>see karate get a lot of criticism... particularly online
>no big deal; everything gets shit online
>decide that it isn't enough to just take other people's opinions as fact and that i should try karate to see and experience it for myself
>find a highly recommended dojo in my area that teaches okinawan karate
>the dojo presents itself as a place that strictly teaches non-competition, traditional okinawan karate with a focus on self defence
>perfect
>after about six months of training, i take some time off while an injury heals
>while away from training, i realise that i've just been going to each lesson and doing what i'm told without really thinking about any of it and that this is the first time i've really processed it
>i begin to realise that despite what they told me to expect, they haven't actually spent much time at all teaching me how to defend myself
>most of the time has been spent either doing complex drills with training partners, that frankly would be hard to remember how to carry out in a high-stress situation, and it's mostly being done to training partners who are sort of physically resisting, but not properly fighting back against me
>that and kata
>so much kata
>the instructors had told me that only high grades are allowed to spar
>i never had a problem with the rule itself, but in the six months or so i was there, i also never saw anybody spar. no high grade students, no instructors, nobody
>my view of karate quickly soured and i never went back after i had finished healing
Please tell me that my assessment of traditional karate is wrong. I came into this not with an open mind, but actually being a little biased in favour of karate. I wanted so badly for it to be better and more practical than what I experienced. Please tell me that I've missed some important detail, or that my assessment of it is incomplete. Because I still want there to be more to it than what I experienced, but at this stage that all just seems like wishful thinking.