Unsure of the art taught at my dojo

[oftheherd1]

There is a dojo...? here that has only one word on its sign: "Karate" The main art taught there, the art that the owner is ranked in is TKD. They teach other arts there as well... a style of Kung Fu, Aikido and some sort of MMA class. What they do not teach there is Karate. I asked him why the sign said Karate, when they have never taught that and his response was "Everyone knows what Karate is, not many people know what TKD is." And this place is a commercial dojo, part of one of the larger organizations of TKD schools in the area.

Asking the instructor what the art is that he is teaching is the way to go. It may be his own blend of Karate and TKD and a few other things. As long as he is up front about that, and you enjoy the classes... nothing wrong there at all.

i am surprised the OP has not asked the owner, instructors, or fellow students. That is something that is most often asked before signing up and paying money. But I accept the OP may be a bit shy.

I agree with others who have said if what they are being taught are viable self defense moves and being taught in when and how to use them, and the OP enjoys them, stay with it.

In the 60's and 70's most TKD schools put karate sign out front, because people had hear of karate and few people had hear of TKD.
in the 80's because of the Karate Kid most people call any MAs karate.
True ,TKD is the #1 most commonly practiced martial art in the world, but most people don't know MA and call every MA karate.


Now that I am training in karate, I think of tradional TKD as Korean Karate.
I know those who study TKD will think this is blasphem, I would have,
but when talking to normal people about MA it is so much easier.

When I studied TKD in the early mid-sixties, we knew what we were learning, but admitted when we talked to outsiders we usually told them we studied TKD, and waited for them to ask if they didn't know what that art was; that it was sort of like a Korean karate, but different. TKD just wasn't a well known art at that time.

 

[oftheherd1]

Welcome to Martial Talk, Eiv0482.


View attachment 22895

For sale by owner. Call me.

@Buka

I am really surprised at you. That is one of the oldest scams in the book; trying to sell properly that I have had title to for several years (and did I get it for a bargain
!)

Be assured my lawyer will be in touch with you just as soon as he is re-admitted to his State's bar.

 

[JowGaWolf]

It may be his own blend of Karate and TKD and a few other things.

This came across my mind as well. I know there are a few instructors who like to teach more than one system and because of that they don't give a specific name to what they teach.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Welcome to Martial Talk, Eiv0482.


View attachment 22895

For sale by owner. Call me.

Is that bridge still for sale? 2nd time in one day that I saw someone selling a bridge. Must be a good market. lol.

 

[_Simon_]

Athooooough... it could be fun, the OP dropping hints as to things they do in class, and us having to guess the style...

Winner gets a prize too?!? : O

(Of course the OP has to know the style first before we can guess the right answer...)

Mods!

 

[JowGaWolf]

Athooooough... it could be fun, the OP dropping hints as to things they do in class, and us having to guess the style...

Winner gets a prize too?!? : O

(Of course the OP has to know the style first before we can guess the right answer...)

Mods!

I'm at a total disadvantage for a game like that lol

 

[Cynik75]

Do not ask the instructor!!!
Be like ninja and secretly in the dark night enter the dojo and find the hidden safe room with ancient papers... Then you will know the true.

 

[drop bear]

God I hope it is cobra kai.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

Always amuses me how some places dont publically list what martial art they do, or its not clearly stated. Like they would just be under the name "karate" and make no mention to waht style is taught, and sometimes the head teacher has several martial arts under his belt and the like. I dont know why you wouldnt state what style of soemthing you do to be honest. Its always a chuckler for me.

God I hope it is cobra kai.

That is probbly why they dont list it, Karate Kid has made that style unpopular as all hell.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

to be honest it sounds like a wind up, im not sure how anyone signs up for a ma and attends multiple lessons with out having the first idea of what they are training ?


not that it actually matters, it could be some home spun hybrid thats a bit of lots of thing, which is perfectly good if they have picked the best bits and a total disaster if they haven't

For folks with no background in MA, the names sometimes just don’t have meaning, so aren’t really retained from the early discussions (which are like a fire hose to the new student). It’s common enough that some places include knowing the name of the style on the first test.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Always amuses me how some places dont publically list what martial art they do, or its not clearly stated. Like they would just be under the name "karate" and make no mention to waht style is taught, and sometimes the head teacher has several martial arts under his belt and the like. I dont know why you wouldnt state what style of soemthing you do to be honest. Its always a chuckler for me.



That is probbly why they dont list it, Karate Kid has made that style unpopular as all hell.

In some cases, the name isn’t all that useful or relevant. I list the primary art on my website, but if anything it creates more confusion. Most folks get no information from the name, most martial artists mistake it for another (related) art, and even folks from the same base art expect something different from my approach. I should probably come up with a new style name, but then that’d mean nothing to anyone.

