There is a great line attributed to Winston Churchill: “If you are in your 20s and are not a Liberal, you don’t have a heart. If you are in your 40s and not a Conservative, you don’t have a brain.” This message relates clearly to how your belief system can change at different stages of your life and career.
Many of us went from the dungeon dojo to a more motivational school with a big emphasis on personal development. This attracted a huge kids’ market, but did it create better martial artists? I don’t think so.
Now we're seeing schools that have 95% students under age 17, though they are the OPPOSITE of the dungeon days of the past.
The first time I visited New York City, I got into an argument with a black belt who was my host for the weekend in his small townhouse outside the Bronx.
I was in the midst of transitioning my school from one focused on adult fighters to one centered on kids, with an emphasis on positive development.
The argument stemmed from a conversation we had concerning his three-year-old son. I asked if he planned to have his kid take martial arts lessons.
He made it clear that his son would learn to defend himself. I added that martial arts are also really good for character development.
The line had been drawn in the sand.
He said he didn’t care about his kid “helping old ladies across the road.” He wanted his kid to be able to “knock someone on their ass” if needed.
I regurgitated a line I had heard at a seminar: “The world didn’t need more fighters, it needed more respect and courtesy.” He scoffed at the notion.
He said his kid gets plenty of good messages from his favorite TV shows like Sesame Street. The boy attended church each Sunday with his mom and went to a good school. All of them taught him to be respectful and polite. What they didn’t teach him was how to get out of a fight.
He wanted his boy to be able to handle himself. I told him his approach to martial arts was “old-school thinking.” He laughed, and we agreed to disagree.
Now, over a decade later, not only am I a dad, but I’ve also watched the martial arts evolve from a unique, cross-style vantage point. The more I think about it, the more I believe my foul-mouthed friend had a point.
I certainly don’t feel that the movement towards character development has been bad for schools; it has been great.
However, when schools stray away from our core services and values, they become little more than motivational daycare centers.
This shift in martial arts training has created a dichotomy between teaching self-defense and promoting personal development.
While both aspects are important, it's crucial to find a balance that preserves the core values of martial arts while adapting to modern needs.
As martial arts schools continue to evolve, they must remember their roots and strive to create well-rounded martial artists who are not only skilled in combat but also exemplify the virtues of respect and courtesy.