How many of you attend out of town martial arts seminars? Seminars about your style and other styles..?

I did and seminars can run the gamut from being great and well worth it to being mediocre instead and maybe not worth the money. A couple of things you can do are the following. Check around and talk to others who have attended that seminar from whoever to see if they got good value for the money and if it was worth it. That sometimes can be one indication about this. If you do attend ask if you can record it audio wise or even video tape it. Most will not allow you to video tape it or will charge you an extra fee for that. Many have no problem with you recording it audio wise. Also take a notepad to jot things down and take some notes. That can come in handy later once you are back at your own gym or school to help you remember some things better and retain that information that you acquired at the seminar more easily. Plan on getting their early and be prepared to stay late if the person is willing to stay beyond the scheduled time also. Getting there early some will sometimes also bring you in contact with them and you forming a lose bond and maybe they then even selecting you for their partner when they are showing and demonstrating things. You are more apt to then get more out of any training seminar if you take the above approach to things which is what I always did when attending them. I met and formed a lose friendship with several of those individuals that continued long after that seminar and still continues today with some of them. That friendship and the bond that was formed paid off several times over well after those seminars and one of the reasons why I know some of the people I know in the martial arts and fighting world.

I used to do that every chance I got. Many of those weren't even my "style", but all of them provided things to be learned. I haven't even taught a seminar is a good while. Getting old I guess, lol.

I done it, and I got another seminar in May. I use it to meet instructors that I really like, and to also learn materials that I don't get a regular chance to cover.

I do. It's a good way to broaden your horizon once you have a good foundation and understand basics and principles in martial art. No one teacher or martial arts style has the monopoly on good techniques. All really good martial artists had many teachers and took some great efforts to gain this knowledge.

I have done it. I'm going to one in March. It's not too far from me. It is Wally Jay"s son Small Circle Jujitsu seminar Unfortunately, there have been many that I've missed going to that I've desired to attend. Often because of distance and or money. The timing is a bug reason why I haven't made some.

I had plan to attend Ian Abernathy's seminar. It might have been about a two or three hour drive. I never got the date and missed signing up. The next time I heard about it it had passed.

I get a little disappointed with martial artist locally. We can have a seminar locally and often very few will attend.

Definitely did this when younger. Kubodo seminars, iaido seminars and ones for altogether different styles; White Crane Kung-fu

For example.

Felt it made for a more well rounded training.

I do as frequently as possible if it's within a reasonable distance. For instance, I am looking forward to one later this month a friend of mine is hosting for World Tai Chi Day (yes, there's such a thing!). Although that is one of my systems, I have within the last year attended a military hand-to-hand combat seminar, a jiu-jitsu seminar, a few tournaments with demos from TKD and Shito-Ryu Karate, and visited the Martial Arts History Museum in Burbank with my friend's TKD school. I wanted to attend an Apache knife-fighting seminar last summer, but there were conflicts with my schedule and familial obligations.

I am a geek when it comes to martial arts, and I'm secure in my own system that I thoroughly enjoy attending such events and learning all I can without feeling my ego threatened or the need to be openly dismissive to something with which I might not necessarily agree. I liken it to going to a church of a different faith with a friend; I might not agree with everything, but I'm an invited guest there and it's cool they do things the way they do them.