 

[jobo]

For folks with no background in MA, the names sometimes just don’t have meaning, so aren’t really retained from the early discussions (which are like a fire hose to the new student). It’s common enough that some places include knowing the name of the style on the first test.

yea maybe, ive met people who dont know the make of their car, , when asked they just say its a blue one,so its possible i suppose

 

[_Simon_]

For folks with no background in MA, the names sometimes just don’t have meaning, so aren’t really retained from the early discussions (which are like a fire hose to the new student). It’s common enough that some places include knowing the name of the style on the first test.

Yes! Or he may have to wait until if in one of the senior gradings where he has to write a paper... "What is the philosophy of ______?" "How has training in ______ impacted your life?"

So another 4 or 5 years or so and he'll find out the name.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

In some cases, the name isn’t all that useful or relevant. I list the primary art on my website, but if anything it creates more confusion. Most folks get no information from the name, most martial artists mistake it for another (related) art, and even folks from the same base art expect something different from my approach. I should probably come up with a new style name, but then that’d mean nothing to anyone.

For me it would be something like, say i wanted to do the specfic type of karate mixed with Jujitsu and i got kykoshin instead, it would be a issue. Or vice versa, but most of the time from what i have seen its just hard to find. Its usually the indepednent styles that tend to nt clearly mark theirs. Or their style is their school name but you dont know its independent thus think its a school name.

The issue would lie in, i could be telling people i am doing kykoshin thinking it is, but im not, and might only figure it out if i go to another kyokoshin school. Or another karate school.

 

[jobo]

Yes! Or he may have to wait until if in one of the senior gradings where he has to write a paper... "What is the philosophy of ______?" "How has training in ______ impacted your life?"

So another 4 or 5 years or so and he'll find out the name.

its things like that that leave me confused and baffled, what possible criteria is that to establish someone ability at something other than writing, im struggling to think of any other sport or physical activity that includes a written test on how guitar playing, snooker, boxing, dancing etal has changed my life ???

some things do have a written test, but they are specific questions about the skill rather than general waffle

 

[Deleted member 39746]

its things like that that leave me confused and baffled, what possible criteria is that to establish someone ability at something other than writing, im struggling to think of any other sport or physical activity that includes a written test on how guitar playing, snooker, boxing, dancing etal has changed my life ???

some things do have a written test, but they are specific questions about the skill rather than general waffle

Wait until you do all of those academically. There are some units for X in history. which is basically history through the lense of X. That does seem like a very academic study question to give you a appreciation of the subject.

 

[_Simon_]

its things like that that leave me confused and baffled, what possible criteria is that to establish someone ability at something other than writing, im struggling to think of any other sport or physical activity that includes a written test on how guitar playing, snooker, boxing, dancing etal has changed my life ???

some things do have a written test, but they are specific questions about the skill rather than general waffle

Yeah I know what you mean. My understanding is that it's not like a paper that gets marked, ie it's not the writing style, grammar etc being looked at, but just their general understanding of the art, and what it means to them.

I like it in that regard, takes it from being an specifically objective grading with set criteria, to something more intimate and meaningful to the person . That being said, I don't know if you can fail the written portion or how it's marked or even whether the only requirement is that you complete it..

 

[jobo]

Yeah I know what you mean. My understanding is that it's not like a paper that gets marked, ie it's not the writing style, grammar etc being looked at, but just their general understanding of the art, and what it means to them.

I like it in that regard, takes it from being an specifically objective grading with set criteria, to something more intimate and meaningful to the person . That being said, I don't know if you can fail the written portion or how it's marked or even whether the only requirement is that you complete it..

well if its not marked or so beady written it is largely meaningless then its an even worse imposition on your time. what if its written in french or Cantonese

im wondering if you tell the truth thats is then held against your grading

so if you say its had absolutely no positive benefits to me other than fitness, say or if you says yea its great i keep beating people up at the least excuse, lieing shouldn't be a requirement !

 

[jobo]

Wait until you do all of those academically. There are some units for X in history. which is basically history through the lense of X. That does seem like a very academic study question to give you a appreciation of the subject.

its not something i would get involved in, i just want to able to hit people, but fine a study of the history of the art, i can see the point off.

but then its clearly a problem to people with dyslexia or learning difficulties or who dont use English and its still not a personal retrospective of hows its changed your life

 

[_Simon_]

well if its not marked or so beady written it is largely meaningless then its an even worse imposition on your time. what if its written in french or Cantonese

im wondering if you tell the truth thats is then held against your grading

so if you say its had absolutely no positive benefits to me other than fitness, say or if you says yea its great i keep beating people up at the least excuse, lieing shouldn't be a requirement !

Yeah fair enough I get what you mean. I think the point of it is just to engage a different part of the brain, to go from all physical grading to more reflective and internal, to see what you've gained from it and reflect on that. And true, not everyone is the same as to why they train.

But I don't feel it's meaningless, just presenting another challenge to the student to actually think about their art (it's possible many train and don't really stop to ponder on it). It may be more a TMA thing, which alot of them do include dojo kuns (oaths/tenets), etiquette and have a different dimension of meaning to their practice.

But yeah I wouldn't want lying to be a requirement either haha