# Collocating the martial arts **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478 "2010-06-09T00:14:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/1 "2010-06-09T00:14:49Z")
A collocation is a pair of words that “usually” go together, like “play soccer,” “do laundry,” “go skiing,” etc. without a set rule. What verb would you use with: karate judo kung fu kendo Japanese people I have spoken with think it should be “play” because to them, it’s a sport (like playing basketball.) My knee jerk reaction is that it should be “do” since you are doing a specific task (do the dishes, do laundry.) However, “go” might also qualify, since you are going to a particular location to do these things. “I am doing tai chi” sounds ok, but “doing judo” does not. Imho, in the west, the martial arts are a class, so should it be “study,” as in “I am studying karate?” ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/2 "2010-06-09T00:21:21Z")
Practice is what sounds right to me, although it’s slightly pretentious. I guess Study is closest out of your choices. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/3 "2010-06-09T00:31:08Z")
\*I should kick you in the nads for forgetting…\ ***practice**. It nicely covers both the learning and the doing. **Study** sounds too formal and is not usually applied to physical activity. **Do** seems to ignore the ongoing training. **Play** implies “for fun” only, belying the (potentially serious) self-defense aspect. However, judo is a special case, having long been deemed a sport even in the West. There is a long tradition of playing judo. **Go**?!? As in “go karate-ing?” Or even worse, “go karate?” C’mon. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/4 "2010-06-09T00:33:25Z")
[Can’t…resist…](http://blog.erdener.org/archives/images/20070619-do-you-want-karate.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/5 "2010-06-09T00:40:19Z")
Run from… Watch… Fake having… Get my ass kicked from someone using… ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/6 "2010-06-09T01:51:55Z")
Of the choices you give, study, although I probably use practice more often. Judoka sometimes use “play” (as I now see Gary T already said). ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/7 "2010-06-09T01:55:37Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > **Go**?!? As in “go karate-ing?” Or even worse, “go karate?” C’mon. Sure, as in “You best watch it, I’m about to go karate on your ass!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/8 "2010-06-09T02:26:31Z")
Another vote for “practice”. “Study” comes in 2nd. Also “trained in the art of”. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/9 "2010-06-09T03:42:41Z")
I pratice Wing Chun but I go to training I do not go to playing. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/10 "2010-06-09T04:02:24Z")
Brain fart: take ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/11 "2010-06-09T04:12:46Z")
Without reading other responses: practice. Because that’s basically what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/12 "2010-06-09T06:01:00Z")
“Practice” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/13 "2010-06-09T10:07:55Z")
Another one for practice. Also, “compete in”. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/14 "2010-06-09T11:53:42Z")
“Practice”, or “train in”. My sensei was quite strict that one does not “play” judo. It is more serious than that. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/15 "2010-06-09T12:47:35Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > “Practice”, or “train in”. My sensei was quite strict that one does not “play” judo. It is more serious than that. Agreed. And it’s not just judo, it’s any martial art. And for **Maggie the Ocelot** : [Black Belt Kitteh](http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d97/Clothahump/karate_kat.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/16 "2010-06-09T14:36:02Z")
“Perform”? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/17 "2010-06-09T14:52:47Z")
Shodan said just what I was thinking. Either practice or train. If you are going to a tournament or such though, you could use compete or perform (for forms/kata competition). ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/18 "2010-06-09T14:57:32Z")
I chose “study” (my karate school is very formal, and there actually is some studying as we have to know all the terms for our level in Japanese (the transliteration, not the characters!), and there’s a written test at promotion). But I also find “train” to be appropriate, and probably more common than “study.” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/19 "2010-06-09T16:24:36Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > “Practice”, or “train in”. My sensei was quite strict that one does not “play” judo. It is more serious than that. I certainly see his point and wouldn’t argue, but I sort of like it: a Judoka inviting a friendly randori with “wanna play?” the same way a BJJ guy would invite you with “wanna roll?” It just seems to get the spirt of randori right - mutual respect, enjoyment, and learning, not trying to tear each others heads off or getting in an ego battle. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collocating-the-martial-arts/542478/20 "2010-06-09T16:30:51Z")
Practice. As in, “I should practice kicking you in the nads for forgetting…”