Very interesting and highly informative. I particularly love the way you connect kung fu and martial arts to British history, social commentary and cultural issues.
Hi Tim, just came across your subsack posts and enjoyed this one. I became aware of karate in the mid-70's as my dad took it up in the 'boom' but I didnt start until the mid-1980's. I suppose because of that, I dont cringe at the sound of 'Kung Fu Fighting' and it's intro always amuses me when I hear it.
Some time ago, I used it as my choice for karaoke song at a party Shingo Ohgami hosted at his house during a weekend seminar he'd arranged with Arakawa Toru sensei. Arakawa sensei seemed quite amused with my attempt at it, if a little less impressed by my singing!
As for the karate boom, the club I started in was one of the original UKKF clubs. My instructors told me that when the kung fu boom happened, they simply shut the doors to new members once they had 30 students and started a waiting list. I never thought I would have a waiting list until post-Covid, we reached the heady-heights of 15 members in the club and I actually had to use a waiting list for a few months. Apart from space limitations, I found it was too difficult to teach that many people - it got in the way of my main objective which is my own training. I know it's off topic, but I find having 10 - 12 members is optimal - covers the rent, gives enough variety to kumite practice and almost manageable to balance teaching with getting some training in for myself too.
Hi Ben, thanks for the comment. Dave Allsop also had a waiting list at the Mansfield Dojo, it was a never ending conveyor belt of people coming through. But it also produced a great social vibe, I should have mentioned that.
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Interesting perspective and I felt a few chimes with the past there myself. I remember the Kung Fu boom [I loathed 'Kung Fu Fighting' too but I loved the movies]. I seem to remember it gave rise to a certain sort of student, even in the eighties, who would ask, in the second or maybe even first lesson, 'when do we stop this boring stuff and learn flying kicks?' And that clip from All The Kings Horses; wow.
Very interesting and highly informative. I particularly love the way you connect kung fu and martial arts to British history, social commentary and cultural issues.
Hi Tim, just came across your subsack posts and enjoyed this one. I became aware of karate in the mid-70's as my dad took it up in the 'boom' but I didnt start until the mid-1980's. I suppose because of that, I dont cringe at the sound of 'Kung Fu Fighting' and it's intro always amuses me when I hear it.
Some time ago, I used it as my choice for karaoke song at a party Shingo Ohgami hosted at his house during a weekend seminar he'd arranged with Arakawa Toru sensei. Arakawa sensei seemed quite amused with my attempt at it, if a little less impressed by my singing!
As for the karate boom, the club I started in was one of the original UKKF clubs. My instructors told me that when the kung fu boom happened, they simply shut the doors to new members once they had 30 students and started a waiting list. I never thought I would have a waiting list until post-Covid, we reached the heady-heights of 15 members in the club and I actually had to use a waiting list for a few months. Apart from space limitations, I found it was too difficult to teach that many people - it got in the way of my main objective which is my own training. I know it's off topic, but I find having 10 - 12 members is optimal - covers the rent, gives enough variety to kumite practice and almost manageable to balance teaching with getting some training in for myself too.
Hi Ben, thanks for the comment. Dave Allsop also had a waiting list at the Mansfield Dojo, it was a never ending conveyor belt of people coming through. But it also produced a great social vibe, I should have mentioned that.
If you feel inclined, please subscribe, that way new posts come straight into your inbox every Tuesday.
Tim
Interesting perspective and I felt a few chimes with the past there myself. I remember the Kung Fu boom [I loathed 'Kung Fu Fighting' too but I loved the movies]. I seem to remember it gave rise to a certain sort of student, even in the eighties, who would ask, in the second or maybe even first lesson, 'when do we stop this boring stuff and learn flying kicks?' And that clip from All The Kings Horses; wow.
It was certainly a bizarre phenomenon. I am sure there is more to be written on this them, but maybe not by me.