RobBnTX
Orange Belt
I think I might be interested in taking a Karate class. Most recently I took some Taekwondo from Master Gregg Tubbs and it is a very good class and he is a first rate instructor/coach but having just turned 59 I may want to find something a little more balanced that don't involve all the crazy kicks.
My work situation got really crazy busy late 2015 and I have not worked out in over 2 months so that has given me some time to reevaluate what I want in a martial art.
The truth be known Gracie Jiu Jitsu really perks my interest and in August of this past year I did take a couple of trial classes and walked away a little bruised but very impressed with fitness level of the practitioners and the quality of the instruction, it was just very very expensive! I would almost have to take out a personal loan just to afford it!
I am also looking at some local Karate classes but having a hard time deciding. Two of these choices are a Wado-Ryu and Isshinryu, both arts I have always thought would be a good fit for me.
However in the Wado-Ryu class they have in my view some class rules and protocols that just seem weird to me. One is that your "obi is the essence of your training" and should never be washed and not ever touch the floor. I remember reading Rob Redman who trained in Japan for awhile and having been admonished by his Japanese instructor for having a dirty belt and that the idea that it never gets washed is not something you really find in Japan. So maybe the Wado-Ryu class is trying to out Japanese the Japanese? Another thing is that they have a belt tying ceremony in which you kneel down and do several stations where you do various stages of tying the belt!
One other thing they have that is sort of a turn off for me is that even for adults part of you belt tests are book reports! If I had more time I would not mind but I simply do not have that sort of time with my current job. They also require that you work on your belt requirements outside of regular class time and it is up to you find an upper belt level student to help you work on those requirements.
They also are very expensive unless you do a "commitment" and the longer the commitment the lower the monthly price gets. To me that is a big red flag.
The other option is the Isshinryu school which last year I did 3 or 4 trial classes with them. They are a branch dojo of their hombu and you only get promoted when you attend their 3 times per year shiais and last year those usually coincided with weekends that I was working. In Taekwondo I usually end the class drenched in sweat after a very cardio workout. After my workouts in the Isshinryu class I barely even broke a sweat! They are very affordable though. One other turn off is that the class is both adults and children although I have to admit they do a good job of separating them during the instructions and drills.
Their Isshinryu classes are Mon, Thurs. and Saturdays. The Monday and Thursday classes are at
7 PM and usually I would not be able to make most of those on Mondays although Thursdays usually would not be a problem.
The Wado-Ryu class however is Mon-Thurs so I would have more options during the week to attend class. The Wado-ryu class is a first rate dojo with a floor imported from Japan that has springs built in under the wooden floor slats and they have shower facilities.
So am I being too picky? Should I just get my gi on, suck it up and hit the dojo floor and simply train? I am undecided.
One last option is Shotokan Karate but I have never thought Shotokan is as good a fit for me as the previous two options. Don't ask me why, I just don't. I have trained with Sensei Brad Webb before and his class is very affordable and within a 30 minute drive of my house. The class meets in a rec center and they train on a tiled concrete floor which is not exactly real kind to my aging joints but that alone is not enough to deter me, it is that Shotokan is very rigid and demanding and I think I would prefer to find something a little more fluid. Still my common sense and pocket book tells me that should be my #1 choice.
Oh yeah one other choice is Judo which I have never done in the past but really intrigues me. However everyone keeps telling me that at my age I would be better off doing BJJ instead as Judo can be brutal on us older folks. I think a trial lesson may be in order though so I can find out on my own whether it would be for me or not. The thing is though I want something I can still be doing at 80 and I don't think BJJ and Judo is something you can do forever, especially on your own as you need training partners and I can do Karate katas on my own as long as I can walk on my own two feet.
I should also mention that I have trained in EBMAS Win Chun but never felt at home in it. Maybe I did not give it enough time but the concepts just seemed strange and I never understood them but it is a fluid martial art and that something I am seeking.
