when you guys say "I've been studying for x years" do you include time off?

Question

I don't mean if you injured your back/knee/ego/left testicle and were out for a week or even a couple of months.

I mean if you weren't training for a period of years, or haven't been actively training but took say kyokoshin 6 years ago, trained in it for 3 years, do you say "ive been training for 9 years in kyokoshin?".

I'm just curious.

I met someone who said this about another style recently and when discussed further it was revealed that he actually wasn't training actively for that time (although it wasn't as drastic as 6 years and wasn't kyokoshin).

Answer 1

I do not think you should count time off as legitamate. Unless you are using it in your every day life then I do not see how you can claim that.

IMO you would have to be a teacher, student, both, on short leave, part of a system and active in its adminstrations such as testing and diploma signing.

IF you take 5 years off and do nothing and stay away from your art, then no you stop in my eyes 5 years ago. only a few use MA in their every day lives those are the rare few i would say yes to, but again i think they are rare that live, eat and crap Martial arts their whole lives.

If you put 3 years into kyokshin then thats all you are unless you stayed with it and kept with the organization actively in some way or another. Other than that than no you have just three years.

I have 31.7 years in so far and I only took little time off for injuries and stay involved with either teaching, testing, designing and marketing for the school. this i consider active still.

Here is a breakdown for me for example seeing i started at age 5 and have never stopped at 37.

I started at 5 doing TKD for 6 years, then when i moved i started Kenpo from 11-17 then i got my Shodan at 17 for the first time, they did not have children BB when I trained years ago. After that i stayed awhile but Kick Boxed from 17-20 at the same time full contact IKF. I left both at 20 for where i am now a Sandan in Shotokan from a very low lineage. I have been active with them from 20-37 taking only time off here and there for vacations and such. Even when I moved i opened a school and remained in contact. i currently do several websites for many ma schools listed online as my day time job. So thats how i got 31 years in at 37.



(Seems someone is on a thumbs down kick, i know who it is and your just jealous, grow up and stop being a child) NO ONE HERE deserved thumbs down. I sure hope YOU do not get picked. i could care less if i do. All your thumbs down so far has availed you to nada, people still vote for me and choose me. so live with it child)

Answer 2

Guys are totally clueless about women and what they really want. A guy thinks with the wrong head always. If he thought about how to make a woman happy, with the shoulder head, the other head would be taken care of without worry.

Answer 3

Not including injury and rehabilitation time, I have been practicing for 40 years now, and yes I am getting old.

Adding or changing styles is not "time off" in my book. Though, I don't think that if someone practiced TKD for 2 years, then takes 10 years off and returns that he should claim 12 years of experience. He still has only 2 years of MA experience.

Answer 4

Hi there

Firstly a reasonable question to ask. Which makes a refreshing change from the usual stuff!

The answer is no i don't. I do total up the total amount of years for the different arts i have trained in. For example 17 years in total for 10 in Karate and 7 in taijutsu and still going with only one month time out due to a serious burn out and personal belief in the reasons for training in the first place.

There are other arts that i have studied for less than 5 years that i don't count to the total because i only had kyu grades in them. I think this is an instructor thing. Instructors like to add years as it makes them look like they have more experience.

Well on paper anyway

That's my conscious clear. ;-)

Best wishes

idai

Answer 5

I include only active time.

For instance I took ryobu-kai karate for about 2 and a half years, then I had surgery which forced me to take a year off, after that i started from scratch and trained for about a year, it's about 3 and half years but I round it to 3 years.

7 years later i started kickboxing, with different trainers, this was non-stop until now (8 years so far), I also cross-trained in Muay thai since they teach it at the place I joined about 5 years ago, but I've actively trained 4 years ('til now)

That's why it's 3 years karate, 8 years kickboxing, and 4 years muay thai.

Answer 6

I have been training in Tae Kwon Do continuously for 15 years. I would not claim credit for "time off". I'm sure many people do.

Answer 7

I usually explain that I have been studying for almost 50 years then add that I spent four years in the military where we had other things to worry about.

Using your example I would say that person has 3 years of kyokoshin training, whatever that is.

Answer 8

Nope I say 13 years. I started when I was 4. Started competing at 5 and went right up until I was 14-15 fighting in nationals, and Junior Olympics/worlds. Then in highschool I wrestled along with football rugby etc... weight training too. Then I did 1-2 day sessions every 3-6 months from 21-27 of physical intervention training basically Judo,Aikido. JuJitsu for selfdefence and restraining people for my work ( I work in the shelter system in Toronto, so alot of addicts mental health patients and violence). Then I got back into Judo about a year ago... So I could say I have 30 years of training But seeing as I am 29 is that realy believable.... So unless I actually did it why lie...

But I hear ya totaly. Alot of people trained in Karate from 6-10 yo then wrestled in highschool for 2-4 years. then when they were 20 they got into JuJitsu or TKD whatever... for 2 years.. And now they want to say I have been training since I was 6 or 20 years... Or they say I have 10 years of MA trinaing... Based on that way of thinking. I could be up to 30 years by now...

Additional: I know it's hard to break it down year for year when answerin Q's on here. But to say I now train in (insert style) then go on with your answer. Then at the end say 30 years trianing in MA. You give the impression you have trained in that same style for 30 years. Mean while you are including all those 1-2 year stints where you tried something different but didn't stick with it.

Answer 9

i don't. If i did that it would make it sound like i've been training for 17 years and i'm only 24. I explain that i took Kenpo when i was 7 or 8, then when from 17-19 i took kickboxing, and then again at 22 i started up with Muay Thai/BJJ/MMA.

Answer 10

I say, 20yrs+ although Ive been with my school for over 23yrs and the reason been because I took 2yrs off in-class training time to travel abroad etc, but on saying that i still trained on my own or with people i met on my travels etc, and had about a year off from injury.