part one: choosing a school
I have had several people ask me recently to assist them with choosing a martial art to study. Sometimes they have a vague idea what they want to learn, often it just seems like a more interesting way for them to work out. “Why lift weights and run on a treadmill when I could be learning something cool and important?” Fair enough. I believe however, that if one gets invested in a particular school, or specific art without adequate research they are prone to losing interest after a short period and becoming discouraged from further participation. Unfortunately the volume of (mis)information out there can be quite daunting for the uninitiated. One solution is that those of us currently studying develop a holistic knowledge of the Arts in order to assist those who are curious about taking up their study.
finding your way
With the explosion of televised martial arts events and the internet, the information readily available- both quality and poor- on the Arts has grown exponentially. Long gone are the days of secret manuals and hidden training halls. Everyone advertises, knowledge is out in the open. In fact, tons of it is available free through webpages and Youtube videos. This can obviously be a bit overwhelming for a person interested in starting to study but who has no base knowledge. So what do they do? Chances are they start by asking anyone they know who has some experience and they glide around the internet a bit. But is there a better way?
The first thing a prospective martial arts student should do is sit down with a pen and paper and really examine what their interest is. Is it purely to work out? To be able to defend oneself? Are they interested in ancient culture? Do they want some sort of general health benefits? Do they want to be able to do the cool stuff in the movies? There can and most likely are multiple answers to this question and the more honest they are, the better. If the prospective student can prioritize these motivators some, that will also prove helpful. Next one should look at what they already know they’re interested in. If you think grappling and locks are cool, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you want to be able to do back flips and jump kicks, you should direct yourself to places that will help you do that. There is no such thing as the “best” or “most effective” martial art. There is only the best for you as a unique personality.
so much to know. what to know?
So now you’ve developed some ideas of what types of art you’re into, but what next? I mean there are a million schools out there right? How do I pick the right one? The most effective, although highly time consuming way is to visit and watch classes at as many schools as you can. Search Google Maps for local schools and ask if you can come down and watch them train. If they say no, cross them right off the list. If they want you to join blind they are full of it. If they insist you to take a “trial class,” again, goodbye. I would never spend my time training someone who isn’t even sure they are interested in what I’m teaching. Furthermore, it’s a cheap ploy to hook you in by either playing on your guilt factor after you’ve taken their time or by assuming your first martial arts exposure will be interesting/exciting enough that you will lose the thread of your search and commit. “Oh that was great, ok, I’ll join”- a year later- “I totally forgot I said I was gonna find a place that taught meditation….”
Watching different classes takes a while, but you’re planning devoting a lot of time studying this anyway. Better to spend a month finding the right school than settling for the wrong one and wasting three months training before realizing it’s not for you. Right? The other thing is, the more schools you visit the more you start to see the differences between them and learn to identify what is for you and what isn’t. Maybe you want a fighting school (which many are not these days), maybe you want to do forms, maybe working barefoot grosses you out. Again, you have to be honest with yourself. Also, when you go to these classes, come with questions prepared. There are a million considerations, here are a few:
- Do you do a general workout as a group?
- What sort of commitment do I have to make?
- How does ranking work?
- What are the dues, are there any additional fees?
- Do you compete?
- How do you certify teachers?
- How often can I train?
- Do you have showers?
- (How) do you divide the class?
- Who is the founder of your school, your style?
- How long have you been here?
- Do you teach… (breaking, meditation, grappling, flexibility training, strength training, internal development, Buddhism, weapons, street application…)?
- What equipment do you have and is it open for everyone to use?
If you don’t feel ready to watch classes yet, a silly sounding but effective way to narrow down your interest is to take it to Wikipedia. In the race against extinction, even highly obscure arts have Wikipedia pages and the level of interest is so high that they tend to be well monitored producing surprising accurateness. You think that you’re interested in Kung-Fu? Check the List of Chinese Martial Arts page. Someone suggests Karate might be a good fit for you? Spend ten minutes reading up on the various styles.
pedagogy
The one aspect that will likely be the most difficult for the uninitiated to differentiate is pedagogy- the method of teaching used. There is a wide variety of teaching styles out there and simply put, different ones work for different people better or worse. This is one area that you as a more experienced practitioner can and should be able to assist. You need to able to talk to your friend/prospective student intelligently about different teaching styles and what will realistically give them results. This is not to say part of the responsibility is not incumbent on the student adapting but if there is a more suitable choice for them, well, they should take it.
So how do you know about this? In comes part in parcel with the above discussion about aspects of different schools but I believe a well informed martial artist should have a broad knowledge of all arts not just her own. Karate schools for example largely teach with an instructor at the front of the class leading drills whereby the students follow his example/instructions. Brazilian jiu-jitsu often teaches by doing, whereby you spend a lot of time “on the mat” practicing your moves- with restraint- with a partner. Some Chinese schools take a more casual approach where the training hall is almost like a western style gym and the students come in and train on their own. These are very broad generalizations of course, but you need to be able to identify some of these different models to help point the interested student in the right direction.
final thoughts
A good martial artist, and in particular a good teacher will be honest and forthcoming with any prospective students. For starters it is not in the interest of any school or system to recruit uninterested students. In propagating one’s art it should certainly be a question of quality over quantity, whereby quantity is a function of student interest. When a prospective student comes to observe your school you should engage in a frank conversation that explores some of the above topics. If they pronounce their interest, you should enquire about it, find out what brought them to you and ensure it is not superficial. Approached from the perspective of enhancing the martial arts community it is in everyone’s best interest that students go to the place that best suits them. Overall enrollment across all schools with increase, student retention will increase and your school will in turn receive that highest quality.
Lastly, a good martial artist should possess this broad knowledge for her own benefit. She should have at least a general understanding of the myriad other arts out there. They are all interrelated, even if at times through many degrees of separation. Even a superficial knowledge of the spectrum will expand your comprehension of your chosen discipline. It places it within a broader framework from which you can understand the benefits and shortcomings of your training. While expanding outward you automatically develop insight as by-product. As well, you may gain some very useful ideas about how to improve your own training. More important than any of these points however is that this knowledge engenders a more intelligent, thoughtful person.
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