"Wado is boring"

[majin29]

Before anyone pounces on me like a cat on a mouse, I want to say that I did not utter this quote. The other day I was shopping for a new karate gi (looks like I'm going with a 10oz brushed cotton Century gi BTW) and the store owner mentioned that they had studied Wado as well as Shotokan and Goju. I mentioned I was doing Wado and they asked what dojo. Fine, no problem. Then, I innocently ask what the store owner's personal preference of style was. She said Goju or Shotokan. Seeing the omission of Wado I asked why and they said they found it boring. The also revealed that they had already reached Shodan level in Shotokan by the time they began Wado. While I would never vilify nor look down on anyone's personal opinion, I thought it was rather odd that this person mention Wado in this manner when it had already been established that I'm currently taking it.

Personally, I thought Goju was not effective for my tastes and that the curriculum was largely made up of exercises rather than core techniques and drills which is why I left it. Different strokes I guess. But "boring" is the furthest adjective I would ascribe to Wado.

Oh, here's the kicker- this person said, and with some pride, that they had studied under Shintani. Things began to make a little more sense then.....

[wadoka]

I wondered how this thread was going to start off thinking by my email alert it was going to be a troll.

I can imagine it being boring to be honest. Everyone keeps on saying the same thing.

[Tim49]

Before anyone pounces on me like a cat on a mouse, I want to say that I did not utter this quote. The other day I was shopping for a new karate gi (looks like I'm going with a 10oz brushed cotton Century gi BTW) and the store owner mentioned that they had studied Wado as well as Shotokan and Goju. I mentioned I was doing Wado and they asked what dojo. Fine, no problem. Then, I innocently ask what the store owner's personal preference of style was. She said Goju or Shotokan. Seeing the omission of Wado I asked why and they said they found it boring. The also revealed that they had already reached Shodan level in Shotokan by the time they began Wado. While I would never vilify nor look down on anyone's personal opinion, I thought it was rather odd that this person mention Wado in this manner when it had already been established that I'm currently taking it.

Personally, I thought Goju was not effective for my tastes and that the curriculum was largely made up of exercises rather than core techniques and drills which is why I left it. Different strokes I guess. But "boring" is the furthest adjective I would ascribe to Wado.

Oh, here's the kicker- this person said, and with some pride, that they had studied under Shintani. Things began to make a little more sense then.....

Maybe the guy had a low concentration span. Maybe he expects to be ‘entertained’ throughout his karate classes. Maybe the guy has no capacity for learning or no will power to stick at things. Maybe his cup run-eth over before he even stepped through the door. Maybe he just didn’t like what he saw in a Shintani based Dojo and tarred all Wado with the same brush, maybe he made an assumption that the Shintani stuff is the yardstick by which all Wado is measured.

Could be these and many more. He’s just a guy, who works in a shop. What else can you say.

Now if he were a London cabbie or the Archbishop of Canterbury I’d listen to him! (btw, both of these have the same level of credibility).

Tim

[majin29]

Actually it was a woman. I was honestly taken aback. I don't think I'd said anything ill of any other style of karate to warrant that comment or else she has a very dry sense of humor or something. She actually knows my sensei's brother (he also trained in Goju Ryu) but I'm still not getting the whole "boring" thing. Believe me, I sometimes have a short attention span but nothing I've learned thus far has done anything but make me want to learn more!

I think my personal 20 odd year journey of martial arts has led me to understanding that everyone comes to it for different reasons and each person is entitled to their own level of commitment and intensity. I'm enjoying my journey in Wado far more than any other martial art I've taken because it IS so meticulous, so focussed on detail and there's the whole interaction thing. Not one class has gone by without doing sanbon or sparring. I cannot imagine this is boring personally speaking. I found Goju a little boring since a lot of it entailed doing exercises that beat the heck out of me....to me that's not karate and that's something I can do away from the dojo. But once again, different opinions....

[oneya]

they said they found it boring. ...... this person said, and with some pride, that they had studied under Shintani. .

But how would she know if she had never actually practiced Wado ?? It's the 'appearances and realities' again and how it is easy to confuse the two.

oneya

[majin29]

they said they found it boring. ...... this person said, and with some pride, that they had studied under Shintani. .

But how would she know if she had never actually practiced Wado ?? It's the 'appearances and realities' again and how it is easy to confuse the two.

oneya

Exactly!

[Wado heretic]

She probably had valid reasons for finding her own experiance with Wado Ryu boring. Seems like she didn't stick it long enough to find the real differences between it and Shotokan to find it enjoyable. I'd not take her calling it boring as anything serious or substantial Majin, just a personal remark of hers as to why she doesn't practice it, a poorly timed one considering the context but a purely subjective one at that.

At first I found Wado Ryu boring having come from a Kenpo, kick boxing and Judo back ground. Then I was introduced to the Ohyo and Kihon Kumite and it all changed, I then realised how everything else was actually different from what I'd done before and so that is the point Wado became fun for me. So for me, it was a case that I thought I was doing the same kihon I had done before and assumed it was until I was shown something that disproved that kind of thinking.

I must ask; who is this Shintani?

[majin29]

Oh for sure. I understand. She's entitled to her opinion as we all are. But if I knew someone was training under something they really enjoy, I wouldn't rain on their proverbial parade.

[claas]

I have heard similar stuff sometimes. It seems the ones who think like this do not know enough Wado and decide to make some kind of mixture of different approaches. Then Wado is only for grading to them. (Strange...) Most of the times their teachers suck too, Wadowise of course. So they see a few fingers pointing at the moon, a few that point somewhere else and then they think they can say something about the moon.

I have to admit that sometimes they have good technique in something else. I do not mind the mixing but I think there is a label problem if something is called Wado and it isn't. Also mocking any art and saying another is cool gives the signal that the mocker is also looking at the cooler art very superficially.

[oneya]

I often find: Many people who have nothing to say, often say it.

oneya