What
makes a style "traditional?" How long does a style have to exist and
be passed down to be called such? When someone branches off of a larger
organization and begins their own, similar organization, are they still traditional?
Why should or shouldn't this matter?
Erich
C. Shoemaker
I guess I’d argue that none of it really matters and that the word
“traditional” really cropped up as a means to differentiate the school/style
from the more prevalent and modern “sport karate”.
Russ
Smith
The word "traditional" is so subjective and fluid as to be nearly
useless.
I come "from a tradition", but I teach what and how I teach.
I try to be explicit about where I learned each bit, but that becomes difficult
over time unless you take very good notes.
Robert
Belisle
Traditional martial arts came from a need to defend yourself, therefore
traditional martial arts are focussed on this aspect, regardless of whether the
art is 100 years old or 30 years old - while non traditional is more likely
focused on the sport aspect; rules , points, etc . IMHO
Andy
Sloane
In Okinawa, to be recognized as a traditional style, it has to survive 3-4
generations.
Victor
Donald Smith
The meaning of traditional is very slippery depending
on the context in which it is used. Personally I find it a descriptive of very
limited value.
More useful is I tend to view the origins of systems by the following
descriptions. They are not hard set, more general guidelines useful for
cataloging systems a bit.
There
are classical systems – those taught prior to 1920.
There are traditional systems – created between 1920 and 1950.
There are modern systems – created after 1950.
Finally any system created in the past 10 years is a contemporary system.
It helps when I use this system of characterization to cut through any
description.
All systems being taught to current students are real, regardless of when they
were created.
Real does not imply the value to be assigned to that school.
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