Martial Sacrilege (part 1)

jobo

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Does your art require fitness over technique?
they are impossible to separate, i need the fitness to lift my leg just as i need to the technique to kick properly, my punching techneque is of no use if I'm so out of breath i can't co ordinate my punches. Like any athletic activerty it requires a,good measure of both. That why i can't play soccer with 18 yo any more, my skills,are there, my fitness isnt
 

lklawson

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but the,current stereo type of a black belt, is it a portly out of breath dude with a bad back, fallen arches and an irregular heart beat, that's not a good selling point to attract people into ma, unless you are in a similar bad way
Who gives a crap? It's a stereotype.

Hey, I found a picture of a Black Belt! Oh wait. No. This is your idea of a computer hacker.

i_wargames.jpg
 

jobo

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Who gives a crap? It's a stereotype.

Hey, I found a picture of a Black Belt! Oh wait. No. This is your idea of a computer hacker.

i_wargames.jpg
my idea of a computer hacker is the girl from the,dragon tattoo, you appear to be going off topic

the problem is that the fat out of breath dude is the reality of a lot of black belts, hence my point they should be demoted for the good of the ma
 

Gerry Seymour

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the problem is they reputation of traditional ma to the general public, which seems at something of a low. . That problems needs to be,fixed before the arts all but,die out.

part of that reputation problem is old men(and ladies) who can hardly move let alone Fight strutting about wearing black belts
This is something we can debate, Jobo. I'm not sure the problem is the old, out-of-shape folks wearing black belts. I think it's more likely the "soft" nature of early (and in some cases, all) classes. Nobody gets bent out of shape if a boxing coach gets old, as long as they still get results.

That said, I'm not sure the target market of most MA schools would stay more than a few classes if they had two hours of highly intense exercise every class. I'm not sure what the answer is to that conundrum.

EDIT: Re-reading this, I should be clear. I think the softer classes aren't inappropriate, especially for beginners.
 

Gerry Seymour

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but the,current stereo type of a black belt, is it a portly out of breath dude with a bad back, fallen arches and an irregular heart beat, that's not a good selling point to attract people into ma, unless you are in a similar bad way
I've not ever, even once, met someone who expressed that as an expectation of what a BB would be.
 

jobo

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This is something we can debate, Jobo. I'm not sure the problem is the old, out-of-shape folks wearing black belts. I think it's more likely the "soft" nature of early (and in some cases, all) classes. Nobody gets bent out of shape if a boxing coach gets old, as long as they still get results.

That said, I'm not sure the target market of most MA schools would stay more than a few classes if they had two hours of highly intense exercise every class. I'm not sure what the answer is to that conundrum.

EDIT: Re-reading this, I should be clear. I think the softer classes aren't inappropriate, especially for beginners.
my issue isn't with the instructer being past it, they can give a lot even if they can so it themselves any more. It's rather ma becoming a muddled aged pass time.

by bending to accommodate the lowest common level, they are spoiling the brand and then only attracting people who can't do the hard stuff, so more out of condition black belts leads to the whole art being a joke.

look at the people,cross fit has attracted, not,coz its easy, but coz its very very hard and possibly unwise, but very popular
 

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they are impossible to separate, i need the fitness to lift my leg just as i need to the technique to kick properly, my punching techneque is of no use if I'm so out of breath i can't co ordinate my punches. Like any athletic activerty it requires a,good measure of both. That why i can't play soccer with 18 yo any more, my skills,are there, my fitness isnt
They are not inseparable. There are many parts of MA that can be performed at varying levels of fitness. Some are more closely tied to certain areas of fitness (stamina, strength, flexibility). Few, indeed, are tied to all areas of fitness.

When you say you can't play soccer with 18 YO, what I think you mean is you can't play with 18 YO who are reasonably skilled and more fit than you. I'll bet you could still (if you have good skill) be an asset among less-skilled and/or not-so-fit 18 YO. The same would be true of your MA. A highly skilled BB who has gotten out of shape won't be able to do several rounds of heavy sparring with someone of similar skill who is in much better shape, but they may still be able to manhandle someone who's in great shape but unskilled.
 

jobo

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They are not inseparable. There are many parts of MA that can be performed at varying levels of fitness. Some are more closely tied to certain areas of fitness (stamina, strength, flexibility). Few, indeed, are tied to all areas of fitness.

When you say you can't play soccer with 18 YO, what I think you mean is you can't play with 18 YO who are reasonably skilled and more fit than you. I'll bet you could still (if you have good skill) be an asset among less-skilled and/or not-so-fit 18 YO. The same would be true of your MA. A highly skilled BB who has gotten out of shape won't be able to do several rounds of heavy sparring with someone of similar skill who is in much better shape, but they may still be able to manhandle someone who's in great shape but unskilled.
no they run round me like I'm a tree, i have to go in nets for half an hour whilst they burn themselves out, then i can nearly catch them
 

Gerry Seymour

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my idea of a computer hacker is the girl from the,dragon tattoo, you appear to be going off topic

the problem is that the fat out of breath dude is the reality of a lot of black belts, hence my point they should be demoted for the good of the ma
Do you think the little yellow line on the belt of the chief instructor of a school will communicate to prospective students that he's a "black belt, retired"?
 

Gerry Seymour

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no they run round me like I'm a tree
If they aren't very skilled, intercepting them is fairly easy. I certainly don't have the soccer stamina I once had, and my skills have degraded a lot, too. But put me on a field (with some coordination) with unskilled 18 YO, and I'll cause them problems. Even with my knees. Now, if they are reasonably skilled (which would put them at least on my level, now), then they can easily run rings around me.
 

jobo

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Do you think the little yellow line on the belt of the chief instructor of a school will communicate to prospective students that he's a "black belt, retired"?
as much as those other flashes they have on their belts communicated their meaning
 

Gerry Seymour

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as much as those other flashes they have on their belts communicated their meaning
Exactly. A prospective student won't know what any of it means. If anything, the yellow stripe will appear to be an enhanced marking. You'd still have the problem you suggest exists. Same goes for inventing a new belt color.
 

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