do you drink in the dojo

[almost a ghost]

Heres one for you, i was at this school (kenpo) and after the last class, the teacher went and got a beer and was drinking it,

(i don't drink) and i don't have anything against anyone who does, (except when you drive), but i was taken back with this

, what do you people think about this,i mean in the dojo????

It was after class. Big deal. Then again I train to learn how to fight, not be an uptight, pious "martial" artist.

 

[ackks10]

It was after class. Big deal. Then again I train to learn how to fight, not be an uptight, pious "martial" artist.

what the hell does that mean??? "uptight, pious "martial" artist"

 

[tshadowchaser]

I have been know to drink with friends in the dojo. Not when class was going on but after when the students had gone home.
Now have I ever had students come to class after they had been drinking, YES, but that is a different story and needs a different thread.
My dojo is mine and what happens in it after the students are gone and friends gather is a different story. I will say that practicing after a few drinks is an eye opener or closer if you forget to block.
Would I purposely walk onto the floor when students are practicing with a drink Maybe if I wanted to judge their reaction and how they dealt with such an unknown.

 

[Sukerkin]

Let it go, ackks.

Some people have no interest in the elements of martial arts that are not to do with breaking things. Most of us might think that they're missing out on some important developments of the personality and the psyche but it's a choice for them to make.

Ghost, your comment didn't really add a great deal to the conversation and could be interpreted as a snipe against any other member here who doesn't hold your view. Constructive is good; even negative can be good if something can be learned from it.

Being rude achieves little.

But then, I am a spiritually minded sword-slinger with an eye for the aesthetic and another for tradition and history - I'm guessing I know where that places me in your view of the world :lol:.

 

[ackks10]

Let it go, ackks.

Some people have no interest in the elements of martial arts that are not to do with breaking things. Most of us might think that they're missing out on some important developments of the personality and the psyche but it's a choice for them to make.

Ghost, your comment didn't really add a great deal to the conversation and could be interpreted as a snipe against any other member here who doesn't hold your view. Constructive is good; even negative can be good if something can be learned from it.

Being rude achieves little.

But then, I am a spiritually minded sword-slinger with an eye for the aesthetic and another for tradition and history - I'm guessing I know where that places me in your view of the world :lol:.

thank you:asian:

 

[bowser666]

I think it is very unprofessional to allow such things in a training facility. Granted if it is not a traditional dojo, dojang , etc...... such as a Community Center then there isn't much you can do. However, instructor's and students should refrain from usage at the place where they train.

 

[JBrainard]

At any outside of class social function, I think drinking would be just fine, but in the dojo? OK, sure, it was after the last class, but it sends the wrong message. Considering that you should be as alert as possible so that you can get the most out of training, I think drinking in the dojo is pretty wierd.

 

[Todd Reiner]

Heres one for you, i was at this school (kenpo) and after the last class, the teacher went and got a beer and was drinking it,

(i don't drink) and i don't have anything against anyone who does, (except when you drive), but i was taken back with this

, what do you people think about this,i mean in the dojo????

Its after the last class so beer and hopefully BBQ is a non-issue to me. This really depends on the dojo and what is being taught. If the school is commercial then probably not a good idea for public image. If the school is based on fighting then alcohol has its place as long as all those training are fully aware and willing. Lets face it, people like to fight drunk and many fights occur in bars or parking lots of bars. Why not prepare? This really boils down to personal choice. I've chosen in the past to train drunk, just as I have chosen to train on ice, sand, in water, pavement, snow, whateva.

 

[tellner]

Considering that you should be as alert as possible so that you can get the most out of training, I think drinking in the dojo is pretty wierd.

Doing anything that detracts from your training is a bad idea. Sometimes conditions don't allow you to train hard enough for a very small amount to make a difference. And there are days when serious intensity just isn't in the cards or times when training extends throughout the day and ebbs and flows accordingly.

I think part of it is the difference between "training happens in class in a dojo" and "training happens whenever people are together and doing martial arts".

 

[TheEdge883]

Interesting training utility though, alcohol. Can a student make his kenpo work drunk? The possibilities....

 

[tshadowchaser]

Have to admit that I sure have had a few after being to the dojo

we always hear about reality training so why not include alcohol in that training

 

[LanJie]

It seems quite unprofessional to me.

 

[Mark L]

I can't think of a single scenario where alcohol could or should be part of training in the dojo. I do think we should consider our capabilities at a time when we are under the influence, but I suspect that at those times we might be imbued with unrealistic characterizations of our skills. Personally, I wouldn't do that against a resisting partner for their safety and mine. But I do think about it. What is the martial arts equivalent of beer goggles?

The only time we have alcohol in the dojo is for the staff after events where we've volunteered out time. With Chinese take-out after the St. Jude's Kick-a-Thon kind of thing.

 

[tshadowchaser]

If some unites of our elite fighting forces have had weapons training while under the influence so that could be prepared to fight under any circumstances (and I do consider there training to be Martial) then why or how can anyone claim to instruct people in realistic life situations with out alcohol being involved? I am not saying this should be done every day but how well do/can you defend yourself after drinking. Have you ever been attacked after you have been drinking, if so what where your reactions like?

 

[Jdokan]

Alcohol and any tool or weapon should never be mixed.....

 

[Pacificshore]

Hmm...no I don't drink in the dojo...unless it is water

 

[Josh Oakley]

As a soldier, I'll say this once. Weapons and alcohol do not mix. We are not SUPPOSED to train under the influence.

As a teacher, if a student came into the dojo drinking, I'd throw them out. Alcohol and martial arts should not mix in a learning setting.

If some unites of our elite fighting forces have had weapons training while under the influence so that could be prepared to fight under any circumstances (and I do consider there training to be Martial) then why or how can anyone claim to instruct people in realistic life situations with out alcohol being involved? I am not saying this should be done every day but how well do/can you defend yourself after drinking. Have you ever been attacked after you have been drinking, if so what where your reactions like?

 

[KELLYG]

I think that there is a time and place for everything. I think that drinking after class is ok as long that it is not on school premisis. There are some people that may have present that do not approve of drinking or have problems with drinking that this may offend. It may also send a message to younger students that their parents do not approve of.

Then there could be a baby moment. :hey baby hold my beer, yall watch this: that could endanger the person drinking or someone else that may be a bystander. Then there is also the fact that this person will eventually leave the school load up in a car and could hurt someone while driving.

 

[Danjo]

Well, in the old Kaju days, they used to train while drinking beer that they had sitting in an ice chest according to more than one senior that I've talked to.

Also, Count Dante used to have his guys drink and smoke during training to get them used to fighting under those conditions since a bar was most likely where and when they would end up fighting.

Currently, in the school, I only drink tea, water and the blood of my opponents. The DUI laws are too strict these days to chance anything else.

 

[tshadowchaser]

JOSH,

I respect your views on training and how you run your school. I just happen to have been studying longer than you have been alive and in the old days we did things a little different so I may have a little different attitude on such things.
I have not said it is a good thing to do but I have postulated the question on reality based training and if reality training is really real without the use of alcohol.

As for the military training you may need to read up on some of the old time training methods of our elite forces ( seals, special forces, etc.) many of these methods where under the eye of the unite commander and most have changed over the years but I will assure you that some of the forces did indeed learn to shoot when drinking . Do I advocate the idea of shooting and drinking NO but hell if your in a war zone and your drinking on base and get attacked you might want to be able to react and shoot under those circumstances.