If Character Were the Prerequisite

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Kowakan Dojo provided a most excellent article today on, “The Waiting Game.” ( http://www.kowakan.com/the-waiting-game/#more-117 )  It reminded me that most of today’s karate and martial arts would not last very long if that were the way to enroll. We don’t do those things and the chances of them every returning would be astronomical as to the obstacles against. 

In an earlier article about rank with quotes from other karate and martial arts luminaries speaks to the commercialization of karate and martial arts too. Both would result in few taking up the challenge and even fewer going the distance - a lifetime of training and practice. As to the dan-i system, that came about when circumstances resulted in karate and martial arts being made a part of the educational systems for political and social conditioning purposes. The old way of karate was a dojo in the Sensei’s yard or other remote and hidden away place, no rank and very few students/practitioners. You hear stories all the time of the dojo consisting of two or three students who had to “qualify” to be accepted.

Sometimes acceptance would be achieved only if someone of note provided you a recommendation and that someone had to have a solid close relationship with the sensei. Now, with the educational versions being pushed that meant big, big classes with lots and lots of students and often only one sensei. You CANNOT teach large groups adequately in this discipline, it is not doable without sacrifices. 

The old stories of how the sensei would test the discipline, the attitude and the character of the prospective student may or may not be true but I do understand from some solid sources that this practice came about during the span between the samurai era and this more modern era of the way vs. the combative ways of martial prowess. 

Lets say for the sake of argument, karate sensei in those early years would use the character prerequisite to allow or gain entrance to this dojo. Then the question arises, whose concept of character? What constitutes a good character and when is it truly evident that the person has that character best suited for the karate disciplines? These very same questions arise in our modern times and you add to that, “How does the sensei resolve the need to make a living in the dojo and the acceptance under the character requirements he or she may have to teach and them to learn?” 

In truth, this concept is doable and would achieve a lot of great results. It is also my belief that this type of model, character prerequisite, would work commercially. I believe that a person of integrity and character that teaches karate and martial arts through actions and deeds acts as the character litmus test over time. Most who have that integrity and character tend to teach a certain way and that way often is seen by those lacking such character as a waste of time and who tend to walk out the door soon after starting. This is actually one reason why sensei with character and integrity tend to have higher turnover and tend to teach outside the means of making a living other than karate and martial arts. 

I am of the belief that such sensei can and do work with a character prerequisite but not the one told as follows in this quote from Kowakan’s blog:

“The martial arts at that time were taught to only carefully selected students whose character had been observed closely by the teacher. This of course, was not a guarantee that all persons selected to become students met such qualifications, hence the long term testing and evaluation period of performing chores and learning only basics. The unworthy would be weeded out or kept at a basic level. … What we can glean from this tradition of making students wait is that the apparent paradox of martial arts reducing violence may simply come down to a selection bias as this sort of practice would aid in weeding out undesirable students, but not completely eliminate them.” - Kowakan Blog, The Waiting Game (quote by Chojun Miyagi Sensei

This is especially true here in the America’s, folks without an appropriate character and integrity tend to want things quickly and with minimum fuss and muss. The kind of dedication, diligence and attitude to last and learn in karate and martial arts, traditionally speaking, tends to weed out the chaff from the wheat real fast. The time spent is often minimal and what they learn is a few basics that will do them little to no good regardless. 

Character is a prerequisite in certain dojo and it is perceived and determined by a sensei of integrity and character through actions and deeds both in and out of the dojo. Those with character and integrity stay, those without leave and that is life. The “Waiting Game” is still ON, just done differently than the old stories. 

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