tkdnick:
Oh I definitely think you ought to check them out before you agree to sign the contract. Not only is it important to get someone who won’t phinagel (sp?) you, but also that you get someone compatible with you.
Yeah, I think we got hung up on the word “charlatan”, which upon further reflection was a bad word choice on my part. Charlatan denotes a complete fake. I agree that it almost never happens that you will run into someone with little or no experience passing himself off as a master.
What may happen more often is you get someone less-than-advertised. In one case when I was on the East Coast, one black-belt student got in a row with the
shihan and formed his own very lame dojo. When I was in the mid-west, another student did something similar AND ran off with the shihan’s intellectual property. I’m not saying you need to start an inquisition committee, but a few well-placed phones can help get a clear picture of the local scene.
I think it is less a problem with the more popular arts (karate, judo, Tae kwan do, etc) because there are national associations with good guidelines and resources. I would be much more inquisitive with the more esoteric arts like kenjutsu or iajutusu (sword fencing with an eye toward mortal combat rather than sport).
Most dojo’s make you sign a waiver against injury. Since almost all martial arts involve risk, you want make sure before you sign your rights away that you are with someone concerned for your safety rather than someone just because he is a star hot dog.
So, back to the original post. Martial arts are not intrinsicly opposed to Catholic teaching. Just keep your eyes open and use common sense.
Scott
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