05/27/2021
Very important, must read!
Yesterday afternoon, a family came in with their son who was in his early 20s. Upon introducing myself to the family, it was apparent that the son had some type of handicap. Initially I thought it to be Autism, or Aspergers. After chatting with the mom for a few minutes, she shared a horrific story of what had happened to her son. Her son had been training in “Karate” (not a legitimate Karate Dojo) since the age of 7, receiving his black belt at the age of 10. His parents were quick to explain the high level of success he experienced in “Karate” tournaments. Sharing that he always won first place. And that he was “very skilled” in weapons. (karate weapons) He continued his training until the age of 15. When he was jumped by four boys who beat the daylights out of him. He was unable to defend himself. Even though he had obtained his black belt in “Kroddy”! So here he is in his early 20s hoping to be able to regain some sort of normalcy after the life altering experience. On the inside I felt anger and frustration at the fact that this individual had relied on his instructor to be teaching him authentic Karate. The studio he was involved with is a known point fighting tournament system, specializing in sport karate, NOT SELF DEFENSE!!. I have heard of many instances in which this particular organization have had their students get completely destroyed in self defense scenarios. I’m not proclaiming that the same thing would not happen to my students, as there are no guarantees in the outcome of any violent situation. The difference being that my students are taught practical and realistic self defense from a proven method of life or death self defense situations over the course of several hundred years. Often times, prospective students are primarily looking for the cheapest tuition they can find. People have chosen a different studio than ours over a cheaper tuition of $10. Per month. Believing they will become the next grand champion, or Karate superstar. Though I share with others the positive attributes of my Dojo and the benefits of training with us. I will not degrade or talk down of other studios because there is no benefit in doing so. If someone you know is looking for REAL KARATE, and the proven ability to defend themselves or their loved ones, please send them my way. There are many studios these days whose primary objective is to give black belts away in as little as 18 months. For the sake of business growth. In A reputable studio, it will take anywhere from 4.5 to 6 years in order to become a black belt. Instead of being concerned about saving $10. Per month in tuition only to end up spending much more in the long run of mandatory tournaments, mandatory private lessons, Different uniforms for each day of the week, and weapons training because it’s needed for rank advancement. (Kobudo, weapon training is good for enhancing your Karate skills and furthering your knowledge about Karate. Making nunchaku a requirement at early ranks is irresponsible and nothing more than a retention gimmick! Focus on the benefits of practical self defense, from a realistic perspective! That $10. Per month savings on tuition, while spending hundreds more per month on ancillary items could mean the difference between being able to actually defend yourself or being killed or potentially having to live the rest of your life in a vegetated state of mind.
