I've been a technical director for 10 years for an organization called the American Budo Society. Before that I was the Historical Director for the Midori Yama Judokai. It's one of the many hats I've worn over my long career. Don't let my age fool you at the time of this article I'm 37 but I've been involved in martial arts since I was 4 years old way back in 1977. I promise you there isn't much I haven't seen I've cross-trained like a fiend. That is why even at a young age the Hanshi over the entire worldwide organization appointed me to those positions. In my position I've traveled around to alot of schools helping them with their curriculum. Some loved it some didn't. People martial arts is not what it used to be. There's not much martial to it anymore and it's a sad thing because most just don't get it. They aren't all bad they just don't understand. Then again some are that bad. I'm going to rehash a few things from a couple other articles but I feel that it's needed.
I was asked by an instructor a little south of where I live to come teach him some private classes. This was a couple years ago. So I went and looked at his curriculum. Now I'm not just picking on karate this could be many different martial arts this time it just happened to be this one. The curriculum had alot of techniques. I mean ALOT of techniques and needed to be streamlined badly. I went ahead and gave him some free classes over the course of a couple months to help him out. I thought it was odd that he claimed he was running out of things to teach his higher ranked students and was worried they'd leave. I just kind of shrugged that off and asked them about their jujutsu program. Well in their jujutsu program they didn't teach throws because it scared people off. Say What!!? How can you have a jujutsu program without knowing some type of breakfalls. Well they had a jujutsu program because the name brought in money but they actually didn't do any jujutsu. He had some talented people that could teach it but he ran them off and fired them because he saw them as a threat and didn't want to teach anything hard. Guess what? He now has the most successful school in the entire organization so the Hanshi can't even step in because losing that school would damage the organization.
This is very typical. All those poor students are going in there and blowing there money thinking they are learning self defense and they are just learning techniques with no concepts. So they'll never be able to adapt to anything. They don't allow sparring so these students will never be able to do anything under stress they'll panic and freeze up when the situation turns violent. All the while the money rolls in for this instructor as he walks around thinking he's Miyamoto Musashi and ripping these people off and committing a huge fraud. I feel sorry for the people that fall for this fraud. Getting a black belt from a place like this is like winning a gold medal at the Special Olympics. Yes you win a gold medal and feel great but at the end of the day your still retarded.
Note: I want to address the above statement before I continue the article. Frankly, saying what I said is the best way to get my point across. I don't mean to be insensitive to the disabled. My heart goes out to these children they are courageous and an inspiration to us all and the Special Olympics is an incredible organization but I have to make people understand what I am trying to say here.
The point is this instructor doesn't give a damn about his students. He only cares about money. He wants the prestige of walking around thumbing his nose at people without working for it and earning that respect and selling a lie to his students. He takes the true martial arts out of it and basically turns it into a low impact fitness workout and gives nothing. I've found in my life that the more you give to people in the end the more that flows back to you. You don't have to dumb down something and make it worthless for people so you can get money out off them. In that instance you are just a taker and your not giving anything your just giving a lie. Your just a thief and that's all. Now let's look at some martial myths that thieves like this try to sell you.
Myth #1-Schools like this help build character in students and help the community
The claim is they dumb down the requirements to make them attainable for everyone. They do make people feel good about themselves this much is true. However, it is a false empowerment that also puts them in great danger. In violent situations they may falsely believe they can handle something that they cannot. They will fight when they very well should have run like hell and be seriously injured or killed all the while these schools make more and more money. Martial arts is a great tool for building character but the idea you have to dumb down the requirements to do it is a ridiculous farce. The military has done wonders for people without direction since it's inception and I'm pretty sure they don't dumb down the training to make the recruits feel better. When people push themselves they gain a greater knowledge of who they are as a person. People can accomplish more than they get credit for it's an insult to humanity to just assume they cannot.
