quitting MA

[lunghushan]

.

You seem to state this a lot in a number of different posts. Do you have something specific against schools making money or is it just how they do it??

Martial arts students are kindof reliant upon the teacher, are they not? They are trusting the teacher to teach them something useful, to grade their progress, to provide a safe environment for learning and all of that.

If they decide to become teachers in their own right, then they have to usually provide references for their learning for people to take them seriously.

So all of this puts a lot of opportunities for manipulating the situation into the teacher's hands, and when $ becomes a factor, a lot of teachers can't seem to help but manipulate the situation into what's best for them, which is more $ at the expense of the student, the training, the entire situation.

In other words, there's a lot of opportunities for cheating and blackmail, of a sort.

Whenever teachers start charging and have a business, it seems usually like it's only a matter of time until all this nonsense goes on. Very few teachers I've met don't abuse the situation somehow by getting lazy, or greedy, or whatever.

In fact, they offer books and courses in how to do this -- essentially a lot of the things I put are offered in those courses as how to milk the students for more $$$.

So, yes, I have something against this. It doesn't seem right to use people in this manner, does it?

Personally, I don't think martial arts should be taught at all for profit. Because whenever people start charging beyond their expenses for the room and gear, it seems to start causing problems.


I mean, it's the same thing with other professions, like car mechanics. That's why they have government licensing and certification for many professions, and the BBB, etc. But in MA it seems that a lot of the leeching behavior has become so common that few people question it anymore.

[Black Jack II]

I can agree with a good amount of that, but it still seems like a large generalization. These teachers, good or bad, have a right to put food on the table, and since its a free society where people vote with there dollar, its kind of a wild west where some of the responsibility should fall on the student, meaning get what you pay for or leave.

I just wanted to see if it was a anti-captialism deal.

[lunghushan]

I can agree with a good amount of that, but it still seems like a large generalization. These teachers, good or bad, have a right to put food on the table, and since its a free society where people vote with there dollar, its kind of a wild west where some of the responsibility should fall on the student, meaning get what you pay for or leave.

I just wanted to see if it was a anti-captialism deal.

I'm not against capitalism. I'm pro the original Hewlett-Packard way which is getting profit for value added.

If they're adding value to you, meaning they make you a great martial artist (or at least give you good training and correction -- they can't force you to do it), they act ethically, don't play any games to get extra $ or screw you over, then that's perfectly fine if their time is paid for.

But what I've found over and over again is that commercial MA schools tend not to do this. Especially as they get bigger they tend to have people teach that aren't really ready to teach and as a result the instruction suffers a lot.

But yeah, it's the consumer's responsibility, at least in part, to walk. But if you want to train MA and all that's around is crap schools -- what do you do then?

[Black Jack II]

But what I've found over and over again is that commercial MA schools tend not to do this. Especially as they get bigger they tend to have people teach that aren't really ready to teach and as a result the instruction suffers a lot

Agreed. Still, whats good to some is all in the eye of the beholder. Some folks join up for some very different reasons than just good training.

[lunghushan]

Agreed. Still, whats good to some is all in the eye of the beholder. Some folks join up for some very different reasons than just good training.

IMHO schools should provide good training if they claim to be teaching martial arts. If all they're teaching is cardio kickboxing, then they should state that.

Most MA schools IMHO are just forms factories for people to work out in, with a little bit of sparring thrown in for those that want it. (Read TKD and most karate schools).

I mean, TKD doesn't even acknowledge that most of their forms are based off of Shotokan or even know the applications for those forms. Of course, karate doesn't always admit that most of their forms are based off of Okinawan forms, or know the apps for them either.

[Lama Pai Sifu]

Everybody quits. There's only a small percentage of "lifers"...


Like .0001%


Seriously.

[SPJ]

there are many reasons that people stop.

family, school, work, injury or just too many other things in life--

not a priority anymore.

-

nowaday, there are more "stuff" to take up our time slots.

--

some light stretching/posturing or a short walk in the park

--

punching bag and gloves accumulating dust or even worse grow "molds"

--

postponing after another postponing.

--

for me, whenever I think about it;then just do it; even for a few minutes.

I feel so much better afterwards, it is sort of "stress relief" for me from daily work, commuting, finances, taxes etc etc.

--

[BoulderDawg]

I mean why do people quit anything? This is norm rather than the exception. Look back 20 years ago. Are you still doing the same thing you were then? Some are of course but the vast majority has moved on to other things.

Also, MA is not like camping, fishing, skiing or a lot of other sports. You pretty much have to go steady. Many people just can't do this.

[unkokusai]

Personally, I don't think martial arts should be taught at all for profit.

Sorry comrade, but that's the way it works.

[lunghushan]

Sorry comrade, but that's the way it works.

Yeah, this is the U.S., where the rich screw over everybody else until they get tired of it and elect Democrats...

Then they get dumb again, forget about getting screwed over and elect Republicans.

Of course, they don't seem to realize that Dems and Republicans are both run by business.

LOL

[unkokusai]

Yeah, this is the U.S., where the rich screw over everybody else until they get tired of it and elect Democrats...

Then they get dumb again, forget about getting screwed over and elect Republicans.

Of course, they don't seem to realize that Dems and Republicans are both run by business.

LOL

Your slow boat to France leaves in an hour. Be on it.

[lunghushan]

Your slow boat to France leaves in an hour. Be on it.

I'm not a socialist. But political stability requires that people get a fair wage for their work. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, what happens, unokusai?

Hmmm??? Can you say Mexico? Where there's a ton of instability and kidnappings and all that?

So it behooves the rich not to screw people over. It's pretty simple, really.

As martial arts schools screw over more people, what happens? People get sick of it and quit.

So it behooves the MA schools to provide value for the $.

[unkokusai]

I'm not a socialist. But...

Yeah better hurry, that boat won't wait for you.

[lunghushan]

Yeah better hurry, that boat won't wait for you.

You're one to talk. You're already on the troll boat to hell.

[unkokusai]

I don't blame you for wanting to avoid uncomfortable conclusions.