Martial arts in college?

Question

is martial arts thought by the college good as the martial arts thought in a dojo?

Answer 1

Sometimes they can be just as good as taught in a dojo. Sometimes worse.  It depends on the teacher.

I took TKD in college for a P.E. course.Practicing punches and kicks wasn't as good as when I was taking martial arts at a dojo -- but that was mainly because I had become used to hitting targets (such as focus mitts or kicking shields) instead of practicing strikes in the air.  

The basic kicks I didn't have trouble with, but the spinning kicks were a bit harder without targets to hit--plus the fact that they had different names for them than what I was used to (because I'd previously been taking Shotokan karate).

However, the self-defense part of the class was cool -- I was able to learn the Hapkido style escapes and arm-locks very easily.

Anyway, that's just MY experience with learning martial arts in both a dojo and then in college --other people's experiences may be different. As I said, it depends on the teacher.

Answer 2

Like all MA schools this depends on the instructor.

Answer 3

It depends, but sounds like a great way to stay in shape while in school. Have fun.

Answer 4

With all the Mc.dojos out there martial arts through a college is becoming a fairly safe option, at least then they have to go through some sort of screening by the university.

Answer 5

It depends on the school.  As a general rule, the more selective a school is, the better the quality of its instruction.  In places like M.I.T. for instance, they probably has instructors with 5th degree blacks belts and 20 years of experience or more.  At your run of the mill state college or university it will be probably be some pot-bellied white guy who was a champ in their youth, but overtraining, and overdoing it, led to an injury which kept them out of fitness and then they just deteriorated from there, but they still know the martial art.  It really is dependent on the individual school, but generally, the more selective your school is, the better the quality of its instruction.  Even with its intramurals, a martial arts team that frequently gets worked looks bad on the school you know, even in the smallest things they have a reputation to uphold.  It can be worse, or better, it depends.

Hope that helps.

Answer 6

At college you are better off joining a "college club" rather than taking a PE course for credit.