Hi everyone,
I wanted to reflect a bit on friendship and the journey we make in martial arts.
During the 35 years i have been within the martial arts i have made many friends, some genuine that i know if i call they will help me out, i have generally discovered that most of the people i have met have all been genuine when they have handed out thier hand in friendship, earnestly advised me upon ways to improve my technique, and enthusiastically listened if i had any suggestions myself.
All of those that i have the honour to call instructor have had a positive impression upon where i came from and where i go to, helping me continue to learn as my Shugyo continues into the next stage of my life, for myself there have been two or three instructors who have inspired me to the extent that they are the kind of instructor i wish to be, not arrogant, but understanding, not overbearing but nurturing, not imperious but approachable. Though i am not the judge of this, i feel that generally i achieve this.
I have had greta discussion with martial artists that have studied different styles and systems, with humility, and even in some instances, incorporating things from those styles.... to me this is the true essence of Budo.... Friendship, sincerity, experience, humility, fun, comaraderie and finally (and least important.. Aptitude)
Unfortunately, this is not always the case with all the instructors i have met, there have been a few who would say the words (talk the talk as it were), where really they were only interested in what they could get, whether that be financial reward, recognition, kudos and bragging rights in the bar or whatever. In hindsight, they were easily identifiable, they had always fell out with other martial arts groups, would always slag off other styles for one reason or another, and ultimately lacked many of the principles that Budo holds dear.
It is such a shame as in most cases even when i have left an organisation i have always sort to keep good relations, my purpose being, though i may have disagreed on points of technique or teaching style, i still respect what i have learnt from the individual, the time they have invested in me, and i would never have trained with them if i genuinely thought they were not a nice person.
Recently i was asked by an instructor to refrain from advertising in an area to keep things respectful for a number of reasons, first of all i always keep things respectful with each and every person i deal with, i always have and i always will, i will never put a price on anyones dignity, but for that it means i will not accept it the other way, the second point is that we as a club do not train for the money, my principle being i am learning like all the others in my lines and i will pay the same as they do, if they wish to train with someone else i encourage it, cross training is why i have become an average martial artist, and so should i hope others would as well, also i have sent students to that particular sensei's club, the reasoning being two fold, we do not teach younger students and i want people to join in the positive benefits of Budo. Secondly i genuinely want that club to do well.
As many of you know, my life has become far more busy with the integration of educational study, i was advised by a member of that club to use AI to study, stupid i know, but to me it is indicative of what so many martial artists want nowadays, the short cut, cheat your way through. The urge to claim another belt, or stand further up a line is a constant blight on all martial arts, when really the only thing we should be trying to get is the friendship and close connections that we can all share and love together. Not chasing our grades so we can brag about how much we know....
There are so many positives in martial arts that i have been so proud to share with so many eager students, i am proud also that i learn a bit from each and every one of you when you walk into the dojo to train, and i am always happy when i meet with friends that i have trained with throughout my short career in the martial world sharing a chat or a drink, discussing old experiences and hopefully i leave also a positive feeling with those that have wanted me to be a firm friend as i have always wanted to be.
There is always a journey we can make, we can always change our route, the interactions we make, will last a lifetime and life is too short to make enemies... I look forward to training with each and every one of my martial friends, and i am proud that i have trained with people from here to literally every continent on the planet apart from antartica. And i always hope to train once again with those few who had lost sight of what their budo journey had started off as.
May our journey together continue..
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