Karate Inc.? Time to get back to the practice and not the business of karate
Today's blog is brought to you by the notion that karate organizations, writ large, are not only artificial, as Michael Clarke posits, but they are a bad idea because they morph the art into more of a business than a collective of individuals who have a similar goal or pursuit. Karate organizations, be they American, Canadian, Japanese or Okinawan, have common denominators beyond the practice of karate: there is a financial aspect to them that seems to taint the actual goal of the art itself. They are also beset from hierarchical structures that do little to serve the practice or proliferation of the art for all its members in practical and purposeful ways.
If one is prone to being upset by generalized opinions and suppositions meant to provoke thought and discussion, stop reading now.
Any time one raises the spectre of karate as business, someone is going to get pissed off. Guaranteed. Yet, from the organizational aspect of karate to the core level, one cannot help but see what karate has become. I yearn for simpler times when the karate was about karate and not about 'organizations' and 'structures' and hierarchy that reads more like an org chart than a lineage chart.
Pointing fingers
I blame the DNBK.
Why pick on the big dog? Well, if any org, in my opinion, has ever done less to try to be all things to all people, I would say, off the cuff, it was the DNBK. They tried to put structure to something that did not want or need structure. Worse yet, they tried to impose a Japanese mindset on an art that was inherently non-Japanese. To say that things just went to hell from there would likely be an accepted position to some folk. The Japanese have seemingly never put a hard value on karate. It was relegated to a lower position on the martial totem pole than any of the indigenous Japanese budo arts. Even to this day, karate is somewhat frowned upon as an art in Japan.
In Koryu Uchinadi, Patrick McCarthy sensei, a noted karate historian, points out that the DNBK stepped in to quell infighting amongst the masters, as well as standardize the practice and instill a social decorum in the training. Yet, the same book outlines a conversation between many of the Okinawans masters, and the discourse would seem to indicate that they seemed to be on pretty good footing. I would daresay that, given the proliferation of Japanese styles in a relatively short period of time in Japan during the 30s and 40s, that perhaps this issues of egos was a Japan-based problem. It was an effort of the Japanese to control something that was not Japanese, to fix something that was not necessarily broken. Yet, they perceived it to be because it was not of Japanese design.
The current international entity, the IMAF, has an org chart rather than a lineage chart. Instead of listing senior instructors, it positions of boards of directors, councillors, advisors, regional directors, branch directors, etc. It reads more like a corporation than an organization designed to proliferate karate or another art. "Vice-president in charge of karate"... so much for tate shikai ( vertical hierarchy)....
Even today, the J still try to dictate what karate should look like to the Okinawans. It's funny, really. But, the Japanese are not wholly to blame. Fault lies with the white guy, too. And, to some degree, to the complicity of some Okinawan groups who felt that some sort of acceptable western-style structure would be better. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
At one point, the promotion of karate was set forward by folks like Funakoshi Gichin, Motobu Choki and others in Japan. However, they did not teach karate as a vocation. Funakoshi was janitor at a university for some time, according to records. Motobu was working as a security guard in Kyoto at the time of his fateful fight with a westerner. Yet, these were the first steps towards expanding the knowledge and tradition of Okinawan karate beyond the borders of the island. And then of course, the DNBK had to stick their nose into it. And, it seemed, that all hell broke loose from there in terms of what happened to the Okinawan art of karate.
Karate saved and betrayed by the west
Karate did not seemingly become a vocation for folks in Okinawa until they retired from their day jobs... or until American, accredited or not, started teaching it back home for big cash. Thus, the American occupation of Okinawa could be construed by some as a black eye for the art. Servicemen of various stripes returned to the US, some with proper rank, some with more dubious and questionable roots. But, like it or not, karate started moving west in more ways than one. The formation of associations beyond the dojo level was seen as a necessity by some and as a revenue stream for others. Yet, the artificiality of the association changed very little early on, for the Okinawans or the Japanese. Structure was very loose and a lack of focus allowed for many of the bogus 'western' masters to gain credibility.Egos ran rampant and politicking within associations, senior instructors establishing cliques, developed momentum. Yet, this issue would not reach critical mass until the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. However, the damage was done. Previously stable ryu-ha factioned off, leaving splinter groups of organizations across the North American continent. Europe faced similar issues. Power and rank outpaced desire to proliferate a given system.
