About ten years ago, I took karate at the Japanese Cultural Center in Chicago. It was a great experience, and lately I've been considering getting back into martial arts.
Shopping around for schools here in the burbs, though, has been depressing. Some schools are only about advancing 'Brandon' and 'Britney' even if they stink, to make sure mommy and daddy keep shelling out bucks.
Then there's the 'tournament schools'. While I admit it takes athletic talent to do gymnastic stunts, these students are no better than show dogs jumping through hoops for applause. Some of them lack even the basic respect of wearing their uniforms properly, and who thinks putting corporate logos on the back of a uniform shows respect for the martial arts? These instructors should be ashamed of themselves; it's sad that students put so much energy into something and get none of the benefits.
The first school I actually visited was a mixed martial arts school run by a guy who came on like a used car salesman with a lemon to unload. At one point, he showed me a statue in the corner and said, "I just got that Buddha statue. Cool, huh?" Ick. I googled him later and found he had a criminal record and once belonged to a school that tied advancement to the amount of money you shelled out. Gotta be very vigilant, even in 'family-friendly Naperville'.
Yesterday, I checked out a Hapkido school and I'm encouraged. There was good energy, a great diversity of students, and the class was small. The instructor was terrific, and the work-out he put his students through looked challenging and fun. The students seemed friendly to each other, and clearly knew their stuff. I spoke to the instructor afterwards, and he suggested I come back to speak with the Master before signing up. And of course he pointed out that karate and hapkido are pretty different in their intent, which I'm fine with naturally. Even after this positive experience, I'm a bit nervous. My experiences so far really have me on my guard!
No comments:
Post a Comment