This is going to win me lots of love...The quality of audio equipment can be judged and measured by their signal-to-noise ratio. Obviously, the less noise there is in a broadcast or playback the clearer the signal will be. This is known as
fidelity.
In my practice and teaching of karate and kobudo, I strive to keep everything I've learned "as-is." As I studied several arts (kajukenbo, 3 different karate styles, tai chi, kobudo, and escrima), the more I emphasized keeping them separate. It's a given that with each generation techniques and methods take on the characteristics of the players. Here, I'm referring to the "core" principles, the soul of each art.
I'm bothered that there are schools here in the USA that list "karate, gung fu, jujitsu, tae kwon do, & kenpo" all on their storefront windows. But on closer inspection, the vast majority of these schools have blended theses arts into an amalgem. It takes a lifetime to master even one art. How is it possible to claim enough authority to teach six different empty-hand arts while the chief instructor is younger than 45.
If the teachers have one major style of study (15+ years)and only has a few years (5 or less) in the other arts, in all honesty shouldn't be included in their curriculum. If their studies of auxillary arts are on-going, that's a different story. Attend a weekend seminar and plug it in...sensei
please.
In my audio analogy, the concept of "fidelity" finds pertinence here. The less "noise" your art has the more truthful it is to its soul. Some may justify that these
mega-schools list all these arts to attract people who don't know the difference from one to the other and then clarify later.
Jee, well, er...I call that deception and false advertising.
With the genesis of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), one may ask, "So what's the problem with 'mixing' different arts?" OK. MMA is fought in a cage or ring. Not, in a dojo. MMA is for people who already gained some profiency in one art and has moved on to another. MMA is for fighters 18 years old and older.
Using another audio analogy: An oversaturated tape recording will produce
crosstalk, where signal on one track bleeds over to the adjacent track. When teaching children and adults new to martial arts, it's important not to feed them
mixed signals (bad info). Karate doesn't have a ground game. Jujitsu doesn't rely on a stand up plan. A Chinese Long Fist strike inserted into a Judo drill doesn't belong.
Finally: Know your history! I feel really bad for teachers who can't trace their style or schools' lineage. At a minimum, every practitioner should be able to trace their lineage three teachers back. Know their names. Where they lived. Their professions. Some of their fellow dojo mates. Other styles or arts they studied. Their hobbies. There's more to be learned from your teachers than just martial arts. They're people, too, afterall.
Why do I need to know this stuff? Budo is a way of life. If all you focus on is fighting skill or dojo life, then your existence outside the dojo becomes out of balance.
You don't need
surround sound. Some of the best recordings I've ever heard were stereophonic. We only have two ears. Given the right circumstance (atmosphere) and proper record and playback equipment (lesson plan and teaching skill), you can recreate the original signal (budo) in high fidelity.
