An answer to Tommy in Singapore’s question - …the best martial art for a youngster
Our Canadian friend, Howard has sent an answer to Tommy in Singapore. Tommy and his friend argue back and forth about the best martial art(s) for kinds growing up. Here’s Howard’s answer:
In my opinion the best martial art is the best martial art for you. It is like saying what is the best car, ice cream flavour, or website (hopefully for martial artists it will be www.martialartsexplorer.tv :). [EDITORS NOTE: Thanks Howard! We continue working on the project which is taking much longer than we anticipated.]
To give you some background on me,
- I did Judo in Montreal when I was in grade six, did it for one year and hated it, I was trying to use strength and was too young to understand leverage.
- Started Karate (Shorijiryu Kenkokan Karatedo) in grade nine, liked it but had a great deal of difficulty
- Three years later got my green belt and had to learn throwing forms, did ok but didn’t like it
- Four years later was a shodan candidate, and was told I had to teach throwing forms to the green belts at the university dojo. I had an odd number of students, so the odd man out when they paired up was a large bodybuilder and I had to demo with him. Using pure strength, he was able to throw me like a rag doll (I was only 130 lbs at the time), until one time I got tired of him not listening to me and when he tried to throw me again I reversed it and throw him. I will never forget the look on his face when he landed, it was a cross between utter shock and sudden enlightenment. I loved throwing forms.
- A year later I went for my shodan and passed. I loved karate and swear that I would do it the rest of my life.
- A year later I quit. We call it the “Black Belt blues”, after getting your shodan you lose a focal point ( nine out of ten shodans quit before sandan). What do you call it? or is this a phenomenon unique to us?
- I tried Aikido my last year of university, liked it but always came home exhausted. Did not pursue it after that.
- I move to Toronto
- Two years later took up tae kwon do, got into a big argument with my instructor at my yellow belt exam and quit
- Two years later started to do JKD, loved it, and did it for three years. I found out that the part I liked best was from Wing Chun.
- Quit JKD and joined Wing Chun, did this for two years.
- Met the woman of my dreams, married her, and had children.
- Quit Wing Chun
- We move to Ottawa
- Nine years later, my oldest daughter decides she wants to do Karate. I research schools in Ottawa and find out there is a dojo teaching my original style. So we decide to go there.
- I watched her classes for a year, and get bitten by the bug again, and returned to training.
- In the course of the last two year, I have come to realize that everything I was looking for, was always there in my original karate; the locks from Aikido and JKD, the principles from Wing Chun, and our Judo-like breakfalls are evolving to more like Aikido’s.
- I am now a nidan candidate and Karate is the bet martial art for me
My answer to Tommy is: you are both right
Cheers
Howard Rosenblum