Myth#2 You need lots of techniques for the toolbox
This is also a dangerous myth which contradicts pretty much every major scientific study ever done. In other words, it's bullshit. It is a proven scientific fact that the more choices a person has to make the longer it will take them to make an individual choice. Violence happens quickly. What this basically causes is that during a violent conflict the person just freezes up because the brain can't figure out what to do because there are so many things they could do. The key here is concepts over techniques. If they learn a concept first then they can adapt a couple techniques to work for them in any situation and they don't have to learn a book full of techniques. Then they just do what they do and don't freeze up during a conflict. As martial arts legend Big John Bluming(he trained with Donn Draeger) put it the reason you have a bunch of techniques is so they can keep you there longer and month by month the money just rolls in. I bet you probably get a little more attention from the assistant instructors when your contract is almost up? Yeah I think you see where I'm going here.
Myth#3 Students need alot of techniques to keep them interested.
Yes I could've included this in Myth #2 but it's kind of it's own thing as well. First of all it shouldn't be about necessarily keeping them interested it should be about keeping them safe on the street. It's a bogus argument anyway because boxing has like 5 punches and people do that for a lifetime. If it's good and it's real then people will want to keep doing it. It's really just about money. You know I had a dojo for 2 years in Pulaski,TN. I walked away from that dojo and stopped teaching publicly and just taught my students privately. The owner kept pushing me to water things down to bring in more people and teach other stuff and I wouldn't do it. I put quality first I wouldn't sell a lie for money. I worked a regular job so teaching wouldn't be my primary income. That way I could keep teaching the correct way. I'd rather be truthful, honest, and giving than make a bunch of money. My ethics are worth more.
Myth #4 Black belts are great masters who are very knowledgeable like the Samurai
Some are and some aren't. It has less to do with the system and more to do with the individual instructor. As I've said in another article when you do a traditional martial art you are doing a historic system which may or may not be self defense depending on how it's taught. Samurai had alot of battlefield experience and were tough as nails. I know instructors who can't even throw a punch correctly. Some have never been in a fight in their lives and don't know the first thing about what's involved in it. On top of that some of those had instructors who'd never been in a fight either. I promise you they aren't like the samurai, they aren't even close. Some may have done fine in a sport setting but that has nothing to do with realistic self defense it's apples and oranges.
Myth#5 It's rude to question the instructor
Actually you should always question everything your instructor does. If they get offended by it they probably just don't have the answers. Either that or they are teaching something outdated and they are close minded about changing it. They want to put some ideal above your safety and can't handle the fact they may be wrong about something. Your paying these people money to teach you how to protect yourself and you damn well deserve an honest answer to your questions it isn't respectful at all. If the instructor gets offended by your questioning of a technique then he's an idiot you should find a better instructor. He should have done the research and had better techniques. It shouldn't be about promoting some damn system it should be about giving you the best they can give you. If they can't give you enough respect to do that then they don't deserve any respect from you. I'm always looking for better stuff to constantly improve what I do.
You know for good instructors this can be a very frustrating thing. You may be offering great training but the public looks at it as being all the same. They don't want to do the hard training with you because they think they can go down the road and train soft and get a black belt in a couple years as long as they pay their money and they don't know it isn't the same. They don't know that belt isn't worth the dye used to make it. That's why I write articles like this. It isn't for the people who already agree with me it's to try in some way to get this to the public to educate them and give them something they can use. I want everyone safe I don't want to see anyone getting ripped off or getting killed because they believed in one of these idiots. They do nothing more than take advantage of deteriorating values in our society.
Yes this is bigger than just martial arts it's indicative of a larger social problem. People don't want to work for anything anymore they just want things giving to them. Nothing has any value anymore. If you look back in history in a way it mimics the Roman Empire. They got lazy and didn't want to fight anymore so they hired people to fight for them. In case you didn't know Rome was destroyed completely and damn near into oblivion. If you don't have to work for it then it's probably not worth having in the first place. In the end nothing in life is really free. Freedom isn't free alot of people died for it and you pay taxes for it. Religion isn't really free you give money and time every Sunday. A real black belt isn't free you have to work hard for it. Skill isn't free either you have to sacrifice other things to have the time to develop it. People can buy black belts today like buying soup at the general store. Personally in my system I teach modern combatives so we don't use belts the belt is just a universal symbol so people will understand what I mean.
