It’s no secret – the lack of need for a New Martial World Order

Yeh, I am on this soapbox again. Something picked at my craw, so here I am with my cranky pants on.

I have a great deal of respect for folks who study the combative aspect of kata. They have my utmost appreciation for their efforts. But let me tell you where I draw the line for that.

I get it that everyone has to make a living, and that some folks choose to do that through martial arts. As long as they continue to walk the talk, I am pretty OK with it all.

What gets me is the cult of martial popularity that has risen within social media. People who promote themselves or their bent on the art through social media channels. The subtext is not the art but the individuals themselves - and what they do.  One individual even used the term ‘illuminati’ in reference to their exploits. Now, either they have not really researched the title and have made a large error, or they do know the origin of the word and somehow consider themselves the karate elite.

Whoops. Talk about the rise of the ego.

Now, I know many of my views won’t make me popular with a lot of folk. But any talk of ‘holding the secrets’ or having an enlightened perspective is dangerous ground to travel. First of all, we have been trying for decades to quell the myth that there are 'secrets' in karate. There are gems, yes, but you need to polish them. On your own. So, while many folks flock to these self-proclaimed martial sages for ‘inspiration’ or ‘enlightenment,’ I find the whole thing a tad heretical. Share your knowledge by all means, but dial back on the hyperbole, por favor.

It’s not sour grapes by any means. I have always chosen to fly under the radar for the most part. I have sought to promote the dojo and the arts I teach but not myself in pretty much any venture or campaign that I have undertaken. For a lot of the stuff that I see online, I nod approvingly. Why? In many cases it's because I respect the person doing it and am impressed with their work and interpretations. Folks like Iain Abernethy, Paul Enfield, Masaji Taira. 

But in other cases, it is because it affirms/ re-affirms things I have been working on for years. Nice to know that I am not on the wrong path. No praise. No back-patting. Just an 'a-ha' moment and carry training!

So, why don’t “I” put my stuff on the line and show people what I got and what I do? I do. But it is for a limited audience. The paying students (note, I did not say customers). My dojo. If people want to see what I do, they are always welcome to stop by and watch – or come and train. I have been known to share with other dojo and karateka. I have taught things for free or given freely of my knowledge and my interpretations.

Ok, maybe a drink or two (or food, I LOVE food – edible bribes always welcome) was purchased in exchange for the sharing.

But, c’mon, we’re not fricking curing cancer here. And if you think you’re the first people to ‘understand’ how something works, you’re delusional. Maybe some folks are ahead of you. Maybe some folks are a bit behind. But really, if the audience you are looking to attract are people that are not exploring or have not put some things together on their own, I’d say that you’re climbing back down the tree to cut off that low-hanging fruit. Or maybe it is to convert the sport folk who have nothing else to teach their people because tourney glory only lasts for so long before it get stale like movie theatre popcorn.

Well, maybe your goal is to create a market for what you offer, not what your art offers. Or you hope to attract others who will join you – the creation of a martial fiefdom of sorts. You know – buy the t-shirt, fly the flag, drink the kool-aid.

A while back, one of the guys that I do admire to a degree tried to set up a video paywall system. Buy a membership, get the goodies. I don’t think it went well. I don’t wish him malice or bad luck, but I sorta saw it coming. He had applied the same model that papers did for years. They jumped into digital and laid out all their content online for free. And they still printed papers daily. But the readership/ subscriptions died off. Many folded. Then many decided to try a paywall. Y’know, make folks pay for the content that they go for free before.

That’s like creating a market for paid milk when you have been letting folks plug into cows for free. Nuh-uh. Doesn’t work. They’ll find another cow. One that is still free.

I do not do the whole ‘cabal’ thing. I invite people into the tent to learn what I learn. I am the host; I will never be the star. Not a role I seek. As a Yondan with 40 years on the floor this year, if it were, I have really messed up, no? I abhor the whole Bilderberg-esque mystique to the sessions. It turns me off. I would prefer to have a small kenkyukai that regularly meets and shares openly. You know, sorta like they used to do on Okinawa (I hear it still happens, too!). To me that is the cooler idea.

One of my kobudo seniors is super sensitive about sharing videos online. He has some pretty solid views on why it is wrong. Something something stolen knowledge. There is a certain irony with that as a number of the folks he seems to associate with or admire do exactly that - they offer videos for sale for people to gobble up what they have to teach. 

In many ways, I get what he is at with the sharing thing. But I also recognize that the way people are learning and interacting is different. The global connection thing also means that sometimes we may need to rely on the digital platform dojo to get our stuff to our students. But what do you teach? And what do you emphasize? And who owns the outcomes/ repercussions for this? Trust me: if I do not know you, I am not gonna show you all my goodies. I need to know you are a responsible person. The karate world is full of folks who wear the belt with no honour and little self-control.

I am very mindful of what I put into peoples’ hands  for a number of reasons:

-          Too much knowledge in the wrong hands is a dangerous thing.

-          ‘learn from video’ is just today’s ‘learn from book.’ (remind me again, how did that work for Daniel-san?)

-          I don’t feel the need to seek validation from folks around the world – either for expertise (or lack thereof) or skill (or lack thereof) or pure ego stroke.

-          I am still from the school that says if you value what I teach, you will come train with me. Don’t learn from video. Spend the blood and sweat and time in the dojo.

-          I am a tad cynical.

But people are filling a niche, as I said before. However, once that info is out there, the genie is out of the bottle. You have no idea who has it or what they will do with it.

Danger, Will Robinson Sensei!

For those folks who lap it up with ooh and ahh, good for you! You recognize talent.

But why the hell do you not seek the answers that others provided for you on your own. You’re like the kid in high school who is paying the nerd to do your homework for you. Do your own damn learning. Trial and error. If you are being spoonfed your understanding of your art or the arts in general, what the hell are you doing studying anyway. It’s a martial art! Be a goddamn artist and come up with your own stuff. Don’t Xerox the shit out of someone else’s stuff.  That’s pretty weak, IMO.

Come up with your own martial epiphanies. Use the resources as exactly that – resources. Don’t get hooked on the martial smack! That’s a monkey that you don’t need on your back. When it becomes a crutch or a need to consume and upload, seek help. You may have a karate celebrity addiction.

As for the martial elites, remember that the Illuminati were condemned by the Catholics for their beliefs and views. They were also well-known tinfoil-hatters. The great ‘secret society’ eventually imploded due to in-fighting (read ‘egos’) and eventually revolt from the public they sought to control.

John Lennon once said that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. He was wrong. And if you think you are bigger than karate Jesus ( or more messed up, thinking you are karate Jesus), well, you’re wrong, too.

My point? Share your knowledge as you see fit. But be mindful where it goes and how it is presented. Make your learning about the art, not about you or your sensei. More people may respect you. I may grunt and nod approvingly in your direction. Give credit where credit is due. And be humble.

After all, you’re not teaching rocket science. Or curing cancer.