Question 081: Changing Schools

I just started Taekwondo a few months ago. Due to schedule constraints, I find myself looking at the possibility of changing schools in order to be able to continue studying martial arts. The school I would move to is not a TKD school. It is a Karate school that teaches a blended art that is influenced by TKD, Okinawan Karate, Jujitsu, Judo and Boxing. It is a difficult decision since I have already developed a strong bond with my current dojang and instructor.

Reply

Changing martial art schools is similar to changing jobs or churches. It is a tough thing to do, especially when you are not changing because you are displeased with the school or the instructor, but out of necessity. Since you like your present instructor, he or she must be doing things in a way that pleases you; so now you know what to look for in a new school and instructor.

I am a traditionalist, so I favor traditional martial arts. I believe that, for a martial art to be a martial art, it must first be “martial” fighting system and then that it must maintain its “art” aspects. The term “martial arts” has become a generic term for any type of physical endeavor that involves punching, kicking, or grappling. Modern Taekwondo has evolved until it is now merely a sport. Sport Taekwondo is to traditional Taekwondo as flag football is to football; it claims to be similar to the real thing, but when a player faces the real thing, it is very painful.

Karate is following the same sport path as has Taekwondo, but there are still many traditional karate schools around. A school may teach more than one martial art, but a blended martial art is just that; it is nothing in particular, just a mixture of many things. A blended martial art claims to use the best of each art, but instead, it loses the true meaning of each art. Football, basketball, and baseball all have teams that throw a ball, but no one tries to take their best aspects and blend them into another game.

Good luck in finding a new school. Since you have not been in the martial arts very long, you will not have much of a problem fitting into any new art or school. Just choose the art, instructor, and organization carefully. If you stay in the martial arts for years, you will be committing a lot to time, effort, and money to the endeavor, so, if at some point you become displeased with your art or instructor, changing will be an even more difficult decision. Choosing a martial art and instructor, are similar to choosing a spouse—you had better make a good choice for you will be together a lot for many years.