I want people to actually reach their real potential. I want them to see they can be more than they ever thought they could be. We can accomplish more than we thought we could ever accomplish. To do that however you can't take the easy road there's nothing down it but an illusion of what you could be instead of really being that thing you admire. The path less traveled is the way to go and we can all go there together. Stand out in the crowd don't just fall in line. A my friend Richard Dimitri says,"Do Some Shit!" I think that sounds pretty good to me just do some shit and be somebody.
You know sometimes I have to make strong statements or use bad language. It just infuriates me so much to see the terrible things that go on in our society, but you know if I didn't care so much it wouldn't bother me at all. I'd be just like everyone else. Falling in line doing what people tell me never questioning anything never growing. I will never just fall in line. I will continue to stand a fight for you no matter what. You may not like what I say but it doesn't make it any less true. I use the language that I use to get your attention. If enough of us demand better then we can get better. We can get people the training they need and we can save lives. So I will continue to bring the venom to those that deserve it and shine a light on the corruption that has infested martial arts today. If your offended by it your probably a corrupt instructor so you can go screw yourself with a jackhammer. You haven't seen anything yet.
Mark Lee Couldn't have said it better. It's time to draw a line in the sand. Quality needs to come first.
John Lew Unfortunately alot of schools are like this. I think it would be better to call them daycares or some thing else because if they are saying they are teaching MA they arent....watch the students and the picture becomes very different. I have helped by assisting in several seminars on stick, knife, empty hand in TKD/karate schools and it makes me cringe at times to get these people to learn. In all due respect when i hear the line "my child is learning discipline," again i cringe. Most these kids arent there to do MA in most of these schools they are there to work out. If that is the case get them into a sport than a dojo. I could go on and on, those that do really want to learn and are ready to work are diamonds in the rough...but they are getting to be even rarer now.
Paul Green exactly right John it's a symptom of a greater problem as well I didn't even mention the parents that dump their kids off in those places in the after school classes so they don't have to deal with them right after work here they even got fans that pick them up from the schools.
John Lew When i hear these kids reciting there school creeds make me think, "what in the world!". These are the same kids that are goofing off and just dont really want to be there....again just get them into sports. I give a lot of respect to those that do take the plunge and open a gym because sooner or later if you dont keep a business mindset you will go under especially with the economy. As far as parents i dont think its the same image of past of people who "were" responsible. That itself is another topic for another day.
Paul Green I agree with ya there that's I kinda left it out on this one..lol
John Lew Been looking over some of your past write up on you blog, interesting stuff :)
Paul Green thanks I appreciate it
Nat McDonald Sigh...
Paul Green why the sigh Nat?
Mauro Mezzina good article, these types of schools are homecoming more and more popular. When I was a kid I got started with the "sport" of wtf
taekwondo. There was no reciting school creeds, little dragons programs, or b-day parties. A black belt meant you were there for a long time and most likely won a bunch of competitions. You would get in there, warm up, then spar your ass off then stretch at the end. Now 95% of tkd instructions are there are BS. I see kids in tkd classes with blackbelts at 4 years old training in weapons (there are no friggin nunchaks or bo's in tkd) and grappling :/ I stopped practicing that discipline at about 14 but it's sad how mcdojos have ruined the reputation of such martial arts like tkd and karate. I'm already seeing a trend with rbsd and combatives schools. Everyone wants to teach stuff with the words "reality based" and "tactical" ...get ready for a whole lot of karate classes in Krav maga shirts..
Nat McDonald The points you make just remind me of what's sorely missing in so many training programs. You and I share a great passion for the "setting up for failure," "the okie doke," we too often witness and hear about. Sigh.....
Paul Green Yeah a good buddy of mine did TKD as as kid and I did Tang Soo Do myself it was a different time back then everyone fought for what they got. It really is more about the instructor than the art. I do see it happening with RBSD now as well and Krav Maga. There's great Krav Maga out there but there's alot of bad stuff too. I use the term solution based martial arts to describe what i do now to differentiate myself now the term RBSD is headed for the toilet. But yeah when they are making excuses for why what they do is ok nobody ever thinks about the okie doke it gets frustrating when they don't see it.
