As one of those guilty of getting heavily involved I guess it boils down to a sense of fairness and respect.
Like Tony, there are many training systems that I would leave alone for one reason or another. I would hesitate to call them sub-optimal because that doesn't take into account the reason a person is training that system. I'll use Tai Chi as an example. I used to think Tai Chi was a bit of a wank. Good for your health etc but not a 'real' martial art. Over the years I've met several serious martial artists practising Tai Chi and they have changed my understanding. I doubt I will ever practise it myself but horses for courses.
Then you have a martial art that you have actually trained. Within those four walls you may know everything about that system as it is taught in that environment. But do you really know that system? Years ago I was certainly guilty of that. I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about Goju. Now I am being exposed to a world I never knew existed. I am sure that the same applies to every other karate style out there. One advantage of a forum like MT is that you can explore some of those things with others. Where that comes unstuck is when a closed minded person who had little understanding steps in as an expert and destroys the whole discussion.
I have learned a lot from people here. I have watched interesting videos and been able to take bits and pieces away to try for myself. Long may that continue. Where someone genuinely is an expert it is nice to be able to ask them about the technical aspects of such a technique. I know from Aikido there are no techniques that don't work. The secret is to be able to make them work for you. Sometimes that can take years of dedicated practise. Then someone comes along who did Aikido for a short time and claims definitively that such and such a technique doesn't work. So what do you do? I believe this to be a respected forum. If you allow something that is wrong to be put out there unchallenged it becomes fact. But in some cases it gets even worse when an individual continues to denigrate an entire system as worthless. That may discourage someone who may have benefitted considerably from a particular martial art from even trying it.
I don't really know the answer as so much is subjective, but I do think the mods could redirect some of these discussions before they get to the stage of being locked.
Like Tony, there are many training systems that I would leave alone for one reason or another. I would hesitate to call them sub-optimal because that doesn't take into account the reason a person is training that system. I'll use Tai Chi as an example. I used to think Tai Chi was a bit of a wank. Good for your health etc but not a 'real' martial art. Over the years I've met several serious martial artists practising Tai Chi and they have changed my understanding. I doubt I will ever practise it myself but horses for courses.
Then you have a martial art that you have actually trained. Within those four walls you may know everything about that system as it is taught in that environment. But do you really know that system? Years ago I was certainly guilty of that. I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about Goju. Now I am being exposed to a world I never knew existed. I am sure that the same applies to every other karate style out there. One advantage of a forum like MT is that you can explore some of those things with others. Where that comes unstuck is when a closed minded person who had little understanding steps in as an expert and destroys the whole discussion.
I have learned a lot from people here. I have watched interesting videos and been able to take bits and pieces away to try for myself. Long may that continue. Where someone genuinely is an expert it is nice to be able to ask them about the technical aspects of such a technique. I know from Aikido there are no techniques that don't work. The secret is to be able to make them work for you. Sometimes that can take years of dedicated practise. Then someone comes along who did Aikido for a short time and claims definitively that such and such a technique doesn't work. So what do you do? I believe this to be a respected forum. If you allow something that is wrong to be put out there unchallenged it becomes fact. But in some cases it gets even worse when an individual continues to denigrate an entire system as worthless. That may discourage someone who may have benefitted considerably from a particular martial art from even trying it.
I don't really know the answer as so much is subjective, but I do think the mods could redirect some of these discussions before they get to the stage of being locked.