Q: What is the best art?

A: The best art is the one you stick with and enjoy. Each art has strengths in various situations but an art is no good if you are not inclined to practice it.


Q: How do I pick a style / school?

A: Decide what it is you want to get from the practice (i.e. physical fitness, self defense, learn discipline, etc...). Visit the schools and see what they teach. Talk to the students and the instructor. Pick the school that meets your needs. If you don't really know what you want to get out of the practice, then pick the most convenient school to train at.


Q: How do I pick a style / school for my child?

A: For children there is only one answer; take them to watch classes and let them choose the school they want to train at. If you pick a school for them, there is the probability that they won't enjoy it and it will simply become a resentful chore.


Q: Why don't you teach children?

A: I don't teach children because I don't have the time. Children learn differently than adults and require much more supervision. Where adults learn, children are programmed. I have taken children as students in the past, but only with the following stipulations:

- The child must ask to train not the parent.

- The child must be able to communicate clearly why he or she wants to train.

- The child and parent must take the same class.

- The child must be mature enough to deal with the concepts of murder, rape and other forms of violence.

- The child must be able to train one on one with adults Obviously the children I have taught were in adult classes. I don't recommend this for many children.


Q: What is the difference between Spiritual Art / Competitive Art / Self Defense Art / Combat Art / Law Enforcement Art / Physical Fitness Art etc...? 

A: The development and evolution of each art is based on the needs of the founder of a system, and the needs of the students who follow.

"Martial Arts" by definition are arts practiced by the military, but in common usage, the words have other meanings.

- Military: Organization using weapons systems and standard training to develop forces to fight wars. Killing is often the best or only option given.

- Law Enforcement: Police and often other similar organizations train to subdue,control, apprehend, and avoid injuring suspects. A fight is meant to be avoided as a dangerous waste of time.

- Self Defense: Short class periods till completion, (measured in hours or days). A few specialized and efficient techniques are programmed into a student. Students are taught to recognize threats, avoid threats, overcome the fear of self defense, and then attack the attacker.

- Physical Fitness: Basic martial arts moves are incorporated into an exercise program.

- Sporting: Strict rules and point systems are incorporated into contests where martial artists can be judged on how good they are at the sport.

- Spiritual: Interaction between students and obstacles, physical, mental, and emotional are used to help practitioner gain self control and self awareness.

- Traditional: Systems which are practiced mostly for the purpose of preserving traditions.

Most martial arts use a combination of these and other methods. The main point being it is okay to practice the methods, as long as you understood and appreciate the strengths and weakness of the method. 


Q: Why don't you compete?

A: I have competed in the past. There is nothing inherently wrong with competition. Competition, and training for competition is good as long as you understand the difference between real competition and made up competition.
When I train it could be said I am preparing for the real competition of a mugger, bully, robber, etc... When people enter a ring with rules and point system, it is fake competition. 

Sporting competitions have rules for three reasons:

1. For entertainment purposes. This clearly does not help a person study true martial arts.

2. For a common syste of judging. All competitors must learn to compete by the common system the judges will use. Many techniques of many systems are symply thrown out. This does not produce the champion martial artist,only the person who learned the allowed techniques.

3. For Safety. Martial artist are not allowed to use the most effective techniques because they are too dangerous. The person who spends his time learning the less effective, but allowed, moves will defeat the more dangereous person in the ring. "Martial arts" competitions should be regarded the same as other sporting events; exciting, difficult, entertaining, but not martial arts.