Richard Dimitri Great piece bro.... this group is getting tons of great information, do keep em coming folks... the discussions alone are thought provoking...
Paul Green thanks yeah we got a decent thread going on this one
Mark Fitzsimmons-Cann shared
Paul Green thanks Mark the support is always appreciated this group is full of great people I feel right at home here
John Lew I stopped practicing that discipline at about 14 but it's sad how mcdojos have ruined the reputation of such martial arts like tkd and karate.( Mauro Mezzina)
I would agree with it, I cringe when i have to enter a dojo.
Paul Green The ones that kill me are the ones that know they are teaching worthless stuff and don't care because it brings in money
Mauro Mezzina yeah I guess you can have all the best intentions but once you start getting your rent bill for your school, utilities, insurance..you got to get creative and probably relax your standards a bit. In my opinion learning how to fight is not for everyone, you really need to be committed to both physical and psychological training, pay your monthly tuition for years and chances are you will never be the subject of an attack (and don't forget your chances to get hurt during training). We (as in us here on this discussion tread) do what we do out of passion, we look at "fighting" in ways most people don't, we read about it, talk, train and really go after quality of instruction. The martial arts industry makes money off the paranoia that some parents develop about their kids getting bullied and beat up. They don't know the first thing about karate, Judo, etc..they think putting a white pajama on a totally out of shape kid and have them jump up and down in a dojo is going to turn them into Jet Li. Sad thing is they usually pay big money for that..
John Lew @Mauro and Paul both of you made valid points. I will reply later in-depth, or I will write a note and put it on here.
Paul Green Yeah Mauro I think you hit it spot on there as well there are well intended uneducated instructors then there are just money hungry people that prey on people's paranoia and ignorance it's the reason these last few articles have been so angry. I find that one of the greatest problems in society can be traced back to people just not knowing who they are and even if they can't be a martial artist at least they'll know and can take other steps.
Paul Green John if you write a note let me know I'm thinking about adding all these comments to the article as well and I'd like to add it as well if you write it
John Lew @Paul, it will be a note cause it will be lengthy seen I too have seen many of the issues u have brought up!
Paul Green cool my plan is to add this thread to the article as kinda a roundtable discussion and then I'd like to add your note to it as well as part of that discussion blogger.com will let me edit it again and republish it and all that
Myth #1-Schools like this help build character in students and help the community
In alot of school that teach kids if you sit down and watch a class you will probably see the instructor having them say there creed out loud which is mostly said with conviction. They may use games to help kids learn movements and the instructors talk about life lessons hoping that the kids will remember them throughout their life. If you are able to watch those classes and not get lost in the moment you start to question if character is really being built. Words are powerful and creeds can be helpful. Yet, if one just speaks them loudly but afterwards just forgets it and returns to their normal behavior nothing really changes or starts to change. Action must be mixed with words to have a true effect especially with young minds.
"The martial arts industry makes money off the paranoia that some parents develop about their kids getting bullied and beat up. They don't know the first thing about karate, Judo, etc..they think putting a white pajama on a totally out of shape kid and have them jump up and down in a dojo is going to turn them into Jet Li. Sad thing is they usually pay big money for that. "
Mauro Mezzina
There was a story a couple of months ago about a video of a kid that had taken enough abuse from a bully and stood up for himself. The kid picked up the bully and slammed him into the concrete floor which stooped the bullying and sent a clear message to stop abusing me. Fighting is one answer but it is not the only answer. As many people or experts would say other avenues should be used to stop bullying if possible. If those possibilities are tried and the person is feeling threatened they must do what is needed to stop the abuse. Various martial arts can teach a child movements to defend themselves but it would be foolish to think that itself will stop bullying all the time.
In the past few years we have seen many stories on children and health problems. Getting them involved in sports or martial arts can help them lose weight and gain confidence but it takes alot of work to become skilled. Every person has a talent but every kid that is in martial arts will not be the next superstar. We can hope it can inspire them to find what there good at but we forget it will not make them untouchable. In fact since Mario brought up Jet Li if you do your research he worked very hard to become good at martial arts it did not happen overnight.
