A constant of martial arts has always been new styles popping up all the time. For as long as there have been organized fighting systems there have been people putting there own unique spin on them. Every martial art was of course created by someone and often they had rather short time in the arts. Take, for example, an upstart 22 year old who studied martial arts for only 6 years before creating his own art and later took the rank of 12th Dan, he called his art Judo. However, it seems that in perhaps the first time in history the creation of new martial arts is widely shunned.It isn’t really that hard to understand why; today it seems that people want to study for only a couple years and then create a new art declaring themselves 10th degree grandmasters. This happens all the time. In fact, I recently watched part of a taped martial arts seminar where high ranking martial artists were encouraged to come and share their knowledge and I saw a few even have the words “Grandmaster” printed on the back of their uniform.There is a push-back in the martial arts against people creating new martial arts and if you really boil it down I think it is an argument for quality. There are a lot of actual masters out there that you could spend the rest of your life learning from and still find they have more to teach. In the rush to put out new styles people often don’t uncover the depth of knowledge already available in the martial arts.If you ask a lot of long time martial art instructors if they think it is OK to create your own art most will say “no.” They will say that you should find great instructors and study what is already out there because there are lifetimes worth of information already in the arts. I certainly agree with this logic but I don’t agree with it not being “OK” to create a new art. For me it is a matter of time spent in study.When I was kid I found that I didn’t really care for people my own age. Kids my own age seemed reckless and, well… stupid. After observing people for a few years I came up with the theory that anyone under age 20 was, more or less, stupid. People in their 20′s I believed to be naive and it wasn’t until a person turned 30 that I thought they had spent enough time on the Earth to begin to really get things down. I still hold this belief to a large degree.Growing up almost all my friends were over 40. It was those people that I thought I could really learn from. When it came time to learn martial arts I looked at it the same way. I was lucky to find a great and very knowledge instructor who had been in the arts for over 40 years. He introduced me to people who had 35 to 50 years in the martial arts and I took the time to learn all I could from their wealth of information.One thing I noticed from these men is that they didn’t look so much as a person’s rank as they did time in the arts. I found that “old timers” considered anyone with less than 20 years of active study in the martial arts to be a beginner. I knew some 6th degrees with less than 20 years in and it seemed weird to think of them as beginners.Their reasoning is that it took about 20 years to learn the basics, get your technique down, get a higher rank, spend some time teaching, promote a few people to upper black belt, get some experience with other styles and points of view, and see some fads come and go to really get a grasp on how things worked. I took their word for it then but now that I have 25 years in I think that they’re right. After 25 years when I see someone put on a black belt after only 3 or 4 years of study and think that they are an “expert” or that they’re ready to teach I have to laugh. I want to tousle their hair and say, “go get ‘em slugger” as I send them in to teach a couple colored belts they’re new techniques.In this world where everyone wants something right now, no one seems to have an patience, and most people only study the arts for a couple of years, I find that as I look for my peers I look at rank less and less and instead look for people who have been in it as long or longer than me Looking at it this way new arts are inevitable.For someone who has been in the arts for 6 or 7 years and has maybe a 1st or 2nd degree in one or two styles they probably have the ability to rearrange the techniques they have been taught to look like a new art but they don’t have the depth of understanding for it to actually be a new art. But what about after 15 years of serious study? After 15 years of study they surely have their own spin that they put on their material. They’ve taken their instructor’s teachings and adjusted them to their personal body type and ability and added a few things that they picked up along the way from fellow martial artists.What about after 25 or 30 years of serious study? What about after 40? After that amount of time you have two kinds of people: those that have devoted the entire time to only one or two arts and have put their own spin on their instructors teachings and have created their own unique version of their art, and you have people who have studied several arts over the course of that time. If you look at the way someone who has spent that amount of time studying numerous arts trains during their private workouts you will find a new martial art unique to their personal experiences, abilities, and tastes.My principal instructor, who I learned with from beginning at age 8, just called what he taught me “Kenpo.” It wasn’t until I was much older and started asking specific questions that I learned that what he was teaching me wasn’t one art but a mixture of everything he had learned over the 40 years of studying the martial arts. He told me that “this” was from Okinawan Karate which he had studied as a teenager, and “that” was from the Dragon or Cobra styles he had learned while in Taiwan, “that thing there” was from “Iron Palm,” and “this other thing here” was from a style called “Choy Li Ho Fut Hung” that he learned from this master out in California that had a fondness for Hawaiian shirts. He called what he did Kenpo because after 40 years when he looked at the breadth of knowledge he had some of it was from the Japanese/Okinawan systems and some of it was from the Chinese systems. He didn’t call himself Grandmaster or have a fancy title but he did teach a martial art that was uniquely his own.So yes, I think it is just fine to create an art but I don’t think that that should be your goal because if it is then it is probably simply self-serving. Instead I think you should study the martial arts in earnest and after 30 years or so you will have built a new art out of your experience and it will have happened by itself out of the simple wanting to learn more and get better each and every day.
Is It Ok To Create A New Martial Art?
