Regarding Miyagi

Regarding Miyagi

The Karate-Kid happens to be one of my favorite karate movies for many reasons, primarily because it was the catalyst for me to start karate.  The movie came out in June of 1984; after a year of begging my mom, she signed me up for lessons in May of 1985. It just so happened that the martial arts choreographer of the movie, Pat E. Johnson, practiced under Chuck Norris; and there was a Chuck Norris school (U.F.A.F.) near us.

Many beginners go looking for Miyagi, but find only Cobra Kai’s. 

I read another blog a few weeks back using the Karate Kid movie to discredit all martial arts. It made me sad because with everything he wrote I could just visualize the instructor; and he seemed so similar to some of the teachers I had dealt with coming through the ranks.

There are too many instructors out there that just don’t know how to teach. They run schools, classes and programs with a “fake it ‘til you make it” attitude. The destructive effect this has on martial arts as a whole is a daunting thought. How many young men and women have gone looking for Miyagi and ended up with something far from it?

I don’t intend to address the mystical, Eastern, sage-like philosophical wisdom of Miyagi’s character (although some of it is very effective at conveying what martial arts is). I am talking about what Miyagi offered as a karate teacher: he was supportive, encouraging and caring.  His lessons were tailored to the student, and rooted in simple, effective, traditional movements. He inspired Daniel to try harder, but didn’t build his ego with empty or unearned flattery. Miyagi challenged Daniel’s perceptions of karate and life, and didn’t give him unrealistic expectations.

Many authors I have read lately write as if finding a good martial arts instructor can be a little hard, but with diligence one can find a great traditional teacher in no time.  This is not necessarily the case as many regions don’t have anything but McDojo’s. This leaves a great many students who desire to learn, abandoned to contemporary karate or being put in a position to have to spend lots of money traveling.  Which could be a post for another day?

Over the course of my training I had to travel to train in traditional Budo. I was always surprised when I would seek out a certain teacher for their skill and proficiency. I would travel many miles to train with them. And their students acted as if being taught by a master was fun, but no big deal. Either they took it for granted, or they just didn’t realize how lucky they were.  

A good instructor is something to be treasured. They quite often are the ones who blend in and never make themselves stand out. They rarely teach as their primary source of income, because requiring dedication, respect, and effort to advance ranks is not a profitable business model...Miyagi was a building maintenance man.

If you’re serious about traditional Budo training you need to find a Miyagi. It will be difficult and take a while. But training with the first braggart you come across isn’t going to get you far.  Don’t go looking for a role model; don’t go looking for a father figure. When you do find this person, don’t take them for granted. Do your best to fully understand what they have to offer you.

*Contributions made by my lovely wife Shawndra.

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Budo-ka are always prepared

                      BUDO-KA

Boy scouts are always prepared.

As so many books and instructors have pointed out before, as a practitioner of any budo you should be more aware, more alert and more focused than the typical person. An additional attribute a budo practitioner should have is being prepared. I designed a “Budo-Ka Kit” for myself.

These ideas are not completely mine; a few have been picked up over the years from different sensei, or books I have read. I don’t really remember who or which book specifically - so I can’t site them. But I remember very clearly that several times I have been urged to have such a kit.

1. Always have a book. Something to read; it can be a book you are currently reading or your favorite book. I would suggest something martial arts related but, honestly, any book will do.
2.  Always have pen and paper. I think it’s important to always be able to jot down a thought or make notes to yourself about something you thought of.
3. Water : a reusable water bottle
4. Something to eat: a light snack such as some crackers, chips, or dried fruit snacks.
5. Emergency Kit (small first aid kit, matches, safety pins, Swiss army knife, etc.)

This is important because as a martial artist, you should be ready for anything at all times: expecting the unexpected.

I have a medium sized Camelbak backpack that I use for my Budo-ka kit. I carry it with me every time I leave the house. It may seem extreme to some people. I can say that no matter where I go I am never bored or without something to do. If I get caught waiting for something or someone, I have things to occupy that time.  Additionally, I have on several occasion been prepared for life’s little emergencies.

Here is what my bag contains:

• 1.5 Liter water (the camelpak water reservoir)
• A 3x5 Mead Notebook
• 1 pen
• 1 Highlighter
• 1 Pencil (mechanical)
• 1 Box of Altoids
• 1 5x7 Journal Style Notepad
• 1- 2oz. bottle of hand sanitizer
• 1 9x9 Towel
• 1 travel size Paper toilet seat covers
• 1 travel size Tissue pack (toilet paper)
• 1 Travel size tooth brush and toothpaste
• 1 small J&J First aid kit
• 1 Small Pill bottle with  a few Ibuprofen, aspirin and Allegra (I have spring time allergies)

With my Budo-ka Kit being carried in a back pack I always have room to carry other things. In cooler temperatures I carry a light jacket and maybe some wool gloves. Even with those small items I have more than enough room for other things if I pick something up while I’m out (souvenirs, a kid’s jacket they didn’t actually need to bring, etc.)

I know this post is a bit “listy” but I had a conversation with one of my student’s where this subject came up. I figured it would make a good post. The things in your kit may be different, but the basics should still be there.

Now you’re ready to walk out of the house!

... Don’t forget your wallet and keys

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Monthly Tuition

 

Training cost per month?

 

To preface, I would like to make it very clear that any dollar amount used is approximate and should not be taken to heart. The focus is to give students a clear break down of cost - something many of them aren’t aware of. Students often just look at the lump sum. I know many highly qualified Sensei who charge significantly less than the values used here, and I know of a few who should be charging considerably less.

