Tuesday, July 2, 2013 by C. Michial Jones
When I first stepped onto the mat in the late 1970s, the dojo was a sanctuary of serious business. Throughout the 80s and into the early 90s, my teachers enforced a philosophy of zero tolerance. There was no horseplay. There was no “goofing around.”
If you were late, you paid in push-ups. If you missed a class, the reason better have been that you were dead or dying; otherwise, you were punished. We didn’t question the authority of the Sensei, not because we were afraid, but because we understood that the discipline of the dojo was the only thing standing between us and mediocrity.
The Relaxed Trend
In the mid-90s, I began to notice a shift. The edges started to soften. Over the last few decades, that softness has turned into a total decline. Discipline has slowly faded from the American dojo, replaced by a “customer is always right” mentality.
Recently, I visited a school that taught all age ranges, and I was appalled by what I saw. Children were chasing each other and horsing around. Students were talking back to their instructors or taking “long restroom breaks” to avoid the hard work of the drills. Even the adults displayed a level of casual disrespect toward their Sensei that I would have never dreamed of showing to my own.
The Decline of the Rank
Perhaps the most visible symptom of this decay is the devaluation of the Black Belt. I have seen students walk into my dojo and quit within weeks—not because the technique was too complex, but because the training was “too hard” or because they weren’t being promoted fast enough.
In the modern world, people want the title without the toil. They want the belt, but they don’t want the calluses, the sweat, or the thousands of repetitions required to earn it.
Standing Firm: The Yushikan Way
I realize that America has changed, and not necessarily for the better. I also recognize that I am in a unique position; not every instructor owns their building or has the luxury of choosing their students. Many are forced to compromise to pay the rent.
I am not one of them.
I choose to keep my classes restricted. I choose to maintain the “Old School” standards. I will continue to teach discipline, history, and the grueling repetition of the basics. My goal is to push my students to be better than they think they are—and hopefully, better than me and my own limited talents.
We aren’t just trying to build better fighters; we are trying to build better people. And you cannot build a strong person on a foundation of “horseplay” and “talking back.” At the Yushikan, the clock has stopped in the 1970s, and that is exactly how it will stay.
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