exactly the way many martial arts were founded! To name just a few, how about Nihon Shorinji Kempo, Aikido, and even Dr. Reid's mentioned art Goju Ryu? They were founded by Doshin So (Michiomi Nakano), Morihei Ueshiba and Gogen Yamaguchi, respectively. Yamaguchi modified the teachings of Gogyun Miyagi and founded the system of Reid's Goju Ryu. In short, all of these men had trained in other styles, took what they had learned and created their own system. And of course this is only to mention three. Was there a “cut-off time” or “deadline” somewhere that dictated that no new martial arts styles could be created or considered valid? Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not defending the showboats and charlatans that boast about creating their own style (which nearly always is touted as the “best” or most effective ever) and I have not created a style either, and like Dr. Reid I've studied more than one martial art as well... Taekwon Do, Hapkido, and Shorin Ryu.
I guess my point is that I don't think that there is any cut-off time for a new system to be founded and for that system to be effective. One just has to be very alert for the fakes and wannabes, but in my experience those types are very easily spotted. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to spot a charlatan or showboat type. They are usually very quick to boast about their style being the most effective and “real”, sport flashy gi or other uniform with all sorts of patches, badges and other decorations and so on and so forth. But out there somewhere, quietly working to perfect their own technique and style are, I believe, some genuine people creating “new styles”. It's how it's been done down through the ages. SOMEONE had to found all those systems! And many times the founders of old claimed that some god or spirit had taught them certain “secret” or special techniques that would go on to be part of the repertoire of that particular style. And many, many of those systems are famous to this day. Now, what if someone were to today say that some god or spirit had showed them some secret art and now they were founding their own? They'd most likely be laughed out of town. So, what's wrong with someone genuinely working on creating a style that could benefit the martial arts community or even just the students training in it? Nothing. Everything is wrong with the charlatans and fraud and wannbes though. Just a thought. I mean, I really do get the point Dr. Reid is making about the fakes out there, and I especially loved his remark that at least no contract was required at Rex's school. I could REALLY go off about those requiring students to sign a contract that entraps them to pay the school for a year or more before they even have the chance to learn whether or not that school is right for them and whether or not the teacher is or is not a loser.
I just worry that with all the backlash and striking out at “new” styles and systems that perhaps it has gone to the extent that it could in fact stifle creativity and if someone out there really did happen to come up with some very good stuff they couldn't even present it without immediately being attacked and labeled a fraud or worse.
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