I recently had lunch with a fourth dan at Uechi Ryu. We talked about how the Eastern mindset is so different from the Western one and the confusion it creates for many instructors. Culturally, the East is more about conformity, or as I call it, cloning, than the West, where rugged individualism and innovation are instilled.
This prompted him to tell me the story of the greatest fighter in his system. This was a Japanese guy who, as a young man, went to his uncle to learn karate. The uncle turned it down, but the guy kept coming back. Eventually the uncle took him but made him clean the school, wash the toilets, and generally play the role of school janitor for a year or so before teaching him karate.
When he felt that the student was ready, he took him to other schools where he would be beaten a lot. Sometimes the American soldiers would come to the school for training, and the uncle would make them fight his nephew, who was beaten. This went on for years, until finally the nephew started winning some of the fights. Ultimately, he won them all.
The guy proudly told me this, adding that you just don’t see that level of dedication anymore. I said, “Of course not. That’s a stupid way to teach.” He was surprised. That’s one of those stories that instructors tell students to inspire them. And, as always, the student does not question it. I can’t help but be curious as to why anyone would teach that way.
My comment to him was that you had someone with this kind of talent and potential, and you risked losing him by making him clean toilets for a year and then having him beat up. That’s stupid. That guy could have been a great martial artist years before he finally reached his potential. Fortunately, he stuck it out, but who knows how many others with similar potential dropped out due to such a crazy program. The instructor may have been a great teacher, but his curriculum was insane, even if it’s a good story.
If there is one area of your program that you want to ruthlessly scrutinize, it should be your curriculum. Your curriculum is like a restaurant recipe book. Do your recipes make your students ask for more? Or are they stifling their offerings for a few months before giving up and excusing themselves from the table?
Most of us inherit the curriculum we were trained in or join an organization and adopt their curriculum. Due to our Eastern roots, there is an inherent bias towards conforming to existing methods. This, over time, leads to a unique approach to martial arts.