Importance Of Integrated Technology In The Classrooms
In a world of constantly changing technology, educators are working to bring that technology to students. Textbooks are just not able to keep up with technological advances. Teachers are able to help prepare their students for technology and information they will encounter in life after they finish school by using integrated technology in the classrooms.Technology gives students learning opportunities they would not have otherwise. Through technology teachers are often able to motivate students and give them a new perspective. In addition, technology allows students to interact with other students throughout the world. This can take students on a virtual field trip as they are able to see and participate in activities electronically.One common challenge in traditional classrooms is helping each student to learn at his own pace. With integrated technology in the classrooms, however, teachers are finding ways to accommodate each student. Software and online programs allow teachers to let each student work on his or her own level. Teachers can monitor their students’ progress and help them progress as they use technology to further their knowledge.There are a variety of technology applications that can help students at school. Some schools are turning to on-line libraries which allow students to access books from their classroom desks or even from their home computers. Standardized tests are now being offered via computer. Many schools have seen a rise in reading scores as students have begun taking reading comprehension tests on their computers. Math games and programs help students get excited about math, and integrated technology in the classrooms helps students excel in science as well.More schools are using tablets for each student. Many teachers find it is easier to keep track of students’ progress as they use these tablets in their teaching. As students finish their assignments and tests on the tablets, teachers are immediately given the scores and feedback on what the students need more help with. Many students find this more interactive approach to their learning to be more fun than traditional teaching methods.Changing technology also requires that teachers keep up with advancements so they can best help their students stay current with the technology. Many school districts offer training programs to help teachers continue their technology education. Collaborating with other educators also helps teachers come up with new ideas for using technology in their classes.Integrated technology in the classrooms is becoming more important in education. As teachers and students continue to learn together and keep up on technological advancements, teachers will be able to better motivate students and elevate their learning potential.
For Worry-Free Travel, Travel Agents Is the Solution
There are a plethora of full service travel agents who prepare the itinerary of the traveler from researching, planning to purchasing an entire trip to ‘Discover India’. The tour packages are at a discounted or subsidized rate due to channel partners that comprises of economic luxurious hotels, airlines, railways, transporters so on and so forth. Almost all of the travel agents cater to the needs of one and all – from single men & women, to families and clubs going on vacation or a weekend getaway at short notice, whatever the need the travel agents are ever ready to ensure that their clients are satisfied.Most of the travel agents in Kolkata have expert tour operators on board who are capable of understanding the subtle nuances of the travel industry and therefore personal attention is given and most of them can speak English fluently. Intending travelers are able to access directly an assortment of travel packages which are affordable for middle class families who might be planning a trip to India.By virtue of researching continually on travel destinations in India that are safe and secure, travel agents have been offering travel packages that are economical so as to ensure that sufficient funds are available for travelers to perhaps buy gifts for their loved ones as well. Almost all travel agents offer value added services, bus and car rental for example, train and air tickets, hotel booking and other ancillary tour and travel services at competitive rates.Travel agencies in India are professionally managed and particularly so for foreign tourists be it groups or individuals. Travel packages are priced in a way so as to fit any budget that any traveler would be able to avail. Travel agency as a business grows exponentially because of the dedication of the team of tour and travel agents. All travel agencies have channel partners throughout India and the IT infrastructure of the agencies have been upgraded to offer further benefits in the days ahead. The reason behind the enhancement of the infrastructure is to make sure that the service that they are offering is one-of-a-kind. It’s no wonder that hordes of foreign tourists revisit India as they are delighted by the services provided by the travel agencies which by their own admission is absolutely phenomenal.India is a land where the dichotomy of rags and riches is omnipresent and often can be seen alongside each other. It is a testament of the social and economic inequalities and divisions. Nonetheless it is a land that is worth exploring as it offers variety of breath-taking and idyllic scenic beauty in every nook and cranny. From the snow-capped mountain ranges of the Himalayas with their peaks so high up in the sky that it would appear they have gone beyond scraping the sky and are reaching for the heavens. To Rishikesh on the river Ganges in northern India is an ideal locale for white water rafting.Goa is a much sought after destination as well for those looking to bask under the sun and have a suntan or are enthusiastic about all night long beach party under the moonlight and the starlit sky along with entertainment by the best music bands. Kerala is also a suitable locale for river cruises on the natural backwaters in the midst of coconut palms that seem to whisper, the beaches full of white sand, herds of elephants, and lush greenery everywhere that seem to seduce as they pass by on lazy sunny afternoons.A ride of a lifetime on the Palace on Wheels perhaps would indeed prove to be a dream come true as the scenery of Rajasthan would enthrall anyone. After being mesmerized by the breath-taking and amazing natural beauty of Rajasthan one would have to head back to Delhi to visit Agra and the Taj Mahal in particular which must be seen if one is in Agra besides the Agra Fort. One could relish the idyllic beauty of the “queen of hills” Ooty, or have soul-searching and spiritual experience at Haridwar and Rishikesh. Last but not the least, the Royal Bengal Tiger, the pride and joy of West Bengal can be seen in the wild at the world’s largest Tiger Reserve.For travel without any worries it is advisable therefore that all travel requirements be fulfilled by reputed travel agents. The travel agents are ever so eager and willing to cater to the myriad needs of travelers who find it extremely convenient to be able to have an agent take care of everything that is necessary to ensure that a traveler does not have to worry about anything whatsoever.