Senior instructors were not necessarily detached from the issues, yet there was a seeming refusal on their part to act decisively, perhaps for fear of causing greater schisms. One example that comes to mind is the late Ueshiro Ansei , a senior student of Nagamine Shoshin, who was once appointed as emissary of Matsubayashi-ryu. Ueshiro, as the story goes, went maverick, to the displeasure of Nagamine. Omine Chotoku was sent to replace Ueshiro, who refused to return to Okinawa and created his own splinter Matsubayashi group.
Shorin-ryu is not the only system to suffer these issues. Personalities overtook several organizations, normally after a founder or soke had passed on. Some of the more prolific and vitriolic were in the past few decades, including the orgs fronted by Mas Oyama, Masatoshi Nakayama, and in the US, the Kenpo organization under Ed Parker.
Yet, for the most part, organizations do little to help with development of the art and more with administrative and business side of the art. True, it is a group of individuals with seemingly similar goals and objectives. But, in an administrative block that exists in large organizations that clarity, communication and command, the goal is not always reached. Administrative control aside, how the power structure is managed can be both the key to an organization`s success and failure. Sadly, in the history of many orgs, failure is more likely a possibility.
Don't be a McDojo
Yet, the issues of politics do not simply exist at the macro level, they infest the micro (dojo) level as well. As associations of all stripes and iterations strive to build, there is a push for growth that often does not have plan. It is simply growth for the sake of growth. And as organizations grow, problems begin to manifest at that most basic of levels.
This may be hard to swallow, but no dojo is perfect. All dojo have their challenges and issue, yet when the notion of growth or 'positioning in the market' overtakes other objectives, it is a sure sign that the dojo has lost its way. Of the McDojo I have encountered over the years, only a few started out that way. The rest had great intentions. See previous note about the construction work on the highway to Hades.
In large organizations, dojos become silos for the most part. They are solo entities left to their own design, with little to no input or structure from the upper level. Yet, the less input and less contact that the dojo has with the association`s leadership, the greater opportunity that exists for problems to occur. Out of sight, out of mind? Communication and control do two things - they ensure complicity and adherence to the organization's rules and regulations. They can promote and ensure, among other things, quality control. They can also resolve issues of abuse of power on the part of the dojo owner. Dojo do not and cannot act with impunity, only painting an impression of compliance when the senior leadership is within line of sight or earshot. Individual dojo cannot and should not act as breeding grounds for sub-groups or branch cells within the greater organization.
In other words, fiefdoms should not exist within the context of a greater organization. At that point, power cliques develop, and loyalty is no longer to the top person but to the person who fronts the clique. At that point, dojo seem more like chattel for trade or for power brokering than entities whose goal is the proliferation of a specific style of karate. More than one organization has been split apart when one of these power brokers moves their 'body of dojo' to a new organization. To me, that fails to resemble the essence of what we are to be doing within karate. Too much 'personality' and 'ego' is attached to this model; it smells too much like someone having 'franchised out' his dojo.
In Shin Gi Tai, Clarke makes an excellent point: no instructor owns their students, nor do they own their yudansha. Once a student opens a dojo legitimately, the formal relationship is severed and ceded to the organization (or at least it should be). The informal relationship of sempai and kohai still exists between the two, but it is in the process of evolution. Your sensei will always remain the person who guided you down the path, but once you are responsible for your own students, that dynamic changes. You may turn to them for advice or counsel, but the issue of learning and teaching now falls directly in line with the head of the association (the aforementioned vertical society). Any other process is doomed to cause angst and animosity. If such is the case, there is too much hubris involved.
