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Many small, nonprofit clubs exist—however, they need space to train, and that space must be rented. This produces a dilemma for instructors who must ensure that there will be enough students so that the karate club can afford to pay the rent. Since money becomes a consideration, it is necessary to keep students. Many would quit if exposed to old-style training methods which, although preserving the true tradition of Zen martial arts, place little value on retaining large numbers of students. This problem was recognized by Japanese instructors who attempted to teach Westerners in Japan after World War II and by the karate instructors who came here in the early 1960s.

Training in those years was somewhat different from that of the present day. American students who trained with Japanese instructors in the 1960s knew better than to ask for explanations. They would either receive a Zen-type reply or a crack over the head with the kendo shinai. This left them with the choice of quitting practice or continuing to train while seeking the answers for themselves. Many quit. By the end of the 1960s, it had become apparent that authentic Japanese karate was not expanding greatly, so some changes in training methods were made. More verbal explanations were given for techniques, and students were able to get answers to questions readily, without practicing for years. This change, of course, was not in keeping with tradition. The question then, is whether the new style of training is superior or inferior to the old. In all likelihood, the end results will be the same; the main difference is that more people will remain in karate training, and the number of Zen-type trainees will continue to grow. The answer to the question, then, is that today’s training is not better or worse, just different. If the goal of karate training is to develop self-discipline and self-control in people, then it is necessary to keep students in training in order to accomplish the task. Making training harder and less understandable will not achieve that goal.