It’s been a surprising couple of weeks recently. For some mysterious reason we’ve received a record number of training inquiries this past month. This did make me google if the latest Cobra Kai season had already been released without my knowing (Unfortunately not). Some interviews have been held - a number of potential students respectfully rejected, a small number happily accepted. There has though been a common trend in these potential students wanting to train and start over with us. That is – realising they had been lied to over the years in their existing karate journey.
I and maybe many of us out there who are already practising a martial art can probably relate. How many of us who have come up through the ranks and gaining karate experience over the years have come to realise that your sensei or “master” may not know much at all? He or she is forever coming up with extra drills, incorporating groundwork, switch-foot work, wrestling, or maybe even integrating a random weapon to make out they are a god of all things? Is that what karate really is? What would you do in that situation? Would you internally continue going off like a cut snake pretending to be all dandy on the outside? Or would you say – f this shit, enough is enough and take action and make some kind of change?
It's a sad situation when a long-time karate practitioner has to experience such cruelty. Imagine being a senior instructor in a famous worldwide karate organisation for over 40 years to come to the realisation there is more than punching in the air and working on a reverse punch. Or how about believing going to Okinawa with your fusion style karate club – and one of the largest in the country will make you a better karate-ka and appreciate your instructor and style even more, only to realise your teacher can’t even remember how to do a kata nor remember the names of them. Well, these were some of the stories I had to endure. To be with an organisation for a long time and be willing to simply leave all that behind in order to gain the true essence of karate – well that takes guts, more guts than an obese middle-aged Aussie bloke.
Anyway, I think it’s now time to analyse a little deeper why the bullshitting-karate-teacher does what they do. Lying seems to be a topic found in the legends of the masses in the karate world, irrespective of style.
Fighting and beating up bulls in the mountains this, taking out a hundred thugs and gliding like a cat that. I’d be lying if I said I have never lied - Everyone lies. But why is it that these bullshit artists teaching martial arts lie the way they do? Over the years, it’s clear to say that karate instructors lie to protect their self-image. Natural born liars have this innate superpower to easily con unsuspecting students or people at any given time or place. Many of them possess a style of deceptive language to often influence or dissuade others into compliance – hai sensei, osu Shihan – osssu osssu osssu. Unknowingly, manipulation and control seem to be their key goals. This will not only allow them to advance their leadership by forming karate alliances and gain more worshippers, but may even offset opponents through their fibbing art. A strategic fundamental that such BS karate instructors must learn to employ effectively, is how to exaggerate and magnify discourse and talk to confuse people with total gibberish.
So, is there any helpful defence system we can apply against such people? Hmmm, can a possum who acts like a boxing kangaroo ever be exposed and depicted inept? These masterful liars will eventually exhaust people out with an overload of BS, but it may take some time for people to realise, be it a year or a decade, or maybe more. This will perhaps be the principal factor leading to their or the karate organisation’s demise.... So what will this eventually result in? Well, they all end up seemingly contacting me hahaha. Sorry for the anti-climax.