The Martial Arts Blog

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

There are some questions you just shouldn’t ask a teacher of martial arts, and some questions they would be unwise to answer. Here is a sample of those questions, along with reasons for avoiding them, and recommended alternatives.

Stupid Question #1: What is the instructor’s belt or rank?

Why it is stupid: There are no universal standards for belt ranking. In some cases, a black belt indicates technical mastery of the art, in other cases it represents combat effectiveness or teaching ability, and in still other cases it means absolutely nothing.

In the real world, belt promotions are sometimes given out as encouragement for faltering students, or as rewards to loyal but unskilled students. Many commercial schools charge testing and grading fees, which is an incentive for them to promote (too) early and often. Perhaps worst of all, some instructors promote themselves to “Grandmaster” when opening a new school!

Smarter alternatives: How many years have you studied this art? How many hours did you train over those years? Who taught you (and what is their reputation)? Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

Armed with a list of goals for your martial arts training, and a list of schools to consider, your search can begin in earnest.

We know that visiting a half-dozen different schools is a hassle. But it is far better to invest these first hours in finding a great dojo, rather than in studying at a mediocre one. When you visit each school, be sure to ask these essential questions.

Are the classes compatible with my schedule and budget?
Some schools offer only two or three hours of instruction per week, and others are open all day long. Talk to the instructor, and discuss how many hours of daily or weekly attendance would be appropriate to meet your goals. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

With a good martial arts book or DVD, you will receive information on strikes and blocks, holds and throws, stances and movements, drills and other training methods, and maybe a few history and language lessons too.

When you participate in a good martial arts class, you get all that, and much more. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

This is the best of times, and the worst of times for new students of martial arts. Never in history has there been so much information published on the world’s diverse styles of traditional and modern martial arts. On the Internet, this information is plentiful, and it is free. And sadly, it is completely unreliable.

Traditional martial arts are the product of a distant time, place and culture. Throughout most of their history, they have been intertwined with local politics, religion, and business. All of these factors conspire against a complete, accurate and objective recounting of historical events today. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

Why do you want to learn martial arts? Do you want to improve your fitness or flexibility? Increase your focus, concentration skills, or spiritual awareness? Build self-confidence, or win in tournament competition? Make new friends? Strengthen your chances of surviving a random street assault?

Granted, these all sound like positive attributes. Given a list of the common goals and benefits of martial arts training, it is easy to embrace them all. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

When Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese strategist, was asked about the ultimate defensive technique, he gave a judicious reply. “To be prepared everywhere,” he said, “is to be weak everywhere.” Master Sun’s wisdom, originally applied thousands of years ago to organized warfare, is equally applicable to individual martial arts today. To complete a breadth of study, one must sacrifice depth, and vice-versa.

Some brash martial arts teachers will claim mastery of the true ultimate martial arts style. This ultimate style combines all the best elements from a variety of older forms of martial arts, so they say, but without all the useless traditions, outdated beliefs, ineffective techniques and other nonsense. This style sounds very good—maybe even too good to be true. Read the rest of this entry »

This is one part of the series, Get Started In The Martial Arts: A Beginner’s Guide.

According to a recent survey, approximately half of all active martial arts students in the USA are under 18 years of age. Why would millions of American parents, who would never let their children play with a real knife or gun, encourage those same children to attend martial arts classes?

Generally, these kids are not learning real martial arts. Read the rest of this entry »