Dear New Brothers and Sisters in Martial Arts,
I just read my first thread by doubljay on McDojo's (and I enjoyed it). It was refresing to not see people trashing each other even when they disagreed. I wanted to get some opinions from you.
The last BBS system I was on was strictly TKD-ITF (And all they do is trash each other) Here an instructor had posted that the level of Black Belt was strictly related to how well you could defend yourself or kick someones A$$.
Most all seemed to accept this which blew me away. When I told them that kicking someones A$$ was not the purpose of any martial art they could not believe me. To which they replied "What else is a MA for?"
They went on and on about how self-defense was the end-all-be-all of TKD. I told them self-defense has to be learned but it was only a minor part of MA training and what we are about. All day I have been having a flash back to when "The Karate Kid" first came out and everyone used to bring in their kids wanting me to teach them how to kick someone elses butt. This put me over the top and I was ashamed to be associated with "these" TKD people.
From most history I have read the MA's were associated with so much more, like how to heal someone, help someone, make them a better person, pass on knowledge... (Granted most organizations have a lofty code of ethics that get subverted by $$)
From my upbringing I was taught that the physical side of the art was only half and the tenets of the art were the other half: Courtsey, Integrity, Perserverence, Indomitable Spirt, Self Controll. Also, that teaching someone how to kill another person when they do not have the proper mental ability is like putting a gun in a whacko's hand.
As an instructor for I do want my students to be able to defend themselves (As I still like being beaten into the ground by a hard work out as much as I did when I was 18). But I care much more for them as how they develop as a Human Beings. Beyond this, I look for intangables in my students like moral culture, trust, ethics, honesty, reliability, self discipline...
as well as the ability to kick and punch.
When talking about the McDojo aspect I have come to realize that there are a lot of good people out there that don't have a clue about what I am talking about. For a miriad of reasons: no one to show them the way, looking for rank instead of knowledge, the way they were raised, their cup is already full... Many believe that whatever the organization sets as the minimum testing time is is all you need to do to get promoted.
After my long winded problem, I guess my question is, "Do any of you look for/test these traits before you promote students?"
Or, have the arts just turned into Kicking A$$?
Signed Depressed
I just read my first thread by doubljay on McDojo's (and I enjoyed it). It was refresing to not see people trashing each other even when they disagreed. I wanted to get some opinions from you.
The last BBS system I was on was strictly TKD-ITF (And all they do is trash each other) Here an instructor had posted that the level of Black Belt was strictly related to how well you could defend yourself or kick someones A$$.
Most all seemed to accept this which blew me away. When I told them that kicking someones A$$ was not the purpose of any martial art they could not believe me. To which they replied "What else is a MA for?"
They went on and on about how self-defense was the end-all-be-all of TKD. I told them self-defense has to be learned but it was only a minor part of MA training and what we are about. All day I have been having a flash back to when "The Karate Kid" first came out and everyone used to bring in their kids wanting me to teach them how to kick someone elses butt. This put me over the top and I was ashamed to be associated with "these" TKD people.
From most history I have read the MA's were associated with so much more, like how to heal someone, help someone, make them a better person, pass on knowledge... (Granted most organizations have a lofty code of ethics that get subverted by $$)
From my upbringing I was taught that the physical side of the art was only half and the tenets of the art were the other half: Courtsey, Integrity, Perserverence, Indomitable Spirt, Self Controll. Also, that teaching someone how to kill another person when they do not have the proper mental ability is like putting a gun in a whacko's hand.
As an instructor for I do want my students to be able to defend themselves (As I still like being beaten into the ground by a hard work out as much as I did when I was 18). But I care much more for them as how they develop as a Human Beings. Beyond this, I look for intangables in my students like moral culture, trust, ethics, honesty, reliability, self discipline...
as well as the ability to kick and punch.
When talking about the McDojo aspect I have come to realize that there are a lot of good people out there that don't have a clue about what I am talking about. For a miriad of reasons: no one to show them the way, looking for rank instead of knowledge, the way they were raised, their cup is already full... Many believe that whatever the organization sets as the minimum testing time is is all you need to do to get promoted.
After my long winded problem, I guess my question is, "Do any of you look for/test these traits before you promote students?"
Or, have the arts just turned into Kicking A$$?
Signed Depressed
.
