Back to the martial arts stuff

Hey folks,
I am sorry for my last few posts. I have been a little overwhelmed at all of work that goes into a new business. I have gotten off track a little bit, and would like to return to martial arts topics if I may :)

So here we are in 2005( 2k5 for all you cool folks) and it seems that the martial arts world is still floundering. NOT in the business sense of the word. There are more schools/mcdojos/baby-sitters popping up than ever before. Most seem to be in for the easy buck. They sell Black Belt Programs, take children from 3 years old, and have just seemed to generally ignore the tenets of traditional martial arts.

I am not going to scream at you guys, but just look around you. We live in a world where martial arts teachers are taking time in martial arts classes to read kids stories about martial arts. Ummmm....okay. But when do you train? I am seeing classes where children are being promoted to the next belt, and they cannot even tie their belts properly. Does anyone have a problem with this besides me?

I can understand that a parent does not want me transforming their kids into killing machines. I really do understand that. Truth is that likely as not, little Johnny 6-year old would be defending himself from another 6 or 7-year old. So eye-gouging techniques and throat grabs are NOT in the kids curiculuum. That only makes sense. But to see kids that are up 2 or 3 belts and cannot properly execute their basic movements is just sad. I implore all of you teachers out there, and the parents of martial arts students out there" Let's keep it real. Parents, know EXACTLY what the programs include, and how they will benefit your child. Teachers, let us not forget our roots. Make sure that your kids have crisp, sharp movements. Make sure that their gis are clean and pressed. Make sure that they come in focused to work out, and stay focused throughout the entire class. We owe it to them, don't we?