Myth #4 Black belts are great masters who are very knowledgeable like the Samurai
Myth#5 It's rude to question the instructor
I have put these two myths together because the both deal with teachers and i feel it should be looked at as a human problem which i will explain. Teachers are still human meaning they make mistakes, forget things, just like everyone else on this earth. Thanks to media and many other sources we forget and fall into the image of the supposed "all wise knowledgeable teacher." Yes, some are very knowledgeable and teach while others are not and just used that image to fool people. I used the word untouchable earlier and we should not forget that when we look at instructors they may be great at martial arts but that is only one side of that person. We have read about athletes, singers, etc that were talented but had problems that affected them. We forget that while a person may have talent in one area it may not cross over to the rest of their lives.
There was a time where it was normal not to question the instructor but that time is gone. It again has to do with image of the "all wise" teacher. Everything progress and things change but to some instructors that is the stake in the heart to their image. I dont know everything, the person reading this doesnt know everything, a college professor doesnt know everything. To give you an example most people in martial arts should understand think about these two names: Dan Inosanto and Erik Paulson. These two men are legends in martial arts and have gone to learn with numerous instructors. If both of them knew it all do you really think they would go and learn from another teacher? Here is something said by Paul Green of Stonewall tactical that will have you thinking:
"It has less to do with the system and more to do with the individual instructor."
"Yes this is bigger than just martial arts it's indicative of a larger social problem." (Paul Green)
I can probably bet every person reading this could write there own chapter after reading Paul Green's blog and my own little write up that you have been reading. I could go for hours because this problem has many branches and they are all intertwined and change. I do feel that there are some main problems or roots to this problem but again its a changing animal.
We (as in us here on this discussion tread) do what we do out of passion, we look at "fighting" in ways most people don't, we read about it, talk, train and really go after quality of instruction. (Mauro Mezzina)
Mauro used the word "quality" and would like to add the word sincerity to that sentence. Anything that is doing with sincerity has a certain quality about it that most people recognize. A ballet dancer that is truly in touch while dancing and doing that with sincerity is something that most people can tell is done with honesty. If that same dancer was just doing the moves it could look well but it would lacking something to the first example. If you do something that you love with that "sincerity" it will bother you when others do what you love and give no attempt for it to be real. So my write up will end here but the problem continues and changes. So what will YOU do when this problem shows up in your life....only you can answer and deal with that.
"You better check yourself before you wreck yourself "
NOTE: As is always the hope with any article or commentary this one hit alot of nerves with people and lead to a great thread in the Senshido International group on Facebook. The following is a repost of that thread.
Mark Lee Couldn't have said it better. It's time to draw a line in the sand. Quality needs to come first.
John Lew Unfortunately alot of schools are like this. I think it would be better to call them daycares or some thing else because if they are saying they are teaching MA they arent....watch the students and the picture becomes very different. I have helped by assisting in several seminars on stick, knife, empty hand in TKD/karate schools and it makes me cringe at times to get these people to learn. In all due respect when i hear the line "my child is learning discipline," again i cringe. Most these kids arent there to do MA in most of these schools they are there to work out. If that is the case get them into a sport than a dojo. I could go on and on, those that do really want to learn and are ready to work are diamonds in the rough...but they are getting to be even rarer now.
Paul Green exactly right John it's a symptom of a greater problem as well I didn't even mention the parents that dump their kids off in those places in the after school classes so they don't have to deal with them right after work here they even got fans that pick them up from the schools.
John Lew When i hear these kids reciting there school creeds make me think, "what in the world!". These are the same kids that are goofing off and just dont really want to be there....again just get them into sports. I give a lot of respect to those that do take the plunge and open a gym because sooner or later if you dont keep a business mindset you will go under especially with the economy. As far as parents i dont think its the same image of past of people who "were" responsible. That itself is another topic for another day.
Paul Green I agree with ya there that's I kinda left it out on this one..lol
John Lew Been looking over some of your past write up on you blog, interesting stuff :)
Paul Green thanks I appreciate it
Nat McDonald Sigh...
Paul Green why the sigh Nat?
