Wayward_Son
New member
To answer the poster's intital question:
I'm a Shotokan guy. I marked my third year in December.
After my first year, I thought to myself, "You know, I'm pretty inexperienced and new to this karate thing, but in the last year I've learned enough to be able to surprise somebody."
Another year went by, and I thought to myself, "I've gained a lot of confidence, I've learned some new skills while refining my basic techniques, and I think I'm proficient enough to defend myself if the need arises."
In December, my third year came, and I thought/think to myself, "Wow, I've learned a lot; my basics are getting better, my precision is getting good, my speed is getting good, and my focus and alertness are much improved. I'm a better fighter than I was three years ago. I need to be more careful now than before about keeping my temper in check and only acting in defense of myself or others, because if I had to I could put a serious hurt on somebody."
I am testing for my Shodan (first black belt) in June, if all goes accordingly.
And a year from now, next December, I will probably be looking back at my foolishness as a colored belt and realizing just how much I still have to learn.
The point is that you can never be too prepared. The more martial arts practice (be it karate, kung fu, judo, wrestling, boxing, or some hodgepodge of different arts) you can study, the better you will become and the more prepared you will be if that time should come. Real improvement requires consistent training. I think two days a week is the minimum. Three is good. Four, every week, is excellent. More than that is probably more than most people care to train, but for the person who can commit themselves to such a regimen great things will happen.
To think that you can take a six-month course in boxing, karate, or Brazilian ju jitsu and be "competent" is not only naive, it's foolish and can possibly get you into trouble.
So what's my point?
At this point in my training, I'm thinking that three years of consistent study is the minimum. Others will tell you different. Hell, a year ago I would have told you that two years is the minimum. Boxers or wrestlers may tell you that six months of six-days-a-week boxing or wrestling in a studio under a good instructor is enough. Aikido guys will probably tell you that five years is the minimum, and you're looking at closer to ten if you want to really learn the art to the point where you can apply the skills.
So yeah. Three years. At least!
I'm a Shotokan guy. I marked my third year in December.
After my first year, I thought to myself, "You know, I'm pretty inexperienced and new to this karate thing, but in the last year I've learned enough to be able to surprise somebody."
Another year went by, and I thought to myself, "I've gained a lot of confidence, I've learned some new skills while refining my basic techniques, and I think I'm proficient enough to defend myself if the need arises."
In December, my third year came, and I thought/think to myself, "Wow, I've learned a lot; my basics are getting better, my precision is getting good, my speed is getting good, and my focus and alertness are much improved. I'm a better fighter than I was three years ago. I need to be more careful now than before about keeping my temper in check and only acting in defense of myself or others, because if I had to I could put a serious hurt on somebody."
I am testing for my Shodan (first black belt) in June, if all goes accordingly.
And a year from now, next December, I will probably be looking back at my foolishness as a colored belt and realizing just how much I still have to learn.
The point is that you can never be too prepared. The more martial arts practice (be it karate, kung fu, judo, wrestling, boxing, or some hodgepodge of different arts) you can study, the better you will become and the more prepared you will be if that time should come. Real improvement requires consistent training. I think two days a week is the minimum. Three is good. Four, every week, is excellent. More than that is probably more than most people care to train, but for the person who can commit themselves to such a regimen great things will happen.
To think that you can take a six-month course in boxing, karate, or Brazilian ju jitsu and be "competent" is not only naive, it's foolish and can possibly get you into trouble.
So what's my point?
At this point in my training, I'm thinking that three years of consistent study is the minimum. Others will tell you different. Hell, a year ago I would have told you that two years is the minimum. Boxers or wrestlers may tell you that six months of six-days-a-week boxing or wrestling in a studio under a good instructor is enough. Aikido guys will probably tell you that five years is the minimum, and you're looking at closer to ten if you want to really learn the art to the point where you can apply the skills.
So yeah. Three years. At least!