Dear Sensei Carter:

I liken “martial arts” training to physician training.

At some point, the physician in training chooses a specialty…cardiology, general surgery, neurology, whatever. He or she has a general introductory education but then applies his/her talents and focus into a specialty that resonates with him/her.

Same with martial arts, and if one’s preference is the sporting aspect of martial arts, or the “self-improvement” aspect, or the “I want to avoid and survive real-life violent encounters,” well, as you point out (paraphrasing here) “You’re not going to become a cardiologist by studying neurology.”

Yeah, a punch is a punch in the same way that a scalpel is a scalpel, but the tool is used in different circumstances, in different ways, to achieve different outcomes.

Thanks again for providing interesting food for thought.