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  • Advice of many experienced Martial Artists coincide in the point of "go, read, look around, ask---then decide"

  • I believe/don't believe in X. Should I train in Y

  • Some martial arts have philosophical and/or religious roots or associations, e.g. with Buddhism, Taoism, or Omotokyo.

    Thus, it is natural for people who are considering a particular art to wonder if it is compatible with their own philosophy or religion.

  • Normally it is not considered ethical for a Sensei/Sifu/Master/Teacher to try to *impose* his/her own views on his/her students

  • However, the philosophical aspects of some arts may still be present in the required training to the extent that some potential students would be offended by it.

    As with so many other aspects of martial arts, it depends on the art and even more heavily on the instructor.

    So, be sure to watch for this aspect when you visit a school that you are interested in. Have a conversation with the instructor about it, and watch how he/she interacts with his/her students.

  • Disclaimer and Copyright Notice Some answers given may reflect personal biases of the author and the martial arts FAQ listing's contributors. The answers contained herein pertain to discussions on the rec.martial-arts group, and are by no means exhaustive. The martial arts FAQ list owes its existence to the contributors on the net, and as such it belongs to the readers of rec.martial-arts. Copies may be made freely, as long as they are distributed at no charge, and the disclaimer and the copyright notice are included. -- Matthew Weigel Research Systems Programmer mcweigel+@cs.cmu.edu