Ethics of False Naming.

[KyleShort]

Very close to where I live there is a school that advertises itself as a Karate school in big bold lettering above their door. In much smaller lettering it says "_________ Taekwondo Center" Now one only has to glance at the class to see that it is Tae Kwon Do, or talk to the instructor who confirmed to me that they do not teach karate, but why mislead the public with a name like Karate? I understand that the term karate is the most well know martial art term in America ('judo chop' and 'ninja' must be close), but karate isn't even from the same country as tae kwon do.

In the same town I know of a shotokan-based, semi-eclectic karate school that advertises itself as Kung Fu.

In the same town again I know of a daito-ryu aiki-jujutsu school that uses all judo takedowns & locks and does not utilize concepts like zanzen, mushin, zanshin, metzuke, ma'ai etc. To me it looks MUCH more similar to Danzan-ryu.

In the previous cases one art represented itself as something else. I have also seen "new" arts represent themselves as somehow connected to old arts. For example, Tew Ryu ninjutsu. I don't know a whole lot about this art but from what I have seen in the videos and read about it, this is not ninjutsu at all. I believe they even acknowledge this (?) but yet they still claim to be a new form of ninjutsu.

This is clearly un-ethical practice, but how does the martial art community handle such a thing?

 

[Kenpodoc]

Language is often more general than members of one group or another wish it to be. TKD is obviously not 'Karate' but Karate is the word most americans use for boxing involving arms and legs and open hand.

Relax the name is not important. As to the content of the curriculum, "Buer Beware."

Jeff

 

[Kenpodoc]

Oops, "Buyer Beware" :uhyeah:

Jeff

 

[Wild Bill]

Rick Tew is a student of Frank Dux. Beware indeed.

That Shotokan based system that calls inself Kung Fu would'nt be a Shoalin Kempo school would it?

 

[Han-Mi]

advertising, it is easier to sell the household names.

I can't say it bothers me, as long as they don't claim to be something they aren't.

 

[Don Roley]

The first example of a TKD class calling itself karate does not bother me all that much since most Americans think of "Kuroty" as being anything with kicking and punching. And if you said "Tea Kwon Do" you would mainly get blank looks instead of people knowing you are talking about a martial art.

But the second example of a class doing judo and calling itself Daito ryu is a case of someone attracting students by saying they are something they are not.

 

[The Kai]

How about TKD's so disenchanted with the art they elect to now call it "American Karate", while they don't know one whit of what makes Karate karate (moving from the Hara-etc) I agree most americans think Karate it chopping and kicking, but TKD is becoming more well known

Todd

 

[loki09789]

How about TKD's so disenchanted with the art they elect to now call it "American Karate", while they don't know one whit of what makes Karate karate (moving from the Hara-etc) I agree most americans think Karate it chopping and kicking, but TKD is becoming more well known

Todd

Actually, TKD has Karate in it's basic make up as well. In the US, Karate or martial arts have become univeral usage terms for any martial arts.

YES, it is not accurate usage or culturally/contextually proper, but it does 'tell 'em what you do' quickly. Once they are in the door though you better be explaining the heritage and origins accurately.

 

[The Kai]

Although the root of TKD is Karate, dut to the idea of the sine wave and other things TKD is radically different. Sure the kicks and punchs are same, but so is true of all arts. IMHO it is the concepts of power and balance that seperate the two arts

Todd

 

[loki09789]

Although the root of TKD is Karate, dut to the idea of the sine wave and other things TKD is radically different. Sure the kicks and punchs are same, but so is true of all arts. IMHO it is the concepts of power and balance that seperate the two arts

Todd

Not to go too far into the tangent but, no the punches/kicks/strikes/defenses of 'all arts' are not the same. You might be working with the same biomechanical structure and leverage points, but they are very different in application/training in some cases.

Firstly TKD is a broad term for a variety of stylistic differences as is Karate so a side by side comparison would require generallizations that would be too inaccurate to really make a good foundation. Comparing a particular curriculum/system of each would be more meaningful IMO.

Broad stroke: I think the thing that separates the two arts is the tactical/training emphasis more than anything else though. If everything mechanically is 'virtually the same' then the difference isn't in 'power and balance' because they both would require the same power and balance to use the same mechanical movements. Karate's tend to focus on Hand over Foot or Hand/Foot Balanced techniques. TKD tends to focus on Foot over hand techniques - in general.

If I am not mistaken, isn't TKD a fairly modern art derived from Karate and Korean indiginous arts?

 

[DavidCC]

Here in Nebraska, almost every MA school has sign that says "Karate". It's really becoming a very generic term. Our schools "Geary's Shaolin Kempo" use signs that say "Kempo Karate". I don't think it's false advertising any more than a gasoline station advertising "gas" when they are CLEARLY selling a liquid

 

[Sin]

Not really unethical, Karate is a basic term for MArtial Arts, at least in the USA. if I put Shuhari-Te above the Dojo door some might think that we are a resturant. Karate is just a commen word in the US for Martial Arts. Thats all it is.

 

[chinto01]

It appears to me that the owner of the school is trying to draw customers in even though he is not teaching what is on the door. People looking for a martial arts school probably do not know what they are looking for 1/2 of the time and do not know of different styles.