Mauro Mezzina good article, these types of schools are homecoming more and more popular. When I was a kid I got started with the "sport" of wtf
taekwondo. There was no reciting school creeds, little dragons programs, or b-day parties. A black belt meant you were there for a long time and most likely won a bunch of competitions. You would get in there, warm up, then spar your ass off then stretch at the end. Now 95% of tkd instructions are there are BS. I see kids in tkd classes with blackbelts at 4 years old training in weapons (there are no friggin nunchaks or bo's in tkd) and grappling :/ I stopped practicing that discipline at about 14 but it's sad how mcdojos have ruined the reputation of such martial arts like tkd and karate. I'm already seeing a trend with rbsd and combatives schools. Everyone wants to teach stuff with the words "reality based" and "tactical" ...get ready for a whole lot of karate classes in Krav maga shirts..
Nat McDonald The points you make just remind me of what's sorely missing in so many training programs. You and I share a great passion for the "setting up for failure," "the okie doke," we too often witness and hear about. Sigh.....
Paul Green Yeah a good buddy of mine did TKD as as kid and I did Tang Soo Do myself it was a different time back then everyone fought for what they got. It really is more about the instructor than the art. I do see it happening with RBSD now as well and Krav Maga. There's great Krav Maga out there but there's alot of bad stuff too. I use the term solution based martial arts to describe what i do now to differentiate myself now the term RBSD is headed for the toilet. But yeah when they are making excuses for why what they do is ok nobody ever thinks about the okie doke it gets frustrating when they don't see it.
Richard Dimitri Great piece bro.... this group is getting tons of great information, do keep em coming folks... the discussions alone are thought provoking...
Paul Green thanks yeah we got a decent thread going on this one
Mark Fitzsimmons-Cann shared
Paul Green thanks Mark the support is always appreciated this group is full of great people I feel right at home here
John Lew I stopped practicing that discipline at about 14 but it's sad how mcdojos have ruined the reputation of such martial arts like tkd and karate.( Mauro Mezzina)
I would agree with it, I cringe when i have to enter a dojo.
Paul Green The ones that kill me are the ones that know they are teaching worthless stuff and don't care because it brings in money
Mauro Mezzina yeah I guess you can have all the best intentions but once you start getting your rent bill for your school, utilities, insurance..you got to get creative and probably relax your standards a bit. In my opinion learning how to fight is not for everyone, you really need to be committed to both physical and psychological training, pay your monthly tuition for years and chances are you will never be the subject of an attack (and don't forget your chances to get hurt during training). We (as in us here on this discussion tread) do what we do out of passion, we look at "fighting" in ways most people don't, we read about it, talk, train and really go after quality of instruction. The martial arts industry makes money off the paranoia that some parents develop about their kids getting bullied and beat up. They don't know the first thing about karate, Judo, etc..they think putting a white pajama on a totally out of shape kid and have them jump up and down in a dojo is going to turn them into Jet Li. Sad thing is they usually pay big money for that..
John Lew @Mauro and Paul both of you made valid points. I will reply later in-depth, or I will write a note and put it on here.
Paul Green Yeah Mauro I think you hit it spot on there as well there are well intended uneducated instructors then there are just money hungry people that prey on people's paranoia and ignorance it's the reason these last few articles have been so angry. I find that one of the greatest problems in society can be traced back to people just not knowing who they are and even if they can't be a martial artist at least they'll know and can take other steps.
Paul Green John if you write a note let me know I'm thinking about adding all these comments to the article as well and I'd like to add it as well if you write it
John Lew @Paul, it will be a note cause it will be lengthy seen I too have seen many of the issues u have brought up!
Paul Green cool my plan is to add this thread to the article as kinda a roundtable discussion and then I'd like to add your note to it as well as part of that discussion blogger.com will let me edit it again and republish it and all that
NOTE:
Speaking of which here is that incredibly insightful follow up note by John Lew
The Venom and Why -Thought on this changing problem
Paul Green of Stonewall Tactical Defense Systems has written in his blog "Stonewall Tactical" a post called "The Venom and Why". I would suggest you read it first if you haven't to get a better understand of the points which we be discussed here.Myth #1-Schools like this help build character in students and help the community
In alot of school that teach kids if you sit down and watch a class you will probably see the instructor having them say there creed out loud which is mostly said with conviction. They may use games to help kids learn movements and the instructors talk about life lessons hoping that the kids will remember them throughout their life. If you are able to watch those classes and not get lost in the moment you start to question if character is really being built. Words are powerful and creeds can be helpful. Yet, if one just speaks them loudly but afterwards just forgets it and returns to their normal behavior nothing really changes or starts to change. Action must be mixed with words to have a true effect especially with young minds.