The other challenge is the 'assimilation' process, wherein one person uses the organization as a tool of credibility to recruit colleagues, who essentially become students. it's re-branding gone wild. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, this was a largely the issue in Western Canada as newly-minted 'karate clubs' sought to find some legitimacy. Thus, one person would hook in with an association, encourage other locals to join in and they would travel as a collective. Later, when the individual changed groups, so, too, did all the other `dojo`under him. It happened again in Saskatchewan back in the early 90s, when a kempo karate group joined a nefarious organization down in the US, then convinced a number fo clubs in the province to join the group - making a leap from unaffiliated club to one peppered with 'big name martial artists' to gain power and prestige. Sadly, when it was discovered that the org was a ruse, the truly wise fled, and the balance stayed with the organization. Animosity ensued where once there was cordiality. Hurt feelings, bitterness and mistrust all around. The presiding variables of the situation may change but the end result is always the same for players of this nature.
A modest, yet blasphemous proposal
Think of the dojo as a franchise. You pay your money to use the name and the logo. Yet, in the same way that people sign on to become franchisees, they have obligations to follow and rules to obey. Their rights and powers as a franchisee are limited by the contract between the franchising group and the body seeking to franchise. One purchase is one store. Franchisees are not able to recruit new people to franchise under them. They cannot alter the logo, nor can they change the core of the product which the franchise offers - thus, an A and W burger should taste the same in Toronto as it would Tuskegee. Franchisees cannot enter in to the sale of other products nor offer products sold by competitors. The franchisor, however, also has rights and responsibilities to the franchisee. Their ultimate goal is to put their name and their mark in key markets to build recognition and brand acceptance. They follow a process to get the right franchisees. They supply the franchisees with training and support. They protect their trademarks and reputation fiercely from any potential threat or misuse, knowing that improper use or harm to the brand can have an effect on all franchisees. Resposabilities and duties go both ways to ensure success and maintained integrity of the brand.
So, how would this apply for a dojo, you ask? Simple. If your organization is going to recruit in order proliferate, it would be prudent to adapt the organization to a franchise model. Each dojo owner would sign a contract with the hombu for a pre-determined period of time. The contract would spell out certain conditions, such as an opt-out period, the support that would be offered to the dojo owner, etc. It would also detail what the owner can and cannot do. It would provide them with guidelines for operation, blueprints for everything from websites to business cards, etc. It would indicate penalties for non-compliance, ranging from sanctions to financial penalties to loss of franchise. Franchisees will tell you that the strength lies with the brand. Think about why groups like Baaco Pizza or Mr Sub have lost their brand position in much of the country. Of course, litigation is also a part of the franchise reality. It gets messy and expensive.
The dojo/ franchise model is not perfect, but it would solve a few problems along the way - namely, more communication and control from the top down and more involvement as to how the style is proliferated. Quality is the key, quantity comes, but only when it is not at the cost of quality. Yet, at the end of the day, the franchise model is still all about the business of karate.
I offer the following as potential solutions to death by organization.
- scrap the franchise idea. kill the model of associations and organizations in favour of one that simply seeks to proliferate an art based on the teachings of the seniors.
- develop ironclad agreements between the dojo and the hombu that makes them responsible for their students' development. Spell out the terms of the relationship looks like. Include items such as the system syllabus, the process for grading, a path for advancement of the instructors and a list of rules that must be followed. Oh yeh, and there should be a process for dojo that would ensure dojo are joining for the right reasons - associate dojo would remain on probation for up to two years, a period of time during which they are able to transition over to the new system ensure compliance with/ loyalty to the hombu.
- provide a conduit for information between hombu and all dojo. Encourage cooperation for the sake of promoting and mastering the art.
- encourage the dojo to work together to organize training opportunities that are based on development. mastery of the art. This could also include pooling financial resources to cover costs involved in transporting instructors from the hombu for training sessions.
- appoint individuals at the hombu level that serve as conduits for information and points of contact for dojo.
I am not perfect in my practice, and I don`t have all the answers, Perhaps in my criticisms, some may take it as a personal attack or an attack on particular organizations. The truth of the matter is: no one organization is free of these issues. I do not undertake this entry lightly, nor was it my intent to target any one person or organization. As always with this blog, my intent is to stimulate dialogue in the hope of improving understanding/ communication. I know that it is not just my dojo or my organization that is reading this blog, but I hope all can come together with best practices and ideas that will help improve the lot of traditional karate.
