[quote]Ranzo wrote:
I would just add that your students also make a difference. It has been my experience that If I ask to much of students they will quit coming to class in favor of whatever else they like to do that makes them feel good about themselves. I would love to have a room full of people who were dedicated to becoming bigger stronger and faster. Some students think that there are some secret moves, or something, to martial arts that will make them a killer of men or something and when they find out that they have to push themselves and do things over and over they quickly drop on out or start believing in something else.
so if you see some “factories” out there or schools that have less than quality students It could be that the school is just working with what it has.[/quote]
That’s a valid point, we as humans naturally tend to gravitate towards comfort. We have to either condition ourselves or be conditioned by others to be willing to forego comfort and even embrace discomfort in the quest for physical excellence (in any physical activity).
That said, systems like TKD (generally WTF) tend to attract quite a few students, and at least from an athletic and aesthetic standpoint, these arts aren’t exactly easier than say something like Small Circle Jiu-Jitsu. What these are do well IMO is:
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mimic what most of the general public has become conditioned to perceive Martial Arts to look like (high acrobatic kicks, stylized blocks, Kiais, etc…)
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never actually put any real pressure on the students or have them test their skills against fully resisting opponents, but all the while tell them that what they are learning is a deadly fighting art capable of saving their ass in a real fight. As a result the students wind up with a seriously delusional sense of ability when it comes to actual combat.
The hard part I agree is finding people who are willing to buy into the notion of being a little uncomfortable now so you can save yourself from a whole lot of discomfort later. The old saying, “the more you sweat, the less you bleed” comes to mind here. When you have others telling them, “oh, just come learn our super secret moves and you’ll be able to defend yourself from anyone, you won’t even sweat that much in the process” it makes this convincing even harder.
That said, some of the blame has to be on the instructor as well. Again, arts like TKD just practice the same moves, Katas over and over and they don’t seem to have issues with attendance. So, I honestly don’t think repetition is the issue. Fitness facilities like CrossFit gyms are popping up all over the country and advertise very intense workouts, so it may not be the hard work either. IMO it’s most about marketing and culturally ingrained perceptions.
The hardcore people are out there, they are the minority though. The tough part IME is to be able to include enough of the intense stuff so they feel like they are getting what they want, but not so much of it that it scares away the less hardcore people. That can be a tough balancing act.