Karate Talk

Of Olympics, Controversy and Sportsmanship

I'm an Olympics junkie, I admit it.  I watch it faithfully every year.  I have my favorite events (gymnastics, figure skating) but also find myself watching many things I never watch at any other time (diving, swimming, speed skating, and so many others) and enjoying it immensely.  It always motivates me to train harder, push harder on a personal level.  I appreciate the chance to see sports, and competitors, that I would never otherwise have a chance to appreciate.  This year I found myself totally absorbed in the gold medal match for table tennis, a sport I'll freely admit I've never taken seriously before.  It also gives me a lot of food for thought.  So here are some of those thoughts.

Karate as an Olympic sport:  There has long been a movement to add karate to the Olympics.  I'm not, personally, a huge fan.  The reason is that training for the Olympics is training for a specific end goal.  I see karate as karate-do, a path I take through life, so I would hate to see that take a backseat to personal and patriotic glory.  If it does make the slate, I'll watch it and hope for the best, but I would foresee a lot of champions leaving the dojo fairly soon after it was over.

Olympic spirit:  One of the things I love most about the Olympics is the fact that a lot of very obscure people and countries (and sports, for that matter) get their moment on the international stage.  People who could never make it to world championships get a chance to go out and show their hard work, and winning is so not the point in many cases.  I think of the Jamaican bobsled team, I think of a Moroccan cross-country skier, and there are so many others, and to me they embody the best of the Olympics.  Any time that gets lost in the hype over the winners, I feel sad.

Controversies:  There are always a few incidents where judging is questioned, or an athlete's age or other credentials, or allegations of cheating arise, or allegations of drug use of some kind.  This taints the whole thing, but goes with the territory.  I most respect those who show grace in the face of disappointment, epitomized by this year's US gymnasts, who refused to complain, accuse, whine or pout, despite having a few good reasons to consider doing so.

Sportsmanship:  Maybe it's my martial arts background, but I don't like to see winners gloat.  It reminds me of a certain Nationals, when the winner of kumite walked around the ring doing a "raise the roof" after his final match.  The faces of every sensei in the place froze into identical masks, regardless of age, nationality, or gender.  Usain Bolt had every right to do a big victory celebration after his run, annoying though I found it, but starting it before the race was even over was undeniably insulting to the other racers.  They had the misfortune to be out there with a natural phenom, they weren't going to beat him no matter how hard they tried, and that's how it goes.  However, they had spent years of sweat and pain and tears to get there, and deserved at least to go home knowing the winner understood and respected that.  A natural gift is just that, a gift.  It doesn't convey the right to assume superiority over your fellow beings.

Closing ceremonies are Sunday, and life goes back to normal in our house after that.  But the glow will remain awhile longer, and hopefully, so will some of the lessons and the motivation that I have gained.

Respect as a Parallel for Innocence

Respect is an issue that comes up quite a bit in martial arts (I sometimes feel it comes up far too little in other areas of life).  It's a tricky question at times, and to some extent truly is cultural.  So how do we explain the concept, and its importance, to those who are lacking?

Those who seem to lack respect in the dojo typically have what I might deem a "Western" or "sport" mentality, which accords respect only to those who have earned it.  In this case, simply wearing a higher belt, holding a higher rank, being older in years, or even being the person running the class, does not automatically qualify you for respect.  Instead, those students demand that you demonstrate to them that you are their superior in technique, speed, knowledge, etc.  This puts senior students and instructors in the position of having tests of strength or will with students, which varies from harmless to annoying to outright disruptive.  It can break the flow of class, and makes people hard to train with.  If you've ever done drills against someone who didn't do the assigned combination, tried to learn kata with someone who keeps pointing out how they did a move differently in their old dojo, or sparred against someone who ignored cautions, then you too have had your training disrupted by someone disrespectful.

The problem here is determining what, precisely, warrants respect.  In dojo culture, in martial arts, it is usually a given that a higher rank, greater age and greater experience automatically qualify for respect, superficially at the very least.  You bow, say "osu", and do as you're told, even if you might be thinking, "man, I could take you!"  You are learning a fighting art, and in order to do so safely, you have to exercise caution, and trust in your seniors and do as they tell you.  If you demand that they prove themselves bigger, stronger, faster than you, then the risk of injury greatly increases.  People with this mentality usually don't treat weaker people very well, and frequently will intimidate or rough them up.  They believe they're just demonstrating how great they are, when instead, they have totally missed the point.

So how can we help them change their perspective?  One way is to present it as being a parallel to the idea of being innocent until proven guilty.  Things might look bad for someone, maybe the evidence seems to point at them as guilty, but you do not assume guilt until all the facts are in.  It's only fair.  Similarly, that senior student might look slow, or weak, but they might really surprise you with their skill or experience.  If you always take things at face value, you are in for some nasty shocks in your life.  In martial arts, it is always safest to assume the other person could have some tricks up their sleeve that you can't handle -- it's usually true, too.

Taking it one step farther, suppose you are stronger, faster than the other person.  Strength and speed are not everything.  Suppose you also have better technique.  Well, perhaps they've been doing this twice as long as you have, and although their body doesn't perform the way yours does, they've probably learned a few things along the way.  Even suppose that you get the rare high rank black belt who is basically an ass:  not as skilled, not as fast, and hasn't learned much along their journey so they say or do things that make you cringe.  Well, that too is valuable, because you have just learned what not to do.

When in doubt, go for humility.  It will get you a whole lot farther in life.