Karate Classes in Plano - Plano Kids Karate - Plano Adult Karate - Martial Arts in Plano - Self Defense - Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai
Welcome to Academy of Classical Karate-do
Judo at Eastside Dojo in Plano | Martial Arts | Tae Kwon Do | Karate Texas
Thank you for any input,
Robert
My work situation got really crazy busy late 2015 and I have not worked out in over 2 months so that has given me some time to reevaluate what I want in a martial art.
The truth be known Gracie Jiu Jitsu really perks my interest and in August of this past year I did take a couple of trial classes and walked away a little bruised but very impressed with fitness level of the practitioners and the quality of the instruction, it was just very very expensive! I would almost have to take out a personal loan just to afford it!
I am also looking at some local Karate classes but having a hard time deciding. Two of these choices are a Wado-Ryu and Isshinryu, both arts I have always thought would be a good fit for me.
However in the Wado-Ryu class they have in my view some class rules and protocols that just seem weird to me. One is that your "obi is the essence of your training" and should never be washed and not ever touch the floor. I remember reading Rob Redman who trained in Japan for awhile and having been admonished by his Japanese instructor for having a dirty belt and that the idea that it never gets washed is not something you really find in Japan. So maybe the Wado-Ryu class is trying to out Japanese the Japanese? Another thing is that they have a belt tying ceremony in which you kneel down and do several stations where you do various stages of tying the belt!
One other thing they have that is sort of a turn off for me is that even for adults part of you belt tests are book reports! If I had more time I would not mind but I simply do not have that sort of time with my current job. They also require that you work on your belt requirements outside of regular class time and it is up to you find an upper belt level student to help you work on those requirements.
They also are very expensive unless you do a "commitment" and the longer the commitment the lower the monthly price gets. To me that is a big red flag.
The other option is the Isshinryu school which last year I did 3 or 4 trial classes with them. They are a branch dojo of their hombu and you only get promoted when you attend their 3 times per year shiais and last year those usually coincided with weekends that I was working. In Taekwondo I usually end the class drenched in sweat after a very cardio workout. After my workouts in the Isshinryu class I barely even broke a sweat! They are very affordable though. One other turn off is that the class is both adults and children although I have to admit they do a good job of separating them during the instructions and drills.
Their Isshinryu classes are Mon, Thurs. and Saturdays. The Monday and Thursday classes are at
7 PM and usually I would not be able to make most of those on Mondays although Thursdays usually would not be a problem.
The Wado-Ryu class however is Mon-Thurs so I would have more options during the week to attend class. The Wado-ryu class is a first rate dojo with a floor imported from Japan that has springs built in under the wooden floor slats and they have shower facilities.
So am I being too picky? Should I just get my gi on, suck it up and hit the dojo floor and simply train? I am undecided.
One last option is Shotokan Karate but I have never thought Shotokan is as good a fit for me as the previous two options. Don't ask me why, I just don't. I have trained with Sensei Brad Webb before and his class is very affordable and within a 30 minute drive of my house. The class meets in a rec center and they train on a tiled concrete floor which is not exactly real kind to my aging joints but that alone is not enough to deter me, it is that Shotokan is very rigid and demanding and I think I would prefer to find something a little more fluid. Still my common sense and pocket book tells me that should be my #1 choice.
Oh yeah one other choice is Judo which I have never done in the past but really intrigues me. However everyone keeps telling me that at my age I would be better off doing BJJ instead as Judo can be brutal on us older folks. I think a trial lesson may be in order though so I can find out on my own whether it would be for me or not. The thing is though I want something I can still be doing at 80 and I don't think BJJ and Judo is something you can do forever, especially on your own as you need training partners and I can do Karate katas on my own as long as I can walk on my own two feet.
I should also mention that I have trained in EBMAS Win Chun but never felt at home in it. Maybe I did not give it enough time but the concepts just seemed strange and I never understood them but it is a fluid martial art and that something I am seeking.
Karate Classes in Plano - Plano Kids Karate - Plano Adult Karate - Martial Arts in Plano - Self Defense - Texas Isshinryu Karate Kai
Welcome to Academy of Classical Karate-do
Judo at Eastside Dojo in Plano | Martial Arts | Tae Kwon Do | Karate Texas
Thank you for any input,
Robert
