KARATE DO AND RESPONSIBILITY

By Sensei Paul Fretter

There are myriad approaches to teaching and practicing the martial arts, and for every school one might visit there will be differences in emphasis, attitude and technique. At least one area of common ground amongst many schools is a grading system, which eventually identifies senior students and teachers with a black belt of various levels (Dan). The physical and technical requirements to reach this level vary considerably between schools, but this is largely due to the differences in emphasis which characterise each school. For example, Aikido-Ka do not generally train with makiwara or chishi, but they do practice a lot of "Ju"evasive manoeuvres, with locking and throwing techniques which characterise their art. Sport oriented clubs need to practice a lot of sparring techniques and may therefore have less time to spend on Kata and Bunkai. Okinawan Goju Ryu puts a lot of emphasis on Kata and Bunkai, but does not often utilise high kicking and big throws, whereas these are important aspects in Hapkido. These differences in approach and emphasis make it very difficult (and quite often meaningless) to draw any comparison of technical standards between Dan grades of different schools.

However there are certain qualities of character that I believe ought to be clearly visible in senior students/instructors (e.g. Dan grades) of any school. All martial artists, but especially senior grades, should be responsible for themselves and strive to be humble, moral, law-abiding, considerate, courteous, helpful and positive in all aspects of their lives. This is of great importance not only to the individual and his/her school, family and friends, but also to the martial arts in general if they are to maintain public acceptance and credibility.

Only be aggressive when absolutely necessary
Martial arts training can rapidly develop tremendous physical power and a detailed knowledge of how to cause serious physical harm to others, but consequently brings with it a significant responsibility. We all know that martial ability must not be abused or mis-used (for example: to inflate or protect your own ego) and this applies to verbal as well as physical conflict. The response to aggression should be appropriate to the circumstances. If a loved one snapped at you, you wouldn't respond with a tirade of abuse, would you? Likewise if your brother is drunk at a party and gets a bit "out of hand", you would prefer to restrain him than beat him to a pulp. On the dark side, when faced with a life or death situation, you may have to "give it all you've got" just to survive or protect your family. To quote Chojun Miyagi Sensei "Do not strike others. Do not be struck by others".

Responsibility to yourself
We all invest time, money and sweat in our committment to training and developing the body and mind. We therefore owe it to ourselves, to try and live up to the technical and moral or philosophical ideals of our schools, and to further our own education and understanding.

Public responsibility
In the eyes of the public, black belts are the "qualified" representatives of the martial arts, but even the newest of students can be branded "Karate expert" when an affray is reported in the press. In the light of this, we should conduct our lives in a manner that projects a positive image of the martial arts to the public.

Responsibility to other people in training: Teaching
Many people begin teaching when they reach first Dan, and so may be directly responsible for guiding the technical development of other students. The teacher should strive for his/her own technical excellence and depth of understanding since junior students will try to mimic the technique and attitude as closely as possible.

Responsibility to other people in training: The Role Model
Like it or not, either as a teacher or simply because your belt is black (or brown or whatever colour), you may inadvertently become a role model for some junior students. So even if you don't actually "teach", the junior students may still watch and copy your technique or even mimic your behaviour in the bar. "If a black belt does it, then it must be correct, mustn't it?"

Responsibility for your own training
You have to do your own training; no-one else can do it for you. To progress in the martial arts a good teacher is essential, but the teacher alone, no matter how good he/she may be, cannot directly improve your Karate. The teacher will demonstrate, guide, advise, encourage and "point the way", but the only person who can actually improve your Karate is yourself. Once graded to "black belt", you are even more responsible for your own training and you should be experienced enough to analyse your technique and correct/refine it with less input from your teacher.

It is the teacher's responsibility to teach and the student's responsibility to learn
Eventually you may become a teacher, for yourself and others, but first you will have to learn how to be a student. To do this you must have humility and be prepared to take complete responsibility for yourself. Wee Kee Jin, a respected teacher of Fujian White Crane Kung Fu and Yang style Tai Chi, said something very profound at a recent workshop in Norwich. He said "A good teacher is hard to find, but a good student is even harder to find". In my (comparatively short) experience, a key characteristic of a good student is the preparedness to accept responsibility for his/her own conduct and development. Intellectually understanding a concept or a movement explained by your teacher is not enough; it is merely a very fortunate position from which to start. It is then your own responsibility to analyse what you have learned, absorb it and practice it.

However, this does not mean the teacher is duty bound to "tell all", as it could actually be counter-productive for the student, so it is better that new things are only taught when the student is ready to learn them. The teacher should teach in a responsible manner, delivering information and assistance in an appropriate sequence, at the right time, whilst taking into account the character and individual strengths and weaknesses of the student.

I believe that I am speaking from experience, not fanciful rhetoric. My own teacher (Sensei Bob Honiball) is a valuable source of knowledge and wisdom, without whom I could not possibly be where I am today. But, the pace and direction of my progression along "The Way" is my personal responsibility and is ultimately due to my own efforts in following the advice of my teacher. You can lead a horse to water, but.....(I'm sure you know the rest!)

Responsibility to your school
In addition to "taking" the teaching from our school, we must also be prepared to "put something back into it". This could be helping with setting out and looking after the training equipment, sweeping the floor, helping to teach other students or even researching and gaining new insights into Karate technique and philosophy that can be added to the general "store" of knowledge. If we all just "took", and never put something back, eventually the art may stagnate or even die out altogether. One of Esop's Fables, "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg", exemplifies this principle.

Conclusion
Acceptance of the above responsibilities (and any others you may consider relevant, for this is by no means an exhaustive list) should be encouraged in all students and teachers. In Goju Ryu Karate Do, we have the eight precepts (the "Dojo Kun") to follow and study to help us develop character. The Dojo Kun teaches us about the responsibilities that we have for our own training, attitude, character and health. Clearly then, by accepting the "teaching" in the martial arts, we are also accepting certain responsibilities irrespective of whether we are beginners, Kyu Grades or Dan grades. Ultimately though, a Dan grade should exemplify this and be an indication of a mature and responsible character that has been forged in the rigours of austere training.

Paul Fretter (Paul.Fretter@jundkan.org.uk)