"The martial arts industry makes money off the paranoia that some parents develop about their kids getting bullied and beat up. They don't know the first thing about karate, Judo, etc..they think putting a white pajama on a totally out of shape kid and have them jump up and down in a dojo is going to turn them into Jet Li. Sad thing is they usually pay big money for that. "
Mauro Mezzina
There was a story a couple of months ago about a video of a kid that had taken enough abuse from a bully and stood up for himself. The kid picked up the bully and slammed him into the concrete floor which stooped the bullying and sent a clear message to stop abusing me. Fighting is one answer but it is not the only answer. As many people or experts would say other avenues should be used to stop bullying if possible. If those possibilities are tried and the person is feeling threatened they must do what is needed to stop the abuse. Various martial arts can teach a child movements to defend themselves but it would be foolish to think that itself will stop bullying all the time.
In the past few years we have seen many stories on children and health problems. Getting them involved in sports or martial arts can help them lose weight and gain confidence but it takes alot of work to become skilled. Every person has a talent but every kid that is in martial arts will not be the next superstar. We can hope it can inspire them to find what there good at but we forget it will not make them untouchable. In fact since Mario brought up Jet Li if you do your research he worked very hard to become good at martial arts it did not happen overnight.
Myth #4 Black belts are great masters who are very knowledgeable like the Samurai
Myth#5 It's rude to question the instructor
I have put these two myths together because the both deal with teachers and i feel it should be looked at as a human problem which i will explain. Teachers are still human meaning they make mistakes, forget things, just like everyone else on this earth. Thanks to media and many other sources we forget and fall into the image of the supposed "all wise knowledgeable teacher." Yes, some are very knowledgeable and teach while others are not and just used that image to fool people. I used the word untouchable earlier and we should not forget that when we look at instructors they may be great at martial arts but that is only one side of that person. We have read about athletes, singers, etc that were talented but had problems that affected them. We forget that while a person may have talent in one area it may not cross over to the rest of their lives.
There was a time where it was normal not to question the instructor but that time is gone. It again has to do with image of the "all wise" teacher. Everything progress and things change but to some instructors that is the stake in the heart to their image. I dont know everything, the person reading this doesnt know everything, a college professor doesnt know everything. To give you an example most people in martial arts should understand think about these two names: Dan Inosanto and Erik Paulson. These two men are legends in martial arts and have gone to learn with numerous instructors. If both of them knew it all do you really think they would go and learn from another teacher? Here is something said by Paul Green of Stonewall tactical that will have you thinking:
"It has less to do with the system and more to do with the individual instructor."
"Yes this is bigger than just martial arts it's indicative of a larger social problem." (Paul Green)
I can probably bet every person reading this could write there own chapter after reading Paul Green's blog and my own little write up that you have been reading. I could go for hours because this problem has many branches and they are all intertwined and change. I do feel that there are some main problems or roots to this problem but again its a changing animal.
We (as in us here on this discussion tread) do what we do out of passion, we look at "fighting" in ways most people don't, we read about it, talk, train and really go after quality of instruction. (Mauro Mezzina)
Mauro used the word "quality" and would like to add the word sincerity to that sentence. Anything that is doing with sincerity has a certain quality about it that most people recognize. A ballet dancer that is truly in touch while dancing and doing that with sincerity is something that most people can tell is done with honesty. If that same dancer was just doing the moves it could look well but it would lacking something to the first example. If you do something that you love with that "sincerity" it will bother you when others do what you love and give no attempt for it to be real. So my write up will end here but the problem continues and changes. So what will YOU do when this problem shows up in your life....only you can answer and deal with that.
"You better check yourself before you wreck yourself "
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