Pass It On


By: Russ Mahan


In America today, a student of martial arts is more likely to be severely injured in class than in a real confrontation on the street. What's worse is that many do not learn nor develop the ability to defend themselves even at the cost of time and money spent to do so. Furthermore, the "art" part of martial arts is not well understood. Many students pay high class fees, uniform costs among other fee based requirements in order to earn levels of rank only to develop a false sense of confidence. They learn and religiously practice incorrect movements that deteriorate or injure joints over time or are injured in a single act due to either the ill intentioned, the lack of oversight or just improperly led martial art instructors.


The practice of pulling of punches is intended to protect students but has negative effects in that it leads to incorrect muscle memory. Sometimes we miss judge and pull the punch too late and make contact anyway. Full contact sparring and tournament "karate" without proper protective equipment is extremely dangerous simply because a hit with proper angle and direction on certain points of the body can cause devastating physical effects or death. Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine (1907-1997) in his book Essense of Okinawan Karate-Do relates a story about one of his instructors who got pushed down a flight of stairs following taunts and challenges from man much larger than his instructor, finally his instructor kicked the large man with a single kick to the stomach. The man reportedly let out a groan, collapsed and later died from hemorrhaging lungs. Like Grandmaster Nagamine, many come to martial arts to better their health and strengthen their mind, but often, today, just the opposite occurs. Grandmaster Nagamine practiced his art until his death at 90 years of age.


This is not to say that no injury will ever occur. Any physical activity can result in an injury. In 2003, I attended a week long karate camp in Virginia Beach with the International Division, Dai Nippon Budoku Kai. At the first work-out on the first day, I went to pivot my right foot and my little toe got stuck in the mat and as the rest of foot rotated, my little toe stayed put. I worked out the rest of the week with a painful broken toe, however the instruction and experience of being with this group was a highlight experience. I was never put in harms way by bad instruction and the senior instructors watched over our work-outs with great intensity.


Examine the intent and base motivation of all training halls as you explore opportunity to fulfill your interest in learning budo. I had the unique experience of moving all over the US while in the military and therefore was exposed to many training halls and many instructors. I started when I was a pre-teen and too was looking for a way to become healthy (I was sickly as a child) and to also learn of the secrets I had heard about that surround martial arts. I became one of two students under a 6th Dan teacher who was a local police officer. He passed on his training for free which today is unheard of. I rarely awoke the following day training that some muscle did not ache.


I went on to teach what I learned - I to passed it on. After I joined the military, I returned to the Korean dojang for Korean karate and the dojo for Okinawan karate - depending on what was available at the location I was stationed. When I was at sea, I would return to instructing. I realized that being a student of martial arts is never finished, you never arrive. First we are students only and become instructors, but we are never instructors only. I have heard it said that "only one in ten thousand" ever make it to being a senior instructor. What this means is: many people come and go to the dojang but, mostly people go.


Many times when people get injured mentally or physically, they do not research another potential martial arts training hall and it is unfortunate many of these will conclude that all martial arts schools are all the same and never return to any training hall. But to those that find and stay with a good instructor gain understanding that is not understood by most practitioners today; good martial arts instruction builds inner and outer strength and lifts up a person and builds character in that individual. They become a better person physically and mentally. It is usually best recognized outside the training environment, not by the belt color one wears in the training hall. Good, well trained, experienced instructors make this happen by freedom of will and love of the art(s) they have been trained - not by how much they are paid.


I am not knocking those they charge for classes or clinics. We should financially fully support those that whose moral "martial arts compass" is on target with our own. Martial art training is not like going to a local gym where you pay monthly fees to support the company that owns the gym. We participate financially to keep the art alive. Moreover, we should provide every opportunity to use our personal talents or whatever we have to offer to help the art continue. For example, I would like someone to provide a facility in order do a Saturday class, one that does not cause financial burden on our club.  I currently maintain the website which I pay for out of pocket and do the all the programming myself on my own time and I do it for the arts.


In Peter Urban's Book The Karate Dojo he says that literally "Sensei" means "one that came before." It means one who has already been on the path, has done what the student is now doing, but has persevered when life got in the way or maybe stayed on and trained when it seemed too hard, a disagreement arose or it seemed that progress was not coming quick enough. It is the not necessarily the student's job to surpass the teacher, but to never stop learning, have something of worth to add too and to pass on that which you have graciously been given and entrusted with - it will never be something that you have paid money for or learned by way of enduring dangerous, potential severe physical hazards. It is the teacher's task to teach to those who come to the dojang ready in mind and heart to learn that experience you have gained in heart and mind over time from those that came before. So, they too can pass it on. Chayon Ryu is not a new style but rather a new approach to teaching the classic martial arts. You are always welcome to join us at Central Florida Chayon Ryu.