It is important to understand that the monthly tuition charge should not be used as an indicator of the value of what you are getting as a student. You must look at it objectively; like a gym member ship fee.   Except with Karate training, there is no additional cost for the “personal trainer” i.e. the Sensei.

At a gym you work out solo, and the monthly membership fees range from $30-$50. There is usually an additional cost for a personal trainer which can range from $50-$80 an hour. So I think it’s fair to say that for Karate lessons one should be paying around $60.00-$100.00 per month depending on the amount of class time offered and type of facility.  Even at $100.00, if you calculate that out at 4 days a week, and assume at least 1.5 hour per class time, that means you’re paying your instructor $4.17 per hour of instruction.... minimum wage anyone? If you have a class of more than 15 people this could be a decent price – mutually beneficial... but when there are fewer students you get more personalized attention. Often, more traditional Dojos try to practice this concept of having fewer students with more personalized attention. Quality over quantity. Further, the $4.17 is gross; net will be significantly less. Even if the dojo is a space inside the Sensei’s home think about the extra water, electricity, heat, and dedicated space he wouldn’t otherwise need, that is being used for you.  Any additional amenities which have been added to make it a more pleasurable place to train further erode profits.

What is the point? We often overlook the expertise of our own Sensei. Some of us search for years to find what some of us stumble upon and take for granted. Many of the people teaching you have been studying, training, and practicing their budo longer and more intensely than most secondary education teacher and some college professors.  Granted, those institutions bestow a degree that can help make us more employable. But I think it’s important to give this some thought and ask ourselves if we show our instructors the proper gratitude and respect. After all, many traditional budo instructors don’t teach for a living.  And often, they don’t even use it as a supplementary income. In recent conversation on this topic, fellow instructors indicated they take 75-80% of the paid tuition and put it back into the dojo – supplies, additional group activities, etc.

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Buying Martial Art Rank.

Buying Rank

“This auction is for a Karate certificate. This is meant to REPLACE your existing certificate, or provide one if your school does not give them out. These are professionally done and will be on parchment card stock 11x14. We can also use your school name instead of the one on the certificate if need be. Also, we can sign and place the appropriate stamps. Additionally, we offer certificates in Japanese, Chinese or Korean.

 Get the rank you deserve! “

I found this gem on eBay. From time to time I check for rare martial arts books being sold cheap. Occasionally I come across these wonderful additions to the karate culture (insert sarcasm).  Due to the fact there is no requirement to provide any proof of rank, I don’t see what stops anyone from ordering. Maybe that’s the point?

These pseudo karate certificates range from $20.00 for a single certificate to $250.00 for multiple certificates with a DVD training program.  Combine this with the few organizations that hand out ranks, and the damage done to our industry is priceless.

So, sure we may have monthly tuition charges for our martial arts training, but assuming we train with a genuine source (i.e. a qualified instructor with good standing in a legitimate organization) this is like a gym membership; it helps keep the facility up and running.  We can even look at collegiate institutions: the classes cost money; but the learning, time, and teachers are what you pay for. If you do poorly, rest assured you will not receive a diploma. I don’t see these being sold on eBay.

Now, we also have testing fees that are applicable in some dojos for kyu ranks, and almost all styles have a charge for Dan ranks.  Generally, the fee should reflect the cost of the certificate and belt.  Sometimes these fees can increase slightly per rank; does this mean you’re buying your rank? I don’t think so. With next week’s Blog post we will look at the break down of charges in the average traditional dojo, at which point these testing fees become pretty insignificant.

So what does all this mean? It means it’s not about the paper. To a true martial artist, it’s nice to have, but not needed.  If someone lost all their rank diplomas in a fire tomorrow, it doesn’t erase what is in their memory; what they know. And in the same turn, for someone who suffered a traumatic head injury resulting in severe memory loss, those certificates would do nothing to restore any ability lost by the damage.

There are plenty of organizations out there that sell rank.  When we say “sell” we don’t just mean monetary exchange either. It could be giving you a very high rank certificate just to make you to feel beholden to them and to make you stick around. Sometimes they hand out rank just to have more teachers; although, how much can you really teach if you haven’t spent years learning these techniques yourself?  In these cases, you purchase the rank with your integrity and honor.

I have never understood the pride displayed by individuals who receive their rank in this way. How can you be boastful about something you didn’t earn? You would necessarily lack the knowledge and ability to display the understanding that the given rank suggests you should posses.

Now rather than slog through all the buts, what ifs, and excepts -- I will say this:  there is a reason it should take a certain amount of time; it should be difficult and require sacrifice worth more than a few days’ pay. Your rank should include time, effort, and dedication.

I have always joked with my students by asking if they would want to go into major surgery with an attending surgeon who had studied for 6, 8 ,or 12  years before being a lead surgeon? Although that is a bit extreme: consider how long an educator needs to go to school to teach the different grade levels.  They can make a teaching certificate on their computer at home, but I doubt that would get them the job.  As an industry we need to be more critical of things like this. It waters down the value of even the most qualified martial arts instructor.  

Insiders can easily tell if someone really knows what they are doing, but the general public cannot. And, if only for the sake of not seeing a promising young student get taken in by a “used car” Karate salesmen, we should at the very least give a nod of disapproval to these Cyber-Samurai.

It would be nice to have an advisory committee of some sort that could issue a bare minimum degree for martial arts instructors --  something similar to a personal training certificate. That would, to some degree, guarantee that students are learning something physical healthy, and at the very least, hold the instructors liable for what they are teaching.  However, even I can admit that this sort of thing might end up creating more problems than it would solve.

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