The problems will not go away unless we consciously recognize the issues and challenges we face and undertake a process that will rectify them. To do less is to do a huge disservice to our art and to our masters - past, present and future.
If one is prone to being upset by generalized opinions and suppositions meant to provoke thought and discussion, stop reading now.
Any time one raises the spectre of karate as business, someone is going to get pissed off. Guaranteed. Yet, from the organizational aspect of karate to the core level, one cannot help but see what karate has become. I yearn for simpler times when the karate was about karate and not about 'organizations' and 'structures' and hierarchy that reads more like an org chart than a lineage chart.
Pointing fingers
I blame the DNBK.
Why pick on the big dog? Well, if any org, in my opinion, has ever done less to try to be all things to all people, I would say, off the cuff, it was the DNBK. They tried to put structure to something that did not want or need structure. Worse yet, they tried to impose a Japanese mindset on an art that was inherently non-Japanese. To say that things just went to hell from there would likely be an accepted position to some folk. The Japanese have seemingly never put a hard value on karate. It was relegated to a lower position on the martial totem pole than any of the indigenous Japanese budo arts. Even to this day, karate is somewhat frowned upon as an art in Japan.
In Koryu Uchinadi, Patrick McCarthy sensei, a noted karate historian, points out that the DNBK stepped in to quell infighting amongst the masters, as well as standardize the practice and instill a social decorum in the training. Yet, the same book outlines a conversation between many of the Okinawans masters, and the discourse would seem to indicate that they seemed to be on pretty good footing. I would daresay that, given the proliferation of Japanese styles in a relatively short period of time in Japan during the 30s and 40s, that perhaps this issues of egos was a Japan-based problem. It was an effort of the Japanese to control something that was not Japanese, to fix something that was not necessarily broken. Yet, they perceived it to be because it was not of Japanese design.
The current international entity, the IMAF, has an org chart rather than a lineage chart. Instead of listing senior instructors, it positions of boards of directors, councillors, advisors, regional directors, branch directors, etc. It reads more like a corporation than an organization designed to proliferate karate or another art. "Vice-president in charge of karate"... so much for tate shikai ( vertical hierarchy)....
Even today, the J still try to dictate what karate should look like to the Okinawans. It's funny, really. But, the Japanese are not wholly to blame. Fault lies with the white guy, too. And, to some degree, to the complicity of some Okinawan groups who felt that some sort of acceptable western-style structure would be better. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
At one point, the promotion of karate was set forward by folks like Funakoshi Gichin, Motobu Choki and others in Japan. However, they did not teach karate as a vocation. Funakoshi was janitor at a university for some time, according to records. Motobu was working as a security guard in Kyoto at the time of his fateful fight with a westerner. Yet, these were the first steps towards expanding the knowledge and tradition of Okinawan karate beyond the borders of the island. And then of course, the DNBK had to stick their nose into it. And, it seemed, that all hell broke loose from there in terms of what happened to the Okinawan art of karate.
Karate saved and betrayed by the west
Karate did not seemingly become a vocation for folks in Okinawa until they retired from their day jobs... or until American, accredited or not, started teaching it back home for big cash. Thus, the American occupation of Okinawa could be construed by some as a black eye for the art. Servicemen of various stripes returned to the US, some with proper rank, some with more dubious and questionable roots. But, like it or not, karate started moving west in more ways than one. The formation of associations beyond the dojo level was seen as a necessity by some and as a revenue stream for others. Yet, the artificiality of the association changed very little early on, for the Okinawans or the Japanese. Structure was very loose and a lack of focus allowed for many of the bogus 'western' masters to gain credibility.Egos ran rampant and politicking within associations, senior instructors establishing cliques, developed momentum. Yet, this issue would not reach critical mass until the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. However, the damage was done. Previously stable ryu-ha factioned off, leaving splinter groups of organizations across the North American continent. Europe faced similar issues. Power and rank outpaced desire to proliferate a given system.
Senior instructors were not necessarily detached from the issues, yet there was a seeming refusal on their part to act decisively, perhaps for fear of causing greater schisms. One example that comes to mind is the late Ueshiro Ansei , a senior student of Nagamine Shoshin, who was once appointed as emissary of Matsubayashi-ryu. Ueshiro, as the story goes, went maverick, to the displeasure of Nagamine. Omine Chotoku was sent to replace Ueshiro, who refused to return to Okinawa and created his own splinter Matsubayashi group.
Shorin-ryu is not the only system to suffer these issues. Personalities overtook several organizations, normally after a founder or soke had passed on. Some of the more prolific and vitriolic were in the past few decades, including the orgs fronted by Mas Oyama, Masatoshi Nakayama, and in the US, the Kenpo organization under Ed Parker.
Yet, for the most part, organizations do little to help with development of the art and more with administrative and business side of the art. True, it is a group of individuals with seemingly similar goals and objectives. But, in an administrative block that exists in large organizations that clarity, communication and command, the goal is not always reached. Administrative control aside, how the power structure is managed can be both the key to an organization`s success and failure. Sadly, in the history of many orgs, failure is more likely a possibility.
Don't be a McDojo
Yet, the issues of politics do not simply exist at the macro level, they infest the micro (dojo) level as well. As associations of all stripes and iterations strive to build, there is a push for growth that often does not have plan. It is simply growth for the sake of growth. And as organizations grow, problems begin to manifest at that most basic of levels.
This may be hard to swallow, but no dojo is perfect. All dojo have their challenges and issue, yet when the notion of growth or 'positioning in the market' overtakes other objectives, it is a sure sign that the dojo has lost its way. Of the McDojo I have encountered over the years, only a few started out that way. The rest had great intentions. See previous note about the construction work on the highway to Hades.
In large organizations, dojos become silos for the most part. They are solo entities left to their own design, with little to no input or structure from the upper level. Yet, the less input and less contact that the dojo has with the association`s leadership, the greater opportunity that exists for problems to occur. Out of sight, out of mind? Communication and control do two things - they ensure complicity and adherence to the organization's rules and regulations. They can promote and ensure, among other things, quality control. They can also resolve issues of abuse of power on the part of the dojo owner. Dojo do not and cannot act with impunity, only painting an impression of compliance when the senior leadership is within line of sight or earshot. Individual dojo cannot and should not act as breeding grounds for sub-groups or branch cells within the greater organization.
In other words, fiefdoms should not exist within the context of a greater organization. At that point, power cliques develop, and loyalty is no longer to the top person but to the person who fronts the clique. At that point, dojo seem more like chattel for trade or for power brokering than entities whose goal is the proliferation of a specific style of karate. More than one organization has been split apart when one of these power brokers moves their 'body of dojo' to a new organization. To me, that fails to resemble the essence of what we are to be doing within karate. Too much 'personality' and 'ego' is attached to this model; it smells too much like someone having 'franchised out' his dojo.
In Shin Gi Tai, Clarke makes an excellent point: no instructor owns their students, nor do they own their yudansha. Once a student opens a dojo legitimately, the formal relationship is severed and ceded to the organization (or at least it should be). The informal relationship of sempai and kohai still exists between the two, but it is in the process of evolution. Your sensei will always remain the person who guided you down the path, but once you are responsible for your own students, that dynamic changes. You may turn to them for advice or counsel, but the issue of learning and teaching now falls directly in line with the head of the association (the aforementioned vertical society). Any other process is doomed to cause angst and animosity. If such is the case, there is too much hubris involved.
The other challenge is the 'assimilation' process, wherein one person uses the organization as a tool of credibility to recruit colleagues, who essentially become students. it's re-branding gone wild. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, this was a largely the issue in Western Canada as newly-minted 'karate clubs' sought to find some legitimacy. Thus, one person would hook in with an association, encourage other locals to join in and they would travel as a collective. Later, when the individual changed groups, so, too, did all the other `dojo`under him. It happened again in Saskatchewan back in the early 90s, when a kempo karate group joined a nefarious organization down in the US, then convinced a number fo clubs in the province to join the group - making a leap from unaffiliated club to one peppered with 'big name martial artists' to gain power and prestige. Sadly, when it was discovered that the org was a ruse, the truly wise fled, and the balance stayed with the organization. Animosity ensued where once there was cordiality. Hurt feelings, bitterness and mistrust all around. The presiding variables of the situation may change but the end result is always the same for players of this nature.
A modest, yet blasphemous proposal
Think of the dojo as a franchise. You pay your money to use the name and the logo. Yet, in the same way that people sign on to become franchisees, they have obligations to follow and rules to obey. Their rights and powers as a franchisee are limited by the contract between the franchising group and the body seeking to franchise. One purchase is one store. Franchisees are not able to recruit new people to franchise under them. They cannot alter the logo, nor can they change the core of the product which the franchise offers - thus, an A and W burger should taste the same in Toronto as it would Tuskegee. Franchisees cannot enter in to the sale of other products nor offer products sold by competitors. The franchisor, however, also has rights and responsibilities to the franchisee. Their ultimate goal is to put their name and their mark in key markets to build recognition and brand acceptance. They follow a process to get the right franchisees. They supply the franchisees with training and support. They protect their trademarks and reputation fiercely from any potential threat or misuse, knowing that improper use or harm to the brand can have an effect on all franchisees. Resposabilities and duties go both ways to ensure success and maintained integrity of the brand.
So, how would this apply for a dojo, you ask? Simple. If your organization is going to recruit in order proliferate, it would be prudent to adapt the organization to a franchise model. Each dojo owner would sign a contract with the hombu for a pre-determined period of time. The contract would spell out certain conditions, such as an opt-out period, the support that would be offered to the dojo owner, etc. It would also detail what the owner can and cannot do. It would provide them with guidelines for operation, blueprints for everything from websites to business cards, etc. It would indicate penalties for non-compliance, ranging from sanctions to financial penalties to loss of franchise. Franchisees will tell you that the strength lies with the brand. Think about why groups like Baaco Pizza or Mr Sub have lost their brand position in much of the country. Of course, litigation is also a part of the franchise reality. It gets messy and expensive.
The dojo/ franchise model is not perfect, but it would solve a few problems along the way - namely, more communication and control from the top down and more involvement as to how the style is proliferated. Quality is the key, quantity comes, but only when it is not at the cost of quality. Yet, at the end of the day, the franchise model is still all about the business of karate.
I offer the following as potential solutions to death by organization.
- scrap the franchise idea. kill the model of associations and organizations in favour of one that simply seeks to proliferate an art based on the teachings of the seniors.
- develop ironclad agreements between the dojo and the hombu that makes them responsible for their students' development. Spell out the terms of the relationship looks like. Include items such as the system syllabus, the process for grading, a path for advancement of the instructors and a list of rules that must be followed. Oh yeh, and there should be a process for dojo that would ensure dojo are joining for the right reasons - associate dojo would remain on probation for up to two years, a period of time during which they are able to transition over to the new system ensure compliance with/ loyalty to the hombu.
- provide a conduit for information between hombu and all dojo. Encourage cooperation for the sake of promoting and mastering the art.
- encourage the dojo to work together to organize training opportunities that are based on development. mastery of the art. This could also include pooling financial resources to cover costs involved in transporting instructors from the hombu for training sessions.
- appoint individuals at the hombu level that serve as conduits for information and points of contact for dojo.
I am not perfect in my practice, and I don`t have all the answers, Perhaps in my criticisms, some may take it as a personal attack or an attack on particular organizations. The truth of the matter is: no one organization is free of these issues. I do not undertake this entry lightly, nor was it my intent to target any one person or organization. As always with this blog, my intent is to stimulate dialogue in the hope of improving understanding/ communication. I know that it is not just my dojo or my organization that is reading this blog, but I hope all can come together with best practices and ideas that will help improve the lot of traditional karate.
The problems will not go away unless we consciously recognize the issues and challenges we face and undertake a process that will rectify them. To do less is to do a huge disservice to our art and to